Severus sighs, he can't go home right now, his father is home. His mother is at the grocery store, and he's currently on his way to the park a few blocks over. When he finally arrives, he finds that there are already people there. He frowns to himself and turns to leave, but then hears what they're talking about. He hurriedly ducks behind the bushes to listen.
"You aren't wanted here! You're just a couple of freaks! Tell them Lily!" a horse faced girl orders the redheaded girl standing next to her.
She glares at the other two, who appear to be twins. "She's right, all you ever do is cause problems! Fighting and yelling and what not. Can't you just leave us alone?"
One of the twins scoffs at her, "In case you didn't notice, Lily, Opal and I were here before you. You two are the ones causing the problem."
The horse faced girl rolls her eyes, God, what kind of stupid name is Opal?"
The other twin smirks, "Like Petunia is any better? Your name sounds like a type of air freshener."
Petunia pushes the girl that had spoken, and Severus is surprised at how quickly the other girl reacts. While the redhead stares at her sister in shock, the other twin launches herself at Petunia. Before the rude girl can stop her, she lands four solid punches to her face in rapid succession. "Let me tell you something you little bitch. I don't give a damn who you think you are, you. Do. Not. Touch. My. Sister. Do you understand me?"
The girl sobs and holds her face. She grabs the Lily girl's hand and runs.
One of the remaining girls begins speaking, "Aspen, you shouldn't have done that! They're going to tell their parents, and their parents will tell Father, and Father will…"
He doesn't get to hear the rest because the other girl, Aspen, pulls her into a tight embrace and whispers to her. The other girl's eyes light up. "You figured it out? Let me see!"
Aspen steps back with a wide grin and picks one of the flowers off of the bush he's hiding behind. Her eyes meet his for a moment, and he's shocked to realize that she had known he was there the whole time. She stands back up, and cups the flower in her palms. She closes her eyes momentarily, and when she opens them again, she opens her hands to reveal the smallest dragon he'd ever seen. It shakes itself out and flies into the air, settling on her sister's shoulder after a moment. He can't contain his gasp. No child their age should have that much control over their magic.
The other sister, Opal, stares at the bush, head cocked to the right slightly. "You can come out and talk to us, you know. I don't bite. Aspen, on the other hand…" she trails off and her sister's face contorts into a feral grin, though her eyes show amusement, "I can't make promises about her."
Slowly, he leaves his hiding place. "Hello."
"Hello, I'm Opal, and this is my twin sister Aspen. What's your name? How old are you? We're turning seven in September." the girl with the dragon on her shoulder greets cheerfully.
He stares at the dragon, and it stares back. There's intelligence in its eyes, which surprises him. "My name is Severus. Severus Snape. I'll be seven in January. How did you do that?"
Aspen smiles, "You just have to visual what you want to turn it into. The tricky part is getting it to be sentient. It's all about intent." She plucks another flower and hands it to her sister, "I have an easier time with the elements, you know? Earth, wind, fire, and air. I think plants are close enough to be considered earth that I can manipulate them pretty well."
Once she finishes speaking to him, she turns her attention to her sister, "Concentrate. Focus on what it is now, and on what you want it to be. Imagine it in your mind, fill yourself up with your intent, then let your will flow through your body and into your hands…Good…Open your eyes."
Opal obeys, and glances down at her palms. She grins happily when a small cat with a seven inch wing span meows at her happily. Severus stares in awe. "Will you teach me to do that?" The question is out of his mouth before he can stop it. Aspen smiles at him, and he's struck by how pretty she looks when her eyes light up like that. They're an icy, electric blue color, and full of life.
She glances at her sister, "What do you think, Opal?"
He blinks a bit in surprise, he had realized she was protective, but hadn't had any idea she'd refer to her sister in the matter of judgement of others. He has no doubt that is exactly what this is based on the way Opal is scrutinizing him. Finally she smiles and confirms his theory, "We can trust him."
Aspen smiles, "Follow us, we'll need a quiet, private place."
They lead him on a trail through the small forest at the edge of the park, and after a mile or so, break from the trail. He follows them for another two miles on a path only they know, and finally they reach a calm, peaceful clearing next to a river. There's a man made fire pit in the center with a few logs laid out for seating around it. He takes a seat on one of the logs, and the sisters sit opposite him.
"So, do you know any wandless magic?" Aspen asks immediately.
Severus frowns, "Only a small bit, and it's mostly things like creating a small breeze to blow some leaves, and it takes a lot of energy."
Aspen nods, "The first thing is meditation." At his look of surprise, she nods seriously, "You need to get an idea of how your magic flows through your body. Look at it this way. A wand is only useful because it helps channel magic. If you had no magic, it would be useless, since all it does is call your magic forward. That's why certain cores work better for certain witches and wizards. If you learn how your magic flows through your body, you can essentially do the job of the wand yourself, by calling the magic to your hands. Meditation is where you need to start."
Severus thinks about this for a few moments. The logic is sound, so he nods and then sheepishly admits he doesn't really know how to meditate. Opal smile and instructs him to close his eyes.
"Focus on your breathing. In…Out…In…Out…In…Out…Good. You're doing well…In…Out…In…Out…Listen to the sound of my voice…It's very soothing…In…Out…In…Out…Feel the energy in your body…In…Out…Focus on your feet, feel the thrum of power moving through your body…In…Out…Feel the way it flows upwards…Your calves…thighs…stomach…chest…shoulders…biceps…wrist…hands…In…Out…In…Out…Do you feel your magic flowing through you?"
At Opal's question he mutely nods. He feels energy thrumming all through him. He knows it has always been there, he just never actively focused on it. It feels like when you stick your tongue on the end of a 9volt battery, all throughout his body, just a bit more muted than that. It's exhilarating.
Opal continues to guide him through his meditations. They keep at it for over an hour, but when he tries it by himself, he's unsuccessful. Aspen tells him that when he's able to enter the meditative state and feel his magic at will, they will then teach him to actually use it. He can understand the logic, so he agrees. They talk and get to know each other for a few more hours before Severus tells them he needs to get home.
The twins guide him out of the forest, and he's saying good night to them over by the swings when a tall, stately looking man with black hair and green eyes stalks up behind the two girls. "Aspen. Opal."
Their eyes suddenly change. They're no longer full of life and sparkling, as they had been since they met him that morning. Opal's eyes show fear, but Aspen's show resignation. The girls turn from Severus, and Aspen steps between Opal and the man. "Father."
The man's eyes narrow at Severus, but instead of commenting on their new friend, he simply states, "I was told an interesting story from a concerned parent today."
"Oh?" was the only response he got.
Severus stares at the man's face, sure that he recognizes him from somewhere. He's pulled from scrutinizing the man by his voice, "I was told that you assaulted a little girl this morning."
"You were told wrong, Father."
He frowns, this was the first time Opal had really spoken during this confrontation, and she sounds nothing like the bubbly, self-assured girl he had been speaking with only a few moments prior. She sounds terrified.
"Explain yourselves."
"Aspen was d-defending me. The girl shoved me," Opal stutters out.
Their father's eyes are practically slits by now, "So you did assault the girl."
Aspen seems to finally snap, "If defending my sister is assault then yes."
"We will finish this discussion at home. Come." He glares.
"Fine. But Severus agreed to accompany us home and it would be rude to renege." Aspen bites out.
Severus immediately realizes that she wants him to be aware of where they live, just in case something happens. He forces a smile and ignores the older man's glare as he offers an arm to each twin. They smile happily at him, some of the life returning to their eyes, and he walks with the three of them to a manor house far from Spinner's End.
At the gate, the man speaks up, "I do believe it is time for your friend to go home. We wouldn't want his parents to worry, would we?"
Aspen smiles sweetly, "Of course not. Severus, it was wonderful meeting you. Don't forget that we're meeting at the park the day after tomorrow. Goodnight."
He smiles in response, playing his part and knowing that she's letting him know that if they haven't shown up by then, something is very wrong, seeing as they had made no such plans. "I won't forget. Hopefully I can see you there tomorrow too. Goodnight."
He watches as she takes a deep breath and turns to head up the driveway with her sister, her glaring father not far behind. He waits until the door shuts behind them to start walking home. As soon as his back is turned, the smile falls from his face. There's something fishy going on in that house, and he intends to find out what it is next time he sees the twins.