Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to either Harry Potter or the show Lost Girl...but not for lack of trying!
Chapter 1: A Whole New World
Opening the door, she steps out to face her new home for the next year.
"Alright, luv?" questions the rotund cab driver. "You sure your mates aren't taking the piss and giving you a dodgy address? Place looks abandoned."
She raises her eyebrows at his assessment and was about to contradict him when she remembered what Trick told her. "Regular humans can't see nor step foot there. All they see is a run-down factory."
She instead replies, "This is the place, thanks."
She pays the man, gathers her bags, and makes the trek to the magical school with the rather unfortunate name…Hogwarts. If someone told Bo Dennis a month ago that she would be spending a year at a wizard's school in Scotland, of all places, she'd think that they were soft in the head. But seeing the majestic castle nestled in the Highlands forced her to admit it was as real as it was impressive. I of all people shouldn't dismiss something as a hoax, she thought with a self-deprecating smile. It was hard to imagine that only a few years ago Bo had no idea who, or more importantly, WHAT she was. Her childhood was relatively normal but it wasn't until she was eighteen and had sex with her childhood sweetheart when she discovered that she wasn't human. It was a horrifying experience when losing your virginity results in you accidentally sucking the life force of your lover, killing him. She could still bitterly taste him on her lips. She recalled running home to her parents only to discover that she was adopted and that the people who raised her believed her to be a demon. She spent the next ten years wandering around trying to avoid the hunger until it became too much, causing her to feed and accidentally kill again and again. It wasn't until she saved the young pickpocket who grew to become her best friend that she was kidnapped and introduced to a whole other world; the world of Fae. Imagine Bo's surprise when she discovered that she wasn't a demon at all but a member of a race humans longed believe to be legends and folklore; more specifically, a succubus. Thanks to the friends and occasional lovers she made, she no longer hid what she was. She could control the hunger, feed without killing and actually use her abilities to help others. Bo walked the fine line between the human and the Fae world. In fact, it was her abilities that brought her here.
As she got closer to the portcullis, three figures emerged to greet her. There was an old woman wearing a long burgundy robe, an actual witch's hat, stern wrinkles but shining eyes behind some wire-rimmed glasses. On the far right was a large (Bo guessed about nine feet tall) round man with a long natty brown beard, matching wild shoulder-length hair in a worn forest green coat. The man between these two unusual characters was the most intriguing of all. He was an old thin man of average height, long grey pointed beard, blue robes, gold half-rimmed glasses and eyes that actually twinkled. Bo wasn't fooled by the unassuming manner of the old man; power clearly emanated from him. He smiled and gave a slight bow.
"Welcome Miss Dennis to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am Professor Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster. This is Professor Minerva McGonagall, Transfiguration teacher and Deputy Headmistress, and Professor Rubius Hagrid; our Gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher."
The two other people simultaneously bowed their response. Bo awkwardly nodded in response.
"I bring greetings from the Ash," she replies formally, remembering to mention the title of the leader of the Light Fae.
The Headmaster smile again as he asks, "How is Fitzpatrick?"
"Ah well; Trick's the same. He's busy with Ash stuff as well as his bar the Dal. That reminds me, he gave me a bottle of Fairy whiskey that he said was your favorite."
The twinkle in the man's eyes danced as he replies, "He remembers; I'll be sure to thank him the next time I owl him."
She nods awkwardly before the older woman informs her with her Scottish brogue evident, "We have your rooms ready for you; Hagrid here will take your things."
The giant man steps forward and wordlessly grabs her bags as if they were only pillows.
"Thanks Tiny," she winks at the giant with a grin.
The man was startled at first but then blushes and smiles in response. The older woman looked at Bo's outfit with obvious distain, but Bo wasn't fazed by it. She was used to standing out; today without exception. She wore a clingy crimson tank top that displayed her large cleavage, tight jeans, a black leather jacket and her signature high-heeled leather boots. As they entered the magical castle, Bo felt a curious chill run through her body.
The old woman noticed the succubus shiver and in a more sympathetic, almost motherly tone informs her, "The Scottish weather takes a wee bit of getting used to. A castle this size is quite drafty."
Bo knew the chill wasn't from the cool air but she simply nods to the deputy headmistress.
Is that her? she hears a whisper behind her. She isn't what we expected is she?
Bo whirls around to see the empty corridor behind her. Okay, I seriously need a nap, she silently chastises herself.
"Miss Dennis, I am sure that you would want to rest in your chambers after your long trip but if you could indulge us a bit longer I was hoping you could join us for dinner first in our Great Hall. All of the teachers have arrived by now and it would be an ideal opportunity for you all to meet," explains the Headmaster.
"Uh yeah, dinner sounds great," she replies lightly with a smile.
She follows her guides down different corridors before stopping in front of two large oak doors. The old witch opens the double doors and after doing her best not to gape at the splendor of the vast room with the floating candles and a ceiling showing a sunset-lit sky, Bo spots the round dining table in the center of the room and some of the occupants rose once they saw the new additions. Bo noticed that they all wore the long robes that the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress wore. One of these things is not like the other, she smirks to herself as she once again tried not to worry about her outsider clothing.
"Everyone, this is Miss Ysabeau Dennis," announces the old man.
Bo winces at the sound of her proper and rarely used first name but she replaces that with a winsome smile. One by one the other teachers walked over to introduce themselves and shake her hand. She met Professor Vector (a tall blond woman with glasses) who taught something called Arithmacy (must be a wizard's version of math, Bo thought with a shudder), Madam Hooch (slender older woman with grey/white spiky hair and yellow hawk-like eyes) the flying instructor, Professor Sprout (stocky woman with chestnut hair and a jovial smile) the Herbology teacher, Professor Flitwick (a dwarf-looking man with sharp, pointed nose and ears with glasses) the Charms professor, Professor Tonks-Lupin (cute young woman with a pixie cut hair that Bo was surprise to see changing color every five minutes) the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Babbling (a short woman with grey streaks among her fiery red hair and green eyes) the Ancient Runes professor and Madam Pomfrey (old woman with silver hair and blue eyes) the medi-witch.
"Mr. Filch, say hello to Miss Dennis," orders Professor Sprout to the old crotchety man caressing a cat. He merely grunted before walking out of the room.
"Don't mind him, dear, he's like that with everyone," assures the lady. Bo simply nods with another smile as she was offered an empty chair next to the Headmaster. This is going to be a long year, Bo muses.
"Where is Severus? He knows that I wanted all the teachers here to meet Miss Dennis," inquires Dumbledore. "And here I am as ordered," a rich baritone voice replies behind Bo. She turned to look at the tall, slender man with jet black, stringy hair, piercing black eyes and a large hooked nose sneering down at her.
"You are in my seat," he spat at the succubus rudely. Bo merely raises an eyebrow at this blatant gesture of dominance.
"And who might you be, Tall Dark and Broody?" she asks.
There were some soft snickering from the other staff but the dark man scowled and formally if not stiffly replied, "I am Professor Snape; the Potions Master."
He eyed her with what she would imagine was a practiced cold glare that obviously made his peers and students quake in their boots but all Bo noticed was the silkiness of his voice and the sexual repression that only her kind could see. She smiles at him with amusement which made the wizard stop for a microsecond maintaining his poker face.
The Headmaster adds, "Severus here has graciously volunteered to be your…um…"He hasn't told the other teachers what I am, she realized.
"My handler?" she helps. Dumbledore smiles as he considers the word.
"Yes, my dear. Severus is your handler." This is going to be interesting.
"Your rooms have a secret passageway to Severus's chambers in the dungeons," the old man informs her before turning to the man in question and suggests, "Severus, seeing as Miss Dennis is a guest, perhaps sitting next to Sybil will be preferable." Severus scowls at his superior and actually sulks over the frizzy haired woman with the coke-bottle glasses who was half-asleep nursing a glass of sherry.
"Professor," inquires the dwarf, who seemed to be bursting with curiosity, "is Miss Dennis…a squib?"
Bo looked at the little man with confusion. "What the hell is a squib?"
The other staff gasped at her question, but Dumbledore ignores them and explains, "A squib is a non-magical human from a magical family. Mr. Filch is an example of one." The nasty looking dude with the cat, gotcha, she thought.
"No, I'm not a squib" she answers the little man. Well, here goes. She looks at the old man as she informs the others, "In fact, I'm not human."