CHAPTER ONE FEATURES: Invisible People, Invisible Houses; Bits of Backstory, Broken Wands

Serena sat on top of a garbage bin in an alley outside 12 Grimmauld Place. Or, rather, where 12 Grimmauld Place was supposed to be. She sighed as she looked from number 10 to number 14. It had been a long shot, anyway. An overheard fire-call mentioning the address over three months ago was not very reliable information. He did say 12 Grimmauld Place, didn't he? She wasn't so sure anymore. No matter, she could catch the Knight bus to the Leaky Cauldron, and then... figure something out from there, she supposed. She had no money, no owl, no change of clothes. Serena fingered her worn shirt and dirty, red-brown hair self-consciously. Neither had been washed since she left her mother's house three days ago. Well, at the very least she could play the "orphan of the war" card and get some food; nick an owl maybe, or borrow one if it came to that, and contact her father. With those happy thoughts, Serena hopped off the bin and walked into the street, when suddenly the streetlights went out. She fumbled for her wand before she realized that she had forgotten it in the alley. As she hurried back to where she had been sitting, a burst of flame caught her eye. It was minute; a flash of light that went out before she was sure it was real.

She scanned the area, but the only thing she noticed was a feeling as though something was escaping her notice; that she was constantly missing something out of the corner of her eye. Which was ridiculous, of course. She was just tired and sore and hungry, and it was dark and cold and it was making her nervous. Even so, she really shouldn't go and investigate it. It could be a robber or a rapist or a Dark wizard - or nothing at all, she reminded herself. In either case, there was no point in going over there. She should stop her legs from taking her closer. She definitely should refrain from yelling, "Wait," when she heard footsteps moving away from her. She really should not continue to talk. But, it seemed, her body did not feel like taking direction from her mind today.

"I know you're there. I heard your footsteps before, and I know they stopped before they got too far away. Oh, and just a hint, if you're trying to be sneaky you should have left the streetlamps on; the fire would've been less noticeable that way." When nothing happened, Serena decided that if she was going to do this thing, blast, but she was going to do it right. "Or even better, you could've waited until you were actually inside number twelve."

She was blowing smoke out her arse, of course, but it wasn't that hard of a connection to make. Invisible people visiting an invisible house? She still had to stop herself from breathing a sigh of relief when the mysterious people's reactions (much murmuring and even a few gasps) proved her right, though. She felt the pressure of a hand gripping her arm and suddenly that hand, along with the body it was connected to, appeared, and she bit her lip in an effort not to yelp in surprise. He was tall and he wore a bowler hat over unruly hair, neither of which completely hid the electric-blue eye that gave away his identity faster than a gold-class owl. Mad-eye Moody.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" he whispered fiercely in her ear. Serena looked apprehensively at the wand a mere two inches from her stomach, and thought longingly of her own, laying in the alley; a million miles away for all the use it was to her. She steeled herself, recalling that she had seen this man's face in her father's fire at least once. He also was a friend of Dumbledore's; he could help her contact one of them, if not both. Although, her father proved well enough that no one could be trusted completely, but at the moment her choices were rather limited, and that wand of his was getting too close for comfort.

"Serena Snape," she replied, voice completely and utterly steady, and no that was not a tremor because she was not scared out of her-

"Snape, is it?" he said, a bit louder, as though the others (the ones that had done all the gasping and murmuring a few moments ago) might not have heard the admission. Though why, she had no idea; her voice wasn't quiet, it was loud and confident because she wasn't terrified. "Any relation to a Severus Snape?"

She nodded. "His daughter."

There were more mutterings and murmurs from the invisible group. Moody, however, did not murmur, he laughed. "Nice try, little lady. Snape don't have a daughter." He was still chuckling when the fuzzy, barely-visible outline of a man came up behind him and seemed to whisper in his ear. The form and Moody conversed softly, then Moody nodded and turned back to Serena, who was caught up in her own thoughts, thoughts that included such sentiments as, "What the fuck?" and "Of course he has a daughter, I'm her!" when all of the sudden Moody stunned her.

When she woke up she was laying in a small bed, in a small room, with a large headache. Three men were sitting on backless chairs to her left and one was standing with his arms crossed to her right. Her father (the one who was standing - typical) was wearing an expression of irritation (also typical), but it seemed more intense than his usual scowl. To avoid his eyes, she looked at the three on her left. Moody was there, looking annoyed; Dumbledore, too, was at her bedside, eyes twinkling and cryptic as always. The last man was one she didn't know. Serena saw all of this, and probably could have put together a reasonable hypothesis as to what had happened, but it all failed to register. The only thing her mind could comprehend at the moment was, "Hungry!"

"Ah, Serena, you are awake," stated Dumbledore, a bit unnecessarily Serena thought. Apparently her father agreed.

"As one usually is after the innervate spell is preformed on them," he sneered. Serena snorted, but otherwise Severus was ignored. Typical.

"I suppose you are wondering where you are, am I correct?" Dumbledore continued. It occurred to her then that such a thought would indeed be appropriate, so she nodded. "This-" he gestured to the man she didn't know, "is Remus Lupin. He offered to let you stay in his home until we got this... misunderstanding cleared up." Moody muttered darkly at that. "Now, Alastor, I'm not blaming you. You acted admirably under the circumstances." Moody seemed somewhat appeased. "Now that that's taken care of, we will need to discuss where you will be spending the remainder of the summer."

"Albus," said Severus.

"Yes, Severus?" asked Dumbledore

"May I have a moment alone to... deal with my daughter?"

"Oh, of course." The three men stood and made for the door. Dumbledore paused next to Severus and said, in what he obviously thought was a very secretive manner, but such noises carry far in small, silent rooms, "Don't be too hard on her, Severus. She's had a trying experience. Just let us know when you're ready," he added, in a louder voice.

The door closed, and Serena made herself look at her father, who was glaring daggers at her. The irritation was very intense, as it turned out.

"What," he said quietly, "were you thinking?"

"I-"

"How did you even know about that place?"

"Well, I, uh-"

"Speak, girl!"

"I overheard you and somebody talking about it once," she said in a rush.

He gave her a disdainful look. "You overheard myself and someone talking about it once? And you thought it was a good idea to make a side-trip there to... to... I don't even know what you bloody well thought to accomplish. Merlin, girl, you're house is attacked and you decide to take a tour of London? We had no idea if you had been killed or kidnapped or... or... or Merlin knows what! You should have owled me immediately, not run around like some bird-brained bint!" he was shouting now.

"I didn't have an owl," she whispered, staring at her hands.

He looked at her for a moment. "I don't know whether to laugh or to slap you across the face."

"I vote for the former," she said hopefully.

He sighed in exasperation. "I thought I taught you better than that, Serena."

Silence reigned.

"How... how's the house?" she asked after it became too much.

He looked at her. "The house? Surely there are other things pressing more heavily upon your mind."

She said nothing.

"She's dead. Would you like to be alone?"

She nodded emphatically, and then shook her head with just as much vigor. He sat down in one of the empty chairs and waited for his daughter to stop sobbing.

"So I'm staying at the house you yelled at me for going to in the first place?" Serena asked with a grin as they, Severus, Dumbledore, Moody, Lupin, and herself, stood in front of the small fireplace in the crowded parlor.

Severus glanced down at her. "Ironic, no?" he said drily. He had obviously been aware of the irony and had also been hoping Serena wasn't.

"Serena, before you go, there is something I need to tell you," said Dumbledore. "The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix is located at Twelve Grimmauld Place."

"...Okay." She eyed him strangely. She had thought it was understood that she knew that already. "Oh! Are you telling me to stay out of Order business? Because you could just say it plainly, you know, I'm not..."

The adults chuckled, and then it clicked. It was a password, or something of the sort. She couldn't see the house before because she had overheard the information, it hadn't been told to her specifically. When she ran that theory by her father after they arrived in said location, he nodded.

"Not exactly, but close enough. But now it occurs to me that you had better keep your nose out of Order business."

Serena pouted. "Yes, sir."

Severus nodded. "I don't think I'll see you before school begins, I have things to take care of, but I will stop in if I can. And... I picked something up a while ago. It was going to be for your birthday, but I - I happen to have it here in my pocket..." She grinned as he pulled a long, thin box from his cloak. Inside was a plain, green ribbon. "The woman told me that it was a necklace. I had my doubts, but she assured me it was "all the rage.""

Serena tied it around her neck. She didn't particularly like it, but there was no reason to let him know that. The box reminded her of something, but she decided that there was no reason to break the news about her missing wand right now. Besides, she was enrolled in Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, so she couldn't use it during holiday. "Thank you. I like it." What could have been a quaint father-daughter bonding moment was interrupted by one Molly Weasley, who bustled over to welcome the newcomer and to admonish Severus for not staying for supper more often.

"Well, now that I've got your daughter you'll must stay more, won't you?" After assuring Molly multiple times that her cooking was indeed worth staying for, that he would join them for dinner at least twice as much as usual, and no, that didn't mean twice nothing, and that it wasn't that he didn't want to stay for dinner today, it's just he had to speak with Albus, he left, leaving Serena alone in the clutches of the mad house-wife.

"Oh, look at you, I bet you're starved, and haven't you any other clothes, dear? Those rags you've got on should be burned!" Serena had eaten at Lupin's, thank you, and no she didn't have any clothes. Yes, she would enjoy a trip to Diagon Alley, but could she wash up first? Yes, she'd simply love to meet the other children when she was done.

She washed her body two times and her hair three and finally felt clean. When she stepped out of the shower, the clothes Molly had said she could borrow were folded on the floor. They were too small, both height- and width-wise, and an appalling shade of yellow, with a stain directly on her left breast. Trying not to think of what it might be, she combed her hair and walked back to the parlor, where Molly was waiting with six others around her age. Molly fussed over her clothes ("a bit tight, but they'll hold 'til you get some new things..."), then introduced her to Fred, George, Ronald ("Ron!"), and Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter. Her eyebrow raised at that as she searched his forehead for the infamous scar. He seemed uncomforted by her scrutiny. Serena reproached herself silently for acting so rudely, but then thought he ought to be used to it by now, and refused to feel ashamed. Fred and George were very friendly, so much so that they had been yelled at by Molly twice for not giving her enough breathing room. Apparently, they were amazed by the fact that there was - indeed, that it was at all possible for there to be - a female Snape. They stared at her nose for so long it began to itch.

"I know it's kind of early, but I thought we could just do all our shopping right away. Serena needs new clothes-"

"Obviously." Serena blushed.

"Shush, George. And you lot got your school lists this morning - oh, Serena, Dumbledore gave me yours personally a few hours before you arrived, so don't you worry."

"Dumbledore was here?" asked Harry Potter, who looked surprised, and rather disappointed. "I wanted to talk with him."

"Yes, well, you were still asleep, and he just popped in for a moment to give me the list. Well, off we go!"

Ginny had met someone, the twins had run off somewhere, Molly was picking up something, but Serena hadn't been able to lose the other three, having to suffer through awkward, forced small-talk while buying books (they were all in the same year, now there was a shocker. She was older than them by a year and a half at the least. She would have to talk to her father about that), while buying potion ingredients, while buying new robes. There weren't many stops left, and she didn't want to go wand-shopping with company. Damn, but she didn't want them to even know she had lost hers in the first place. Maybe it would have been different if it had been lost during a battle, where she fought bravely and just managed to escape with her life, or even if she had dropped it while running as Death Eaters made an example of her mother, but no. She had set it down in an alley and forgot it there. That was not something she was going to go spouting off to Roy, Larry, and Heather over there.

"Well, that's the last of it," said Ron. "Ice cream while we wait?"

Serena tried to slip away as the other three turned to go to Floresque's, but to no avail.

"Serena, it's this way," called Hermione.

"I know, I, uh, have to pick up something. Meet you there in a bit," she said.

"Oh, no, not by yourself. Mum said - ouf! Hermione!" Serena turned around to see an amused Harry, an angry Hermione, and a Ron who was rubbing his ribs.

"What Ronald means is, why don't we go with you?" It wasn't a question.

"Oh, you go have your ice cream, I don't want to..." she trailed off at the look on Hermione's face. Apparently they weren't going down with a fight. Now she knew why she hadn't been able to shake them before. "I'd rather go alone," she said somewhat desperately, directing the statement at Harry, who had yet to say anything on the subject.

"No."

Serena sighed, hating how she was being babysat by these children, and turned and walked back in the direction of Ollivander's. They would follow if they wanted to. Which they did. Quicker than she could say, "I hate annoying buggers," they were flanking her; Ron and Hermione on one side, Harry on the other.

"Why are we stopping here?" asked Ron when Serena turned into the wand shop. She rolled her eyes.

"Because this is where I need to go." She didn't wait for a response, but pushed open the door and went inside.

There was a little girl already in the shop, complete with Proud Parents and Adorable Ignorance. It took the Muggleborn girl almost half an hour to find a wand, made all the more irritating with Ollivander himself saying, "A picky one, she is," after every one. Finally, the girl (Complete with Inane Grin, Serena thought darkly.) left the shop.

"Ah, Miss Snape. I was wondering when I would be seeing you again," Ollivander said mystically.

"Were you now?" Serena asked skeptically. "Or is that what you say to everyone who comes in here more than once?"

"I see you still haven't a polite bone in your body. I could see your scowl from the other side of the shop, you know. You took six times as long as her to find your own wand, if I recall correctly."

"Yes, well. Now I need a new one. Any suggestions?"

Ollivander rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Second wands are tricky, as the first choice is not an option anymore. Though new wands are always being created, so there is hope yet." Serena gave him a painfully patient smile. "Yes, yes. Young people these days. Always in such a hurry, never stopping to appreciate the quality, the workmanship, the effort that... I can see you don't give a damn what I have to say. Didn't when you were eleven, either. Running around, pulling wands from shelves willy-nilly, all the way over in the birch! Which, of course, got you nowhere and probably set you back at least an hour."

Serena scowled as he paced the store, muttering to himself.

"Cherry wood, eleven and three quarters inches, powdered unicorn horn. Now, we could be successful with a variation of that..." He pulled a box off a shelf. "Though such a combination is very basic, perhaps you have matured past it and are prepared for a more focused core material. Though let us try this one first," he said, handing her the box.

"Mahogany, twelve and one half inches, powdered unicorn horn again. Much the same as your previous; a bit more advanced, though still rather juvenile. Perhaps you'll need something more..." he stopped as he watched her test the wand, casting different colored sparks and such. "Or perhaps you're still the same little girl who came squealing into my shop at seven in the morning, shoes on the wrong feet and chewing gum in her hair?"

Serena's face was red with embarrassment. Ron and Harry's were red with repressed amusement, and Hermione, too, was stifling a giggle. Serena was about to pay for the wand (and be overcharged for it, she was sure), when Ollivander asked innocently,

"Are you sure you wouldn't like a holster for your new wand? Very useful for those who find it hard to keep track of their belongings. You'll never find yourself in a darkened alleyway unprepared again."

At that, Serena's head shot up from counting her money. Struck dumb for a moment (How does he know?), she gathered her wits (He doesn't, it was just an example. A very pertinent example, but a coincidence nonetheless.) and asked, in a defiant tone of voice, "Are you implying that I cannot keep track of my belongings?"

In answer, Ollivander reached under his desk and pulled out a small paper bag. He dumped the contents onto his desk, and with no small amount of horror she saw it was her old wand, snapped in two uneven pieces, but still connected by a few grains of wood, as though someone had stepped on it but stopped themselves when they realized what it was. When she looked back up, the old man had a Dumbledore-esque twinkle in his eyes.

"Now, we have both cloth and leather holsters. The leather are more expensive, but when you're talking durability..."

She threw the wand-box into a trash bin and slipping her new wand into its black leather holster. "Hate that bloody infuriating man," she muttered. That, it seemed, was a very amusing comment, as both Ron and Harry burst out laughing in response. Her glare did nothing to stop them, either. If possible, it made them laugh harder.

"I can just imagine Snape standing in Ollivander's while she ran around, pulling things off of shelves-" Ron said through his mirth.

"Ollivander running after her, "No, stop that, stop that!"" More laughter. "I can see why you wanted to go alone!" More laughter.

"Harry, Harry, think - Snape - with chewing gum in his hair!"

They doubled over in a fresh bout of hysterics as Hermione gave her an apologetic look, but her lips were twitching, too. Luckily a distraction was provided in the shape of Ginny Weasley and a boy who's name, as Serena learned later, was Seamus Finnigan. But perhaps it wasn't so lucky. Before Serena could so much as wage a protest, the entire story was told, from "Ginny, Ginny, we were just in Ollivander's," to "Snape - with chewing gum in his hair!" Ginny and the Finnigan boy laughed, Ron and Harry laughed some more. Passing pedestrians eyed the group askance. (Drawn by the sound of the screeching hyenas, Serena was sure) Fred and George were soon there as well, asking what they had missed. But this time she was ready.

"Next person to say a damned thing about Ollivander or chewing gum gets their bollocks hexed off."

Fred and George looked at each other despairingly. "Ollivander and chewing gum? That sounds like a good one, too..."