Amara looked up from the seat she had commandeered.
"Our limitations?"
Snape nodded, taking a seat across from them. Serena silently sat down on the
floor next to Amara's seat.
"Yes, your limitations. How much power you have exactly, what you can throw,
so to speak."
As he spoke he looked from one girl to the other, sizing them up.
"But first…. a few questions."
Amara's eyes narrowed.
"What kind of questions?"
Snapes raised his eyebrow in amusement.
"There's no need to be so defensive, Miss Ten'ou."
"She always is." Serena piped up from her place on the floor. Snape transferred
his gaze to her, and she shrugged slightly, as if to say 'what can you do about it?'.
"Hm…back to the subject at hand, how old were you both when you started using
your powers?"
Both girls were silent for a moment. After a moment, Amara spoke up.
" Four…. no five…. maybe six."
"No, five, 'Mara." Serena said.
Amara nodded to her friend.
"Yeah, that sounds about right. You started when you were five too, Sere. Two
years after me. But we've always had preference for our particular elements."
Snape nodded.
"Next question. What is the biggest thing you've ever done with your magic,
destructive or not?"
Both girls winced, though a smile played around their lips.
"Well…" Amara began, "there was that hurricane in the school…"
Snape frowned.
"Don't you mean at school?"
"No," Serena interrupted, "in school. In gym class. Actually, she started a
windstorm during kickball. I just got a bit…excited, and the rain started. Our powers
were a bit out of control at that point…puberty or something, I guess."
"Hm, yes, I guess." Snape murmured, obviously amused.
"But what about that electrical outage, Sere?"
"Or the time I froze all the water in the pipes?"
"Or when you accidentally overrode the heating system and the school stayed at
80 degrees for three weeks straight?"
"Yeah, but on the upside, the school paid 400 dollars less on its heating bill."
"That was, what? Two years ago?"
"Somewhere around that."
Snape cleared his throat, pulling their attention back to him.
" Now…how did you two find out about each other? You're not related are you?"
"No." Amara replied.
"And you didn't think it the slightest bit odd that someone had nearly identical
powers to you?"
"No." they said together.
"Well…this may sound rather…Trelawney-ish of me…but I get the impression
that you two have met before…before this lifetime. Do you follow me?"
Serena frowned slightly.
"Reincarnation, Professor?"
"Exactly."
Serena shrugged.
"It's a possibility."
"Do you believe in reincarnation, Miss Tsukino?"
"I'm Wiccan, aren't I?" she said with a grin.
"Yes, but you haven't answered my question. Do you believe in reincarnation?"
Serena sobered.
"Yes."
Snape nodded and turned his gaze to Amara. She looked back at him, and he was
quietly amused by the piercing look she was giving him.
"And you, Miss Ten'ou?"
"Yes. And I have a question for you."
"Oh?" he replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Who the Hell is Trelawney?"
Snape did laugh outright at that. It took him a few minutes to get himself under
control, though an amused smile continued to lurk around his mouth.
"Trelawney, or Madame Trelawney, as you'll be expected to call her, is the
Divinations teacher, a psychic, fortune teller and an utter fraud."
Serena, who had been sitting quietly, spoke.
" She isn't the crazy tea reader that predicts the death of one student per year, is
she?"
"In so many words, yes. But if it ever leaves this room that I said that…" Snape
let the comment hang in the air.
"Understood, sir."
"Good. One more question. Have you ever used your magic for an offensive
attack?"
"No." Amara replied immediately. Serena was a little slower to respond.
"No…. unless…"
Snape immediately turned his attention to her.
"Unless what, Miss Tsukino?"
Serena looked up to meet his piercing gaze, before gazing back at the ground.
"Unless it was during one of my blackouts."
Snapes full attention was now on the girl. He leaned forward in his seat.
"Blackouts?"
"Yeah…every now and then, I just kind of…black out. I don't understand it. I'm
still functioning and awake, but I can't remember anything of what happened during the
duration of it. It's just this big blank."
Snape nodded and leaned back in his seat. That would be something that would
require further investigation.
"And you, Miss Ten'ou? Do you experience these…blackouts?"
"Seven times in the past month." Amara replied quietly, ignoring the sharp look
that Serena gave her.
"Well, yes. That's all for the questions. Now, for attacks. Miss Tsukino, if you
would be so kind as to stand over there?" Snape pointed to the other end of the room.
Serena stood and walked over to where he had pointed, waiting.
" Good, now if you would throw your best water attack at me?"
"At you?"
"Yes, Miss Tsukino. I believe that's what I said."
"But what if I hurt you?"
" Believe me, I am more than capable of defending myself. That's why I'm the
one testing you. Now go."
"If you say so…" Serena replied, uncertainly.
"I do say so."
Serena shrugged slightly and looked around the room. Not finding any water
however, she sighed and began to concentrate on pulling it from the air. For a long
moment, nothing seemed to be happening. The slowly, as though it were only a trick of
the imagination, a small funnel began to form in front of the girl. Snape watched her
intently, spreading his feet to brace himself. He noticed that she had started murmuring
softly, and wondered what she was saying. Not a spell, he surmised. Perhaps she was
talking to the water?
The funnel continued to grow and gather power. A low, roaring sound began to
fill the room, faintly reminiscent of an ocean. The funnel was now as big as the girl, and
Snape was beginning to wonder just how far she would go, when suddenly her eyes shot
open and with a sweep of her arm, sent the funnel flying in his direction.
With a quick slash of his wand, the Potions Master had formed a barrier to absorb
the impact of the attack. The parts of the funnel that hadn't hit the barrier continued on
past him to hit the stone wall with a loud crash. Glancing back, Snape realized that the
water had formed cracks in the wall and swiftly reinforced his barrier, which was still
under attack. Turning his gaze back to Serena, he could see her still murmuring under
her breath. It took him only a moment to realize that she was sustaining her attack, which
was why not all of the funnel had disappeared.
Then, just as suddenly as the attack had hit his barrier, it was gone. Serena was
down on her knees, breathing heavily, and Amara was at her side.
"You ok, Sere?"
"Yeah…. yeah. Just…out of practice."
"Out of practice?" Snape asked wryly, gesturing at the cracks in the solid stone
wall.
"Yeah, well…" Serena replied, not finishing the sentence. Amara helped her up
and over to a chair, where she gratefully sat down. She glanced up at the Potions Master
through her bangs.
"So?"
He arched an eyebrow.
"So, what?"
"How was that?"
Snape smiled dryly.
"Considering that I've never run across anything like this before, well done. You
have more control than some seventh years I know."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Good, because that's the closest I ever get to giving one. You're next, Miss
Ten'ou."
Amara stood, brushing back her bangs.
"What attack would you like to see first?"
"How about wind?" He replied, noting with no small amusement that Serena was
rapidly braiding her hair back.
" Kay." She replied with a shrug. She moved a foot back to brace herself, and
began moving her arm, almost like a pitcher from that Muggle sport…'What was it? Ah,
baseball, that's it'. It was taking her less time to build up than it had the Tsukino girl, he
noticed, but then again, she had at least two more years of experience to her benefit.
Amara swung her arm around one time before throwing a torrid whirlwind of air
towards him. Throwing his wand outward, he pierced the attack, allowing it to pass
around him. It threw several unused desks that were behind him against the wall, and he
could hear the sounds of splintering wood. Then, it stopped. Miss Ten'ou, he could see,
looked scarcely winded.
'Show off.'
Amara turned to Serena.
"What did you say?"
Serena looked at her, confused.
"I didn't say anything."
"Yes you did. You said 'show off'."
Serena shook her head slowly.
"Nooo…. I thought it. I never said it."
Snape looked between the two girls, a quiet chuckle breaking past his lips, turning
into a full-fledged laugh. They both glared at him.
"Well?" Amara asked.
"What's so funny?" Serena put in.
With an effort, Snape managed to get his humor under control, only a slight smirk
remaining.
"It would seem that being at Hogwarts has amplified your abilities."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Serena asked.
" What it means, my dear Miss Tsukino, is that you two can speak to each other in
your minds. You're telepathic."
"Our limitations?"
Snape nodded, taking a seat across from them. Serena silently sat down on the
floor next to Amara's seat.
"Yes, your limitations. How much power you have exactly, what you can throw,
so to speak."
As he spoke he looked from one girl to the other, sizing them up.
"But first…. a few questions."
Amara's eyes narrowed.
"What kind of questions?"
Snapes raised his eyebrow in amusement.
"There's no need to be so defensive, Miss Ten'ou."
"She always is." Serena piped up from her place on the floor. Snape transferred
his gaze to her, and she shrugged slightly, as if to say 'what can you do about it?'.
"Hm…back to the subject at hand, how old were you both when you started using
your powers?"
Both girls were silent for a moment. After a moment, Amara spoke up.
" Four…. no five…. maybe six."
"No, five, 'Mara." Serena said.
Amara nodded to her friend.
"Yeah, that sounds about right. You started when you were five too, Sere. Two
years after me. But we've always had preference for our particular elements."
Snape nodded.
"Next question. What is the biggest thing you've ever done with your magic,
destructive or not?"
Both girls winced, though a smile played around their lips.
"Well…" Amara began, "there was that hurricane in the school…"
Snape frowned.
"Don't you mean at school?"
"No," Serena interrupted, "in school. In gym class. Actually, she started a
windstorm during kickball. I just got a bit…excited, and the rain started. Our powers
were a bit out of control at that point…puberty or something, I guess."
"Hm, yes, I guess." Snape murmured, obviously amused.
"But what about that electrical outage, Sere?"
"Or the time I froze all the water in the pipes?"
"Or when you accidentally overrode the heating system and the school stayed at
80 degrees for three weeks straight?"
"Yeah, but on the upside, the school paid 400 dollars less on its heating bill."
"That was, what? Two years ago?"
"Somewhere around that."
Snape cleared his throat, pulling their attention back to him.
" Now…how did you two find out about each other? You're not related are you?"
"No." Amara replied.
"And you didn't think it the slightest bit odd that someone had nearly identical
powers to you?"
"No." they said together.
"Well…this may sound rather…Trelawney-ish of me…but I get the impression
that you two have met before…before this lifetime. Do you follow me?"
Serena frowned slightly.
"Reincarnation, Professor?"
"Exactly."
Serena shrugged.
"It's a possibility."
"Do you believe in reincarnation, Miss Tsukino?"
"I'm Wiccan, aren't I?" she said with a grin.
"Yes, but you haven't answered my question. Do you believe in reincarnation?"
Serena sobered.
"Yes."
Snape nodded and turned his gaze to Amara. She looked back at him, and he was
quietly amused by the piercing look she was giving him.
"And you, Miss Ten'ou?"
"Yes. And I have a question for you."
"Oh?" he replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Who the Hell is Trelawney?"
Snape did laugh outright at that. It took him a few minutes to get himself under
control, though an amused smile continued to lurk around his mouth.
"Trelawney, or Madame Trelawney, as you'll be expected to call her, is the
Divinations teacher, a psychic, fortune teller and an utter fraud."
Serena, who had been sitting quietly, spoke.
" She isn't the crazy tea reader that predicts the death of one student per year, is
she?"
"In so many words, yes. But if it ever leaves this room that I said that…" Snape
let the comment hang in the air.
"Understood, sir."
"Good. One more question. Have you ever used your magic for an offensive
attack?"
"No." Amara replied immediately. Serena was a little slower to respond.
"No…. unless…"
Snape immediately turned his attention to her.
"Unless what, Miss Tsukino?"
Serena looked up to meet his piercing gaze, before gazing back at the ground.
"Unless it was during one of my blackouts."
Snapes full attention was now on the girl. He leaned forward in his seat.
"Blackouts?"
"Yeah…every now and then, I just kind of…black out. I don't understand it. I'm
still functioning and awake, but I can't remember anything of what happened during the
duration of it. It's just this big blank."
Snape nodded and leaned back in his seat. That would be something that would
require further investigation.
"And you, Miss Ten'ou? Do you experience these…blackouts?"
"Seven times in the past month." Amara replied quietly, ignoring the sharp look
that Serena gave her.
"Well, yes. That's all for the questions. Now, for attacks. Miss Tsukino, if you
would be so kind as to stand over there?" Snape pointed to the other end of the room.
Serena stood and walked over to where he had pointed, waiting.
" Good, now if you would throw your best water attack at me?"
"At you?"
"Yes, Miss Tsukino. I believe that's what I said."
"But what if I hurt you?"
" Believe me, I am more than capable of defending myself. That's why I'm the
one testing you. Now go."
"If you say so…" Serena replied, uncertainly.
"I do say so."
Serena shrugged slightly and looked around the room. Not finding any water
however, she sighed and began to concentrate on pulling it from the air. For a long
moment, nothing seemed to be happening. The slowly, as though it were only a trick of
the imagination, a small funnel began to form in front of the girl. Snape watched her
intently, spreading his feet to brace himself. He noticed that she had started murmuring
softly, and wondered what she was saying. Not a spell, he surmised. Perhaps she was
talking to the water?
The funnel continued to grow and gather power. A low, roaring sound began to
fill the room, faintly reminiscent of an ocean. The funnel was now as big as the girl, and
Snape was beginning to wonder just how far she would go, when suddenly her eyes shot
open and with a sweep of her arm, sent the funnel flying in his direction.
With a quick slash of his wand, the Potions Master had formed a barrier to absorb
the impact of the attack. The parts of the funnel that hadn't hit the barrier continued on
past him to hit the stone wall with a loud crash. Glancing back, Snape realized that the
water had formed cracks in the wall and swiftly reinforced his barrier, which was still
under attack. Turning his gaze back to Serena, he could see her still murmuring under
her breath. It took him only a moment to realize that she was sustaining her attack, which
was why not all of the funnel had disappeared.
Then, just as suddenly as the attack had hit his barrier, it was gone. Serena was
down on her knees, breathing heavily, and Amara was at her side.
"You ok, Sere?"
"Yeah…. yeah. Just…out of practice."
"Out of practice?" Snape asked wryly, gesturing at the cracks in the solid stone
wall.
"Yeah, well…" Serena replied, not finishing the sentence. Amara helped her up
and over to a chair, where she gratefully sat down. She glanced up at the Potions Master
through her bangs.
"So?"
He arched an eyebrow.
"So, what?"
"How was that?"
Snape smiled dryly.
"Considering that I've never run across anything like this before, well done. You
have more control than some seventh years I know."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Good, because that's the closest I ever get to giving one. You're next, Miss
Ten'ou."
Amara stood, brushing back her bangs.
"What attack would you like to see first?"
"How about wind?" He replied, noting with no small amusement that Serena was
rapidly braiding her hair back.
" Kay." She replied with a shrug. She moved a foot back to brace herself, and
began moving her arm, almost like a pitcher from that Muggle sport…'What was it? Ah,
baseball, that's it'. It was taking her less time to build up than it had the Tsukino girl, he
noticed, but then again, she had at least two more years of experience to her benefit.
Amara swung her arm around one time before throwing a torrid whirlwind of air
towards him. Throwing his wand outward, he pierced the attack, allowing it to pass
around him. It threw several unused desks that were behind him against the wall, and he
could hear the sounds of splintering wood. Then, it stopped. Miss Ten'ou, he could see,
looked scarcely winded.
'Show off.'
Amara turned to Serena.
"What did you say?"
Serena looked at her, confused.
"I didn't say anything."
"Yes you did. You said 'show off'."
Serena shook her head slowly.
"Nooo…. I thought it. I never said it."
Snape looked between the two girls, a quiet chuckle breaking past his lips, turning
into a full-fledged laugh. They both glared at him.
"Well?" Amara asked.
"What's so funny?" Serena put in.
With an effort, Snape managed to get his humor under control, only a slight smirk
remaining.
"It would seem that being at Hogwarts has amplified your abilities."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Serena asked.
" What it means, my dear Miss Tsukino, is that you two can speak to each other in
your minds. You're telepathic."