-MIRROR MIRROR
CHAPTER 4
BY: Piton
It was early that morning when McGonagall woke the sisters. They had an appointment to go get their wands in Diagon Alley. They were supposed to buy wands that morning, so they could start their magic training.
Nobody had yet told them why their help was needed. Dumbledore wanted to make sure they got acquainted with the ways of the magic world before they got down to business.
The idea of learning 7 years of training in such a short period of time was daunting, but Dumbledore had assured them they could keep on training even after their mission was over, whatever that mission was.
"This Diagon Alley place, is it near Hogsmeade?" Tethys asked.
"Oh no, that's in London. Severus will take you there and show you everything," said McGonagall as they headed for the Great Hall for a quick breakfast before leaving.
"You mean Professor Snape is the one taking us?" Tethys asked frowning.
"Yes, he doesn't have any classes today, so he's the only one available to help you. But don't worry, he's going to show you around just fine," she said smiling.
"Indeed." Tethys could already see the awful day ahead.
Hydra didn't seem to mind at all. Tethys couldn't understand how on earth hadn't she felt the danger that man imposed on them.
After they finished breakfast, they went to the front door and found Snape pacing impatiently. When he saw them, he scowled as he looked at Tethys outfit.
"Is she dressed just like...me?" He thought and shook his head, gesturing for them to come faster.
"I have a lot of work to do today to be playing guide for you two, so let's get this over with!"
"I was under the impression you were available today," Tethys looked at him coldly.
"What?" he said.
"Professor McGonagall said you had no classes and was available today," Tethys said with a little smirk.
His lips thinned and he marched to the gates even faster. The two women exchanged looks and followed at their own pace. Once outside the gates of Hogwarts, they walked a little further and Snape stopped and turned to them.
"How are we getting there, not walking I hope?" Hydra asked in an amused tone.
His eyes narrowed as he glared at her, "No, Miss Solas, We're apparating."
"Excuse me?" Hydra asked.
He rolled his eyes thinking how much he hated talking to people who knew nothing about his world. "Just hold my arm and don't let go until I say so."
"I am not... " Tethys said as she crossed her arms. Hydra knew that stubborn streak and interrupted her.
"Do what he says Sis, he knows what he's doing, don't you Professor?" She smiled at him and he shot one eyebrow up.
Tethys gave her sister a killing look, and that look held a promise of a war of words latter. Exasperated that this was taking far too long already for her. They both held his arm, one on each side and waited. They disappeared with a loud pop.
They appeared in front of a place called The Leaky Cauldron. The sisters looked around a little shocked. Tethys let go of Snape's arm dramatically, and said, "What now?"
"Now you follow me," he said coldly, but before he moved he looked at his arm and then at Hydra, "You can let go now, Miss Solas."
"Oh... sure," she said and looked at her sister to find her glaring menacingly.
"What?" Hydra asked and Tethys grabbed her, so they could follow Snape.
They entered the ugly dark Inn with a few strange people sitting at the bar. Snape didn't stop; he kept going until they reached the back door. They came out and were facing a brick wall. Snape went ahead and tapped his wand on the bricks. The wall started moving; until there was a perfect entrance to the most amazing place the two women had ever seen.
They followed Snape without talking, just admiring the colorful stores with so many different things, it was mind blowing. They stopped in front of a narrow shabby little shop called Ollivander's. He pushed the door open and an old man smiled at him, "Hello Professor Snape, what brings you to my shop?"
"Hello, Dumbledore has asked me to bring these two ladies to get their wands."
Ollivander waved for them to approach the counter and looked at the both of them intensely. "Finally, I was wondering when Preston's daughters would join our world."
Snape scowled, he would never understand how Ollivander did that, in that aspect, he and Dumbledore were completely alike. How could he tell who they were?
The sisters were probably thinking the same, judging by their expressions.
Ollivander turned to the several shelves completely covered by narrow boxes and thought for a few seconds. Then reaching and grabbing 3 boxes, he turned to Tethys, "Why don't we start with you?" He opened one of the boxes and asked her to take the wand.
She reached her hand and carefully held the wand, looking at it in amazement. She waved but nothing happened. Ollivander opened the other box and she did the same thing, nothing. She was starting to doubt anything would happen until she got a hold of the third one.
A wind started to swirl around her, light at first, but then it got stronger and stronger, until she was enveloped in what seemed to be a little hurricane twisting her hair up within it. A lightening stroke on the end of her wand and all the wind was sucked inside it. Everything was gone in seconds, leaving only silence. She looked at everyone and they were as astonished as she was, except for Ollivander.
"Perfect! A very rare combination, 13 inc. Oak and the essence of a lightening ray... But being what you are, it couldn't be anything else!"
"Being what I am?" She asked.
"An Elemental, your power deals with the forces of nature, but I'm sure Dumbledore will tell you all about it." He said turning to find Hydra's wands.
Tethys looked at Snape as if questioning him, but he merely lifted his eyebrow.
Hydra was a little excited after having witnessed her sister's powerful demonstration with the wand, so when she was presented with a couple of boxes, her hand was shaking. She took the wand in her hand and waved, yellow light shot at a flower vase on the counter making the flowers wither and turn black, immediately catching on fire. The vase fell on the floor and the fire started to go up the counter. Ollivander shouted, "Evanesco!" and the fire was gone.
Hydra looked pale and was afraid to get the other one; she kept staring at it without touching it when her sister pushed her slightly, so she could go on.
"Ok, Ok... give me some time," she complained.
She slowly reached for the wand and as she touched it, a warm white light went all over her body, almost lifting her hair and it settled.
"Very good, that's your wand," Ollivander said.
Hydra seemed disappointed, "Wow, that was a lot less dramatic than Tethys' wand..."
"Well, she didn't almost set fire to the shop, where you did!" An annoyed voice said.
Hydra looked around and saw no one other than Snape, her sister and Ollivander. But they hadn't said a word.
"Who said that?" She asked confused.
Ollivander was the one who answered her question, "Your wand dear. Well, you also have a rare combination there.... let me see, 15 in. Mahogany and a trapped Entity..."
"A trapped what?" she asked looking at the wand in her hand.
"Oh dear. Are you deaf? The man just said loud and clear, an ENTITY!" the voice spoke again and she dropped the wand on the floor.
"Great, drop me on the floor! I'm just a wand, right? Why don't you come in here and see how it feels to be dropped on the floor like that!"
Snape decided to intervene, "Are you really sure about this sir? I mean, I've never heard of a wand with a spirit in it."
"You see, Professor this wand was made from a valuable piece of furniture, a desk that belonged to a very influential wizard family. It was donated to my shop when they found out that the spirit of a family member, who had committed suicide, had been trapped in it. He's been confined to this wand waiting to be of service of whoever owns it, in order to redeem his soul from his act."
"But why me?" Hydra asked.
"Because you have the ability to speak to the spirit world, you are sensitive on many depths of energies, so this is the perfect wand for you," Ollivander said bending to pick the wand up.
He gave the wand back to Hydra. She sighed and took it reluctantly, "Can't it at least be a little less rude?"
"I'm afraid you're going to have to come to an agreement with it yourself."
They left Ollivander's shop and started to go up the street when Tethys saw a bookstore and ran inside. Hydra read the name Flourish & Blotts. So they followed Tethys inside to find her excited looking at all the books. Hydra stuffed her talking wand inside her robe and tried to forget the whole episode, and joined Tethys. If anyone wanted to make those two happy, all they had to do was to let them loose in a bookstore.
Snape observed the two of them with some hidden amusement. He walked over to Hydra and saw that she was engrossed in "Most Potente Potions". He looked at her and when she saw he was staring, she asked, "Is it a good one? I think it's fascinating."
"I think that you shouldn't aim too high, after all you're just starting. Why don't you go for something like this?" He said pointing at another simpler book.
"Hmm I don't know, I like to aim high Professor, that's how I always get myself to learn."
"Ya, the hard way!" called Tethys.
"Besides" said Hydra as if she hadn't been disrupted. "With you as an instructor, I shouldn't have a problem," she said.
He was about to retort to that when he saw Tethys passing through with a book about the dark arts. He quickly pulled the book out of her hand.
"Hey!" Tethys said indignant.
"You have no developed abilities nor knowledge enough to be meddling into dark magic!" He said scowling at her.
"I was just reading it, it doesn't mean I..."
"You shouldn't have anything to do with that! This is not what being a witch is about, you have a lot to learn and if I see you with a book like that again, I'm going to have to warn the Headmaster!" His eyes were as black and piercing as ever.
She stared back at him and didn't look away, "It's going to take a lot more than that to intimidate me, Professor."
"Why don't we pay for our books and go?" said Hydra trying to break that confrontation.
Tethys got a hold of the pile of books she had chosen and went to the cashier. Snape couldn't stop staring at her. It was as if he was finally seeing her for the first time.
After Snape paid for the books and they were outside, he asked, "Why don't we stop for lunch?"
"Great, I'm hungry!" Hydra said smiling, but neither Snape nor Tethys was in the mood for smiles.
They made their way to a small restaurant with tables outside. Hydra went ahead and chose one of the outside tables. The other two followed her silently. They got their menus and chose their meals without much of a word to each other.
"Would you please lighten up?" Hydra begged trying to break the mood.
"I don't know what you mean, Miss Solas." He said glaring at her.
"Why don't you call us by our first names, I mean we are sisters, it's going to be hard to know who you're talking to if you keep addressing us by our last names," Hydra said.
"Fair enough," he answered.
While waiting for the food, Tethys buried herself in a book and ignored Snape as much as she could. When the food arrived they were forced to start a conversation, when Hydra started bombarding Snape with questions about the magic world and what they would be learning on potions. Tethys ended up joining in with questions of her own and soon enough Tethys and Snape were discussing things like science and physics and how all that fused both magic and muggle world.
Hydra was glad that everyone was more relaxed now and was gazing at Snape while he talked to Tethys. Her stare was so invasive that he stopped talking and said, "What?"
She leaned forward and grabbed a lock of his hair, "I love your hair! It's so...black!"
He stiffened and pulled her hand off, getting up abruptly, "I think it's time we go back to Hogwarts!"
As they followed him back to The Leaky Cauldron, Hydra couldn't stop giggling. "He is so easy!" she thought.
.......................................................................
They spent the rest of the afternoon getting all their stuff settled and scheduling their classes for the next day. At dinnertime, Dumbledore talked a little about what they would need to learn, but stayed stubbornly secretive with what he knew about their abilities and their part in the mission.
After dinner the two of them decided to call it a night and headed for their bedrooms. When they arrived in front of their bedroom doors, Tethys looked around to see if nobody could hear them.
"Be careful around Snape, I don't trust him!"
"What him? Why?" Hydra replied.
"There's something about his eyes..."
"Oh come on, Tethys, he's hard on the exterior like that, but he's just a big teddy bear!"
"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you," Tethys crossed her arms.
"Did you forget I have a knack for reading people's feelings? Don't you trust my judgment anymore?" Hydra looked at her with a hurtful expression.
"Oh I do very much, except..."
"Except what?"
"Except that your judgment tends to get a little blurred when you fancy someone"
"Ha! What makes you think I fancy him?"
"Well, maybe the fact that you're all smiles around him!"
"Yeah right, coming from someone who's already dressing like him!"
The tension built between the two of them and they kept staring at each other trying to think of something to say, when a silky voice interrupted, "Anything wrong?"
Snape was standing in front of them with a smirk on his face.
The two of them shot him a murderous look and mumbled something incomprehensible; they turned on their heels, and went inside their respective bedrooms. The doors slammed in unison, making Snape flinch. Leaving him there in the middle of the hall, with no idea of what hell had just happened.
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CHAPTER 4
BY: Piton
It was early that morning when McGonagall woke the sisters. They had an appointment to go get their wands in Diagon Alley. They were supposed to buy wands that morning, so they could start their magic training.
Nobody had yet told them why their help was needed. Dumbledore wanted to make sure they got acquainted with the ways of the magic world before they got down to business.
The idea of learning 7 years of training in such a short period of time was daunting, but Dumbledore had assured them they could keep on training even after their mission was over, whatever that mission was.
"This Diagon Alley place, is it near Hogsmeade?" Tethys asked.
"Oh no, that's in London. Severus will take you there and show you everything," said McGonagall as they headed for the Great Hall for a quick breakfast before leaving.
"You mean Professor Snape is the one taking us?" Tethys asked frowning.
"Yes, he doesn't have any classes today, so he's the only one available to help you. But don't worry, he's going to show you around just fine," she said smiling.
"Indeed." Tethys could already see the awful day ahead.
Hydra didn't seem to mind at all. Tethys couldn't understand how on earth hadn't she felt the danger that man imposed on them.
After they finished breakfast, they went to the front door and found Snape pacing impatiently. When he saw them, he scowled as he looked at Tethys outfit.
"Is she dressed just like...me?" He thought and shook his head, gesturing for them to come faster.
"I have a lot of work to do today to be playing guide for you two, so let's get this over with!"
"I was under the impression you were available today," Tethys looked at him coldly.
"What?" he said.
"Professor McGonagall said you had no classes and was available today," Tethys said with a little smirk.
His lips thinned and he marched to the gates even faster. The two women exchanged looks and followed at their own pace. Once outside the gates of Hogwarts, they walked a little further and Snape stopped and turned to them.
"How are we getting there, not walking I hope?" Hydra asked in an amused tone.
His eyes narrowed as he glared at her, "No, Miss Solas, We're apparating."
"Excuse me?" Hydra asked.
He rolled his eyes thinking how much he hated talking to people who knew nothing about his world. "Just hold my arm and don't let go until I say so."
"I am not... " Tethys said as she crossed her arms. Hydra knew that stubborn streak and interrupted her.
"Do what he says Sis, he knows what he's doing, don't you Professor?" She smiled at him and he shot one eyebrow up.
Tethys gave her sister a killing look, and that look held a promise of a war of words latter. Exasperated that this was taking far too long already for her. They both held his arm, one on each side and waited. They disappeared with a loud pop.
They appeared in front of a place called The Leaky Cauldron. The sisters looked around a little shocked. Tethys let go of Snape's arm dramatically, and said, "What now?"
"Now you follow me," he said coldly, but before he moved he looked at his arm and then at Hydra, "You can let go now, Miss Solas."
"Oh... sure," she said and looked at her sister to find her glaring menacingly.
"What?" Hydra asked and Tethys grabbed her, so they could follow Snape.
They entered the ugly dark Inn with a few strange people sitting at the bar. Snape didn't stop; he kept going until they reached the back door. They came out and were facing a brick wall. Snape went ahead and tapped his wand on the bricks. The wall started moving; until there was a perfect entrance to the most amazing place the two women had ever seen.
They followed Snape without talking, just admiring the colorful stores with so many different things, it was mind blowing. They stopped in front of a narrow shabby little shop called Ollivander's. He pushed the door open and an old man smiled at him, "Hello Professor Snape, what brings you to my shop?"
"Hello, Dumbledore has asked me to bring these two ladies to get their wands."
Ollivander waved for them to approach the counter and looked at the both of them intensely. "Finally, I was wondering when Preston's daughters would join our world."
Snape scowled, he would never understand how Ollivander did that, in that aspect, he and Dumbledore were completely alike. How could he tell who they were?
The sisters were probably thinking the same, judging by their expressions.
Ollivander turned to the several shelves completely covered by narrow boxes and thought for a few seconds. Then reaching and grabbing 3 boxes, he turned to Tethys, "Why don't we start with you?" He opened one of the boxes and asked her to take the wand.
She reached her hand and carefully held the wand, looking at it in amazement. She waved but nothing happened. Ollivander opened the other box and she did the same thing, nothing. She was starting to doubt anything would happen until she got a hold of the third one.
A wind started to swirl around her, light at first, but then it got stronger and stronger, until she was enveloped in what seemed to be a little hurricane twisting her hair up within it. A lightening stroke on the end of her wand and all the wind was sucked inside it. Everything was gone in seconds, leaving only silence. She looked at everyone and they were as astonished as she was, except for Ollivander.
"Perfect! A very rare combination, 13 inc. Oak and the essence of a lightening ray... But being what you are, it couldn't be anything else!"
"Being what I am?" She asked.
"An Elemental, your power deals with the forces of nature, but I'm sure Dumbledore will tell you all about it." He said turning to find Hydra's wands.
Tethys looked at Snape as if questioning him, but he merely lifted his eyebrow.
Hydra was a little excited after having witnessed her sister's powerful demonstration with the wand, so when she was presented with a couple of boxes, her hand was shaking. She took the wand in her hand and waved, yellow light shot at a flower vase on the counter making the flowers wither and turn black, immediately catching on fire. The vase fell on the floor and the fire started to go up the counter. Ollivander shouted, "Evanesco!" and the fire was gone.
Hydra looked pale and was afraid to get the other one; she kept staring at it without touching it when her sister pushed her slightly, so she could go on.
"Ok, Ok... give me some time," she complained.
She slowly reached for the wand and as she touched it, a warm white light went all over her body, almost lifting her hair and it settled.
"Very good, that's your wand," Ollivander said.
Hydra seemed disappointed, "Wow, that was a lot less dramatic than Tethys' wand..."
"Well, she didn't almost set fire to the shop, where you did!" An annoyed voice said.
Hydra looked around and saw no one other than Snape, her sister and Ollivander. But they hadn't said a word.
"Who said that?" She asked confused.
Ollivander was the one who answered her question, "Your wand dear. Well, you also have a rare combination there.... let me see, 15 in. Mahogany and a trapped Entity..."
"A trapped what?" she asked looking at the wand in her hand.
"Oh dear. Are you deaf? The man just said loud and clear, an ENTITY!" the voice spoke again and she dropped the wand on the floor.
"Great, drop me on the floor! I'm just a wand, right? Why don't you come in here and see how it feels to be dropped on the floor like that!"
Snape decided to intervene, "Are you really sure about this sir? I mean, I've never heard of a wand with a spirit in it."
"You see, Professor this wand was made from a valuable piece of furniture, a desk that belonged to a very influential wizard family. It was donated to my shop when they found out that the spirit of a family member, who had committed suicide, had been trapped in it. He's been confined to this wand waiting to be of service of whoever owns it, in order to redeem his soul from his act."
"But why me?" Hydra asked.
"Because you have the ability to speak to the spirit world, you are sensitive on many depths of energies, so this is the perfect wand for you," Ollivander said bending to pick the wand up.
He gave the wand back to Hydra. She sighed and took it reluctantly, "Can't it at least be a little less rude?"
"I'm afraid you're going to have to come to an agreement with it yourself."
They left Ollivander's shop and started to go up the street when Tethys saw a bookstore and ran inside. Hydra read the name Flourish & Blotts. So they followed Tethys inside to find her excited looking at all the books. Hydra stuffed her talking wand inside her robe and tried to forget the whole episode, and joined Tethys. If anyone wanted to make those two happy, all they had to do was to let them loose in a bookstore.
Snape observed the two of them with some hidden amusement. He walked over to Hydra and saw that she was engrossed in "Most Potente Potions". He looked at her and when she saw he was staring, she asked, "Is it a good one? I think it's fascinating."
"I think that you shouldn't aim too high, after all you're just starting. Why don't you go for something like this?" He said pointing at another simpler book.
"Hmm I don't know, I like to aim high Professor, that's how I always get myself to learn."
"Ya, the hard way!" called Tethys.
"Besides" said Hydra as if she hadn't been disrupted. "With you as an instructor, I shouldn't have a problem," she said.
He was about to retort to that when he saw Tethys passing through with a book about the dark arts. He quickly pulled the book out of her hand.
"Hey!" Tethys said indignant.
"You have no developed abilities nor knowledge enough to be meddling into dark magic!" He said scowling at her.
"I was just reading it, it doesn't mean I..."
"You shouldn't have anything to do with that! This is not what being a witch is about, you have a lot to learn and if I see you with a book like that again, I'm going to have to warn the Headmaster!" His eyes were as black and piercing as ever.
She stared back at him and didn't look away, "It's going to take a lot more than that to intimidate me, Professor."
"Why don't we pay for our books and go?" said Hydra trying to break that confrontation.
Tethys got a hold of the pile of books she had chosen and went to the cashier. Snape couldn't stop staring at her. It was as if he was finally seeing her for the first time.
After Snape paid for the books and they were outside, he asked, "Why don't we stop for lunch?"
"Great, I'm hungry!" Hydra said smiling, but neither Snape nor Tethys was in the mood for smiles.
They made their way to a small restaurant with tables outside. Hydra went ahead and chose one of the outside tables. The other two followed her silently. They got their menus and chose their meals without much of a word to each other.
"Would you please lighten up?" Hydra begged trying to break the mood.
"I don't know what you mean, Miss Solas." He said glaring at her.
"Why don't you call us by our first names, I mean we are sisters, it's going to be hard to know who you're talking to if you keep addressing us by our last names," Hydra said.
"Fair enough," he answered.
While waiting for the food, Tethys buried herself in a book and ignored Snape as much as she could. When the food arrived they were forced to start a conversation, when Hydra started bombarding Snape with questions about the magic world and what they would be learning on potions. Tethys ended up joining in with questions of her own and soon enough Tethys and Snape were discussing things like science and physics and how all that fused both magic and muggle world.
Hydra was glad that everyone was more relaxed now and was gazing at Snape while he talked to Tethys. Her stare was so invasive that he stopped talking and said, "What?"
She leaned forward and grabbed a lock of his hair, "I love your hair! It's so...black!"
He stiffened and pulled her hand off, getting up abruptly, "I think it's time we go back to Hogwarts!"
As they followed him back to The Leaky Cauldron, Hydra couldn't stop giggling. "He is so easy!" she thought.
.......................................................................
They spent the rest of the afternoon getting all their stuff settled and scheduling their classes for the next day. At dinnertime, Dumbledore talked a little about what they would need to learn, but stayed stubbornly secretive with what he knew about their abilities and their part in the mission.
After dinner the two of them decided to call it a night and headed for their bedrooms. When they arrived in front of their bedroom doors, Tethys looked around to see if nobody could hear them.
"Be careful around Snape, I don't trust him!"
"What him? Why?" Hydra replied.
"There's something about his eyes..."
"Oh come on, Tethys, he's hard on the exterior like that, but he's just a big teddy bear!"
"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you," Tethys crossed her arms.
"Did you forget I have a knack for reading people's feelings? Don't you trust my judgment anymore?" Hydra looked at her with a hurtful expression.
"Oh I do very much, except..."
"Except what?"
"Except that your judgment tends to get a little blurred when you fancy someone"
"Ha! What makes you think I fancy him?"
"Well, maybe the fact that you're all smiles around him!"
"Yeah right, coming from someone who's already dressing like him!"
The tension built between the two of them and they kept staring at each other trying to think of something to say, when a silky voice interrupted, "Anything wrong?"
Snape was standing in front of them with a smirk on his face.
The two of them shot him a murderous look and mumbled something incomprehensible; they turned on their heels, and went inside their respective bedrooms. The doors slammed in unison, making Snape flinch. Leaving him there in the middle of the hall, with no idea of what hell had just happened.
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