Title: Jade Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Author: Queen Serenity
Fandom: Harry Potter
Chapter: Four – Cigars, Giants, and Dragons
It wasn't until that afternoon that Jade came downstairs. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia sat together on the couch, watching the TV, and Dudley wasn't home, probably off hanging out with his friends or something.
When Jade walked into the room, Uncle Vernon picked up the remote and switched off the TV so that both he and Petunia could give Jade their full attention.
The first thing that Jade said was something that they'd expected: "I opened my letter."
Several minutes of silence followed this, neither aunt nor uncle making a move to say anything. Jade let out a sigh. "Uncle Vernon, if you really don't want me to go… then I guess I won't." Her eyes were downcast, not looking at them but rather at her hands.
Only a minute of silence followed. Then there was a grunt and Uncle Vernon spoke unexpectedly, sounding gruffer than usual, as though he were forcing himself to say what he was about to say. "It's your own decision, Jade. All your aunt and I want is for you to be happy. That's all."
Jade looked up and was surprised to see that the big man's eyes were teared up, along with Aunt Petunia's. Petunia spoke next.
"You do realize… if you go to this school, it will be like a boarding school. You will live there, except for the time that you spend with us during the summer and such."
Jade nodded, her own eyes teared up slightly. But then she smiled. "I think I know why you guys are so worried… but it's something that you don't need to worry about. No matter what, I'll always be me. I may learn some new stuff, but I won't change who I am… I'll always be who you see in front of you now. I'll always be Jade."
At this, both her aunt and uncle stood and enveloped her in a big hug.
And so it was accepted that Jade would be going to Hogwarts. And in the days after, Petunia was overjoyed to find that there was once more light in her niece's eyes, and the seemingly perpetual emptiness had faded. For the first time since Petunia had first lain eyes on Jade, the young girl seemed truly happy.
When Jade told her family of the professor coming on her birthday it was decided that they would celebrate on the day after.
On her birthday, Jade awoke bright and early; the night before, she'd realized that the note had not specified when the professor would be showing up, so she had wanted to be awake early just in case. Besides, it felt to her almost like it does Christmas morning, where you wake up early because you just know there's presents waiting for you, and you can't sleep another wink!
When she got up, she sifted through her closet to find the perfect thing to wear; after all, she wanted to look nice! Finally, she chose a pair of black dress pants which were flared slightly at the bottom, and a sleeveless emerald-green tunic-like top. To complete the outfit, she tied a satin black sash around her waist, knotting it loosely at her side.
Once she was dressed, she set to brushing out her long hair. Once that was done, she left it mostly down except for a very small portion on the side towards the front, which she put in a little braid that had a little green ribbon braided into it.
Afterwards, when she examined herself in the mirror, she was rather pleased with her appearance; not too showy, but still pretty. At a last thought, she grabbed her well-worn always-carried black backpack and slung it over her shoulder.
It was about nine when the doorbell rang. A minute later, Aunt Petunia called up the stairs. "Jade? Your professor's here!"
When she came down the stairs Jade found Aunt Petunia, a distasteful look marring her face, talking to a pale, thin man dressed all in black. He had soft-looking (AN: I say it DOESN'T LOOK GREASY! insane cackle Ahem… well, back to the story) black hair that reached just past his chin and deep jet black eyes that went unfocused for a moment as he looked up to see Jade coming down the stairs. He unconsciously mouthed something which neither Jade nor Petunia caught…'Lily'.
A moment later, however, he snapped out of it and bowed politely in greeting. "Miss Potter, I presume? I am Professor Snape. It is a pleasure to meet you." His voice was deep and cultured-sounding, and he spoke in a low tone. Jade would bet, though, that he needn't ever raise his voice to get his class's attention. He gave off an aura that commanded your utmost attention.
Jade smiled, remembering her manners. She bowed her head slightly, since she was not in a dress which she could curtsey in. "It's nice to meet you, Professor Snape. Please, though, call me Jade. At least until I'm in your class." She descended the few remaining stairs to stand next to her aunt and the professor.
"Are you ready to go?" He questioned.
Jade nodded.
"Fine then." And then he produced from one of the inner pockets of his cloak a large brown cigar, which he then held out to her.
She stared at it, surprised. "Ummm… I'm sorry, Professor Snape, but I don't smoke cigarettes, much less cigars. I'll have to decline."
At this, the professor gave a low chuckle, something that Jade had yet to find out didn't happen very often, especially at such light-hearted circumstances. He shook his head, his black hair moving slightly with the movement. "No, you silly girl, this isn't a cigar. Or at least not just a cigar. One of the first rules you must learn in the magical world is that not everything and everyone are as they seem. Take this, for example; it appears to be a simple cigar, but is nothing less than a Portkey."
Jade looked confused. "A Portkey? May I ask what that is?"
He nodded. "Of course. Part of my job as your guide is to impress upon you some knowledge of our world. A Portkey is usually an object that is used to transport Wizards from one spot to another at a prearranged time. This one, however, is different. The Hogwarts Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, personally enchanted this one to be a two-use Portkey which, instead of working at a prearranged time, works once you and I are both touching it. For the second use, it will work again once we both touch it to teleport us back. Do you understand?"
Jade nodded and, without further ado, she reached out and touched the cigar. She didn't know exactly what to expect, but what happened wasn't anything she would have guessed at. As soon as her finger touched the cigar, Jade felt as though something hooked just below her navel had suddenly been jerked irresistibly forward, as though someone or something had yanked a rope connected to her in an unexpectedly sudden way. Her feet left the ground, and she could feel Snape beside her, his shoulders banging into her own; they were both rushing forward in a howl of wind and swirling color, feeling like they were being reeled in quickly through a hurricane. She would have been afraid of getting blown away, but her fingers seemed to be super-glued to the cigar still clenched in Snape's hand, as though it were pulling her magnetically onward to her destination and then –
Her feet slammed into a floor. She most likely would have fallen over, if Professor Snape hadn't steadied her just then. She took a few moments to get her bearings before lifting her head to look around at her surroundings, curious as to where they'd landed.
It certainly wasn't what she'd expected. It seemed they were in a rather dark and sorta shabby pub. There weren't that many people in here, but they all stopped talking when they saw Snape and Jade appear out of nowhere. As Snape tucked the cigar securely back into her inside pocket, he murmured quietly to Jade, "the Leaky Cauldron. Something for you to remember is that it's a rather famous place in our community."
Jade nodded, and was about to say that for a famous place, it sure didn't look it, but then a thought occurred to her; Snape had told her 'Not everything and everyone are as they seem'. Most likely, he had meant places, too. This was most likely one of those types of places.
Everyone seemed to know Snape. The bartender reached for a glass. "The usual, Severus?"
Snape shook his head, and Jade noticed that, while Snape had only been slightly friendly to her, he seemed just coldly civil in here, judging by his demeanor. And barely that, at that. "No, Tom, I am afraid that I cannot just now. I happen to be on business for Dumbledore." He gestured slightly to Jade, only to find that she'd disappeared. He found her quickly, just behind him. She peered out, a bit shy, from behind his back at everyone else.
"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at the green-eyed girl. "Is this – can this be –?"
Snape nodded slightly, and Jade noticed that the entire pub had suddenly gone completely still and silent.
"Bless my soul," whispered the bartender, "Jade Potter… what an honor."
He surprised Jade by rushing out from behind the bar, rushing toward her and, before she could move back, seizing her hand, tears in his eyes.
"Welcome back, Miss Potter, welcome back."
Jade didn't know what to say to this. Everyone was looking at her, and she gulped, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights. Suddenly everyone was up and crowded around her, all reaching to shake her hand. Jade was surprised to meet up with a little old wizard, who turned out be one of the strangers who'd shaken her hand when she was small. With all the hand-shaking, it felt almost as though her arm was going to be ripped from its socket.
A pale young man made his way forward, wringing his hands, looking very nervous. He had a tick in one eye. Having a sudden bad feeling, Jade ducked back to her safe spot behind Snape for safety. She hadn't even heard him say a word, but Jade already knew that she didn't like this guy, whoever the heck he was.
Snape nodded his head slightly in greeting to the young man before looking around at Jade. "Jade, this is another one of your Professors, Professor Quirrell."
"P-P-Potter, c-can't tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you." He reached out to grasp Jade's hand, but she pulled away without even thinking about it, staring coldly at the outstretched hand before ducking once more behind Professor Snape without even a word of greeting. She was one to trust her instincts. Snape looked to where she was behind him and gave her a strange look, obviously wondering what was up with this girl who had been, until now, pretty friendly and polite.
Quirrell put his hand back down, taking no notice of Jade's rudeness, and kept on stammering about stuff. After catching that he was to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Jade paid no attention to him. She tapped Snape lightly on the back and he bent down slightly to hear her. "Professor Snape, could we please get out of here? I…"
But Snape stopped her. "No need to explain, Jade." And he led Jade past the stammering Professor Quirrell, through the crowd, and out into a small, walled-in empty courtyard.
Jade was the one who broke the short silence which ensued. "Boy, Professor Dumbledore really wasn't exaggerating when he told me in his letter that I was a celebrity, was he?"
Snape nodded. "Yes, Jade, you are, I must say, one of the most famous people in our world. Even Professor Quirrell was excited to meet you, though you obviously didn't want to meet him."
Jade shrugged. "Is that why he was so nervous? Because he was getting to meet me, I mean?"
Snape shook his head. "No, that blithering idiot's always nervous. He learned so much out of books, and then thought he knew all there was to know. So then the fool took a year off to go abroad and gain some experience in the field. Well, let's just say that some can handle it out there and he couldn't. No one knows all of the exact details of what happened, but he's never returned to normal since he's returned."
Jade nodded. "I see." And she did see. Even in the Muggle world, there were some people who were meant to stay behind books and desks, and there were some people who were meant to be out in the action experiencing it. It wasn't that common when one was an adept at both.
Meanwhile, Snape caught Jade's attention by pulling a wand from his sleeve and tapping a particular brick on the wall in front of them.
Jade was amazed to see what happened next; the brick which Snape had touched sort of jiggled, or something… a small hole appeared, growing wider and wider. Just a second later, they were facing a large archway that looked onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.
"Welcome," Snape said in his sometimes naturally dramatic voice, "to Diagon Alley."
Jade walked forward into the alley slowly, sort of numb, her big green eyes wide as they drank in all there was to see; all the strange shops, all the strange people, all the strange everything. Unseen by her, Snape smirked slightly at her completely and utterly innocent amazement.
Jade looked this way and that, turning her head slowly so as to take in everything that she could around her. "Professor Snape?" She asked, her voice quiet in its awe. "If you are in no hurry, could we please not rush with the shopping today? I would truly like to take the time to thoroughly take in everything, you know?"
Snape nodded. "Of course, Jade. There is no need to hurry, anyway, as I have no other engagements today. Before we can do any of your shopping, however, we must stop and collect some of your money, of course."
"My… Professor, is that a human!" Jade had been about to ask about her money, but had been distracted by an extremely large and hairy man who was making his way towards them. He must have been at least ten feet (dunno his real height, sorry) tall, and was as wide as two or three average men. The man's face was almost completely hidden by his long, shaggy mane of hair and his wild, tangled beard which stuck out in almost every which way. However, just before he reached them, Jade could make out his beetle-black eyes, which were surveying her with unhidden joy. Before Jade could pull the duck-behind-Snape maneuver, the man, or giant, or whatever he was surprised her by catching her up in an almost bone-crushing hug, her feet leaving the ground.
As Jade struggled to breathe, Snape seemed to read her mind, or at least see her distress. "Hagrid?" He said in a rather sneering voice. "I do believe Miss Potter does need to breathe."
"OH!" Hagrid dropped Jade in embarrassment. "I'm sorry fer that, Jade. It's jest that I ain't seen you since yeh was just a lit'le baby, and I'm jest so happy to finally meet yeh again! I've bin… bin waitin… fer this fer… fer years!" Hagrid's voice was gravelly, and had been normal, though a bit embarrassed, until he'd mentioned how long it'd been since he'd seen Jade. Now, to Jade's horror, he was sobbing with happiness.
As Snape looked on in amusement, smirking, Jade tentatively patted Hagrid's large hand reassuringly. "There, there. I may have been gone for a long while, but I'm back now, so cheer up! Okay… umm, I think I heard your name is Hagrid…"
The giant straightened up and wiped his face on the back of his sleeve, composing himself before answering. "I'm sorry Jade. It's true, I haven't properly introduced meself to you… Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Ground at Hogwarts." He held out his great hand, and Jade grasped it firmly with her own small one, shaking it firmly.
Letting go of it, Jade bowed her head slightly, politely, as she always did when she was not in a dress to curtsy. "And as I'm sure you already know, I am Miss Jade Lily Potter."
Hagrid nodded. "It's yer birthday, Jade… I remembered… A very happy birthday to yeh! Anyway, I got summat fer yeh here – I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right." And with that he pulled from an inside pocket of his black overcoat a slightly squashed box.
Jade took it from him, crouched on the ground, and opened it. Inside was a large sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Jade inscribed on it in green icing. Teared-up slightly as the sweet gesture, Jade stood, leaving the box at her feet, and threw her arms as far around Hagrid as they would go (which was not very far). "Thanks, Hagrid." Letting go, she closed the box and picked it back up, holding it carefully in her arms.
Hagrid blushed slightly. "Where're you two gonna go next?"
Snape, who had been just standing there, waiting for Hagrid and Jade to finish, spoke up. "I was just about to take Miss Potter to collect some of her money."
Hagrid nodded. "Ah, yer goin' ta Gringotts then, of course. I'll tag along, since I've got me some business there, also."
Jade noticed that Snape seemed to be resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Fine, but let's be quick about it… I'm sure Miss Potter is eager to explore the shops."
And so the unlikely trio walked until they had come to a snow-white building much larger than any of the others. Standing guard by its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of gold and scarlet, was something that Jade had no problem identifying, what with all the fantasy books she had previously read.
Before either Snape or Hagrid could give an explanation of the creature to her, she spoke up. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Professor, but that would be a goblin, right?"
Both men were obviously surprised at Jade's correct guess, and Snape even looked a tad pleased.
Once inside, they made there way to a free spot at the counter. Snape was the one who spoke to the goblin first. "We have come to collect some money from Miss Jade Potter's safe."
The goblin looked down at Jade, and then back at Snape. "I see. You have her key, then, sir?"
"Of course. I wouldn't be so foolish as to come without it. And also Mr. Rubeus Hagrid is here with us… I believe he has something he must collect, as well."
Hagrid stepped forward and handed the goblin a letter. "This here's from Professor Dumbledore… it's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."
After reading over the letter carefully, the goblin nodded once more before calling on another goblin, one named Griphook, to take the three of them down to both of the safes.
As they followed the goblin, Jade privately wondered what it was that Hagrid was picking up that seemed so secret, but decided not to pry. She only did that when necessary.
When they reached the cart, they climbed in, barely able to fit comfortably because of Hagrid's large mass. As the cart sped along the track, Hagrid appeared as though he was going to be sick and Snape was looking at him with apparent disdain. Snape then turned to Jade and pulled from a pouch inside his cloak three coins; a bronze one, a gold one, and a silver one. "I should explain our currency to you." He said.
First, he held up the first coin; a large gold one about the size of a US silver dollar. "This coin is worth the most of the three. It is called a Galleon. Some of the poorer families of our community actually have quite few of these."
Next, he held up the second coin; a medium-sized silver one about the size of a US quarter. "This, Jade," he said, "is a Sickle. There are seventeen of these in a Galleon. This is, of course, more common than the Galleon."
Lastly, he held up the last coin; a little bronze one that was slightly smaller than the US penny. "This is called a Knut, and is worth the least of these coins. There are twenty-nine of these to a Sickle." He pocketed the three coins once more. "Understand?"
Jade nodded… after all, it wasn't hard at all!
About then, they reached Jade's safe. Once the goblin had unlocked the door, Snape and Jade entered while Hagrid waited, trying to collect his stomach, in the cart.
Once they got inside, Jade's jaw dropped. Snape smirked slightly, amused at her reaction. "It's all yours, Jade." He said quietly. "Every bit of it."
Inside were heaps and heaps of the assorted coins, gleaming at her. And here she'd thought that her parents had probably just left her with a tiny bit! Wow!
Wordlessly, Jade began loading some of each of the coins into her backpack until Snape said she had enough, then they left the safe and climbed back into the cart.
They went faster and deeper into the tunnels, and Jade shivered slightly as the air became colder.
When they had reached the vault that was their destination, Snape and Jade waited in the cart. As Hagrid and the goblin made their way to the door, Jade was surprised to see that it had no keyhole; instead, the goblin simply stroked it gently with one of his long fingers, causing the door to just melt away.
Snape saw Jade's questioning look as Hagrid made his way inside. "Only a Gringotts goblin may do that… if anyone else were so foolish as to attempt to do so, then that person would be sucked right through the door and trapped inside until someone checked if anyone was inside, which does not, Jade, happen too often. More often than not, would-be thieves simply starve to death in wait…" He finished with a morbid smile which made Jade shudder slightly.
"Ugh! I'd hate to be one of them!" She said as she shuddered, then added quickly. "Not that I'd be so stupid as to do that sort of thing, of course."
"Of course."
Hagrid came out a moment later, and Jade noticed that he was tucking a little grubby brown paper-wrapped package into his coat. She wondered idly what it was that could be so important, but again decided not to pry.
A little later, as the three stood on the pavement outside of the bank, Hagrid was standing there and looking as though he were about to be sick still. He turned to Professor Snape. "Professor Snape," he said, "would you mind if you two met me here at one? I've gotta go get me stomach in order… some firewhiskey'll help a mite, I think."
Snape looked at Jade, then back at Hagrid, thinking for a moment. "Fine, Hagrid. We'll be here, waiting… but if you're not here then, we'll not wait around for you. We haven't time to waste simply waiting for you."
"Right… Don't worry, Snape, I'll be here, or my name ain't Rubeus Hagrid!"
"Oh, I'm not worried," Snape said witheringly. "I'm simply stating the facts."
And so the still slightly-green looking Hagrid bid them goodbye for now and lumbered off in the direction of the pub.
Snape stood there for a moment, thinking, and then turned to Jade. "I have some business to take care of, Jade, so I'll see you off to get your robes first, alright?"
"Alright," Jade agreed.
He pointed towards the shop where she would be going, Madam Malkin's Robes for all occasions, and Jade walked towards it, looking around as she walked. Snape waited until she had entered the shop before he took off walking himself.
As soon as Jade walked in, she met Madam Malkin; a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.
"Hogwarts, dear?" she said, before Jade could even say a word. "Got the lot here – another young man being fitted just now, in fact.
In the back of the shop, a boy was standing on a footstool while another witch pinned up his long black robes. The boy had a pale, pointed face, white-blonde hair that was currently slicked smartly back, and pale blue-gray eyes. He watched as Madam Malkin stood Jade on a stool next to him, slipped on a long robe over her head, and began to pin it to the right length.
"Hullo," said the boy, smiling slightly as he looked Jade up and down curiously. "Hogwarts, too?"
Jade nodded, smiling back. "Mmm hmm."
"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."
Boy, this boy seemed rather arrogant! But, by listening to him and his aristocratic tone, Jade guessed he was rich, so that wasn't too surprising.
"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.
"No," Jade answered, shaking her head.
"Play Quidditch at all?"
"Nuh uh," she answered. "Honestly, I don't really know what Quidditch even is. You see…" she blushed slightly. "I'm rather new to all of this."
"Oh." Instantly, the boy's manner turned so frigid that Jade could almost feel it physically. "You're a Muggle, then."
"A…?" Jade trailed off for a moment, not sure what he meant, until she remembered something that Snape had offhandedly mentioned. "Oh! NO! Not Muggle-born, simply Muggle-raised."
"What?" The boy seemed confused by this.
"Well, you see, I was orphaned as a baby when my Wizard parents both died," Jade tried to explain. "And so I was given to my Muggle relatives to be raised by."
The boy nodded, now understanding, and the frigid air melted a bit. "I see." Then, he seemed to fit two and two together in his head, and looked surprised. "Wait just a second… if I'm right, then you must be…"
Jade smiled once more, flashing her white teeth. To show who she was, she parted her bangs to show her scar, standing out against her tan. Letting go of her hair, she spoke again. "Jade Lily Potter," she said, "but you can call me Jade." She tilted her head slightly, curious. "May I ask your name?"
The boy gave an arrogant but cute smirk/smile before answering. "The name's Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."
"Pleased to meet you, Draco," Jade said, then added, looking thoughtful, "Draco… If I remember right, that's Latin for 'Dragon', right?"
"Yes. And it was a pleasure meeting you, also, Jade."
Madam Malkin finished with Jade then and Jade stepped lightly down off of the stool. Before she left the shop with her packaged-up robes, the boy, who was also getting ready to leave, gave her a genuine smile. "I look forward to seeing you at Hogwarts, Jade."
Jade smiled back before leaving. "The same goes for you, Draco."
When she walked out, she found Snape waiting for her. When she spoke to him of Draco, he looked thoughtful before speaking.
"Draco Malfoy… he is… well, his family is very high in status, and yet they are not too well looked upon by some."
"Why is that?" Jade asked, curious.
"Well, when the dark lord was cast from power, many wizards came forward and claimed that they had simply been under his control, although many of the populace didn't believe them. Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father, who was said to be one of Voldemort's closest servants, was one of them."
"I see…" Jade said, thoughtful.
"Yes. So you see, because of his family's high status, Draco Malfoy will most likely have many friends, but mostly only in his own house. Anyone else will look at him badly, because not only of who he is, but where he comes from."
Jade nodded. "I think I understand, Professor Snape…" she paused for a moment before continuing. "For me, though, I don't decide on whether to be someone's friend by their status, or by what everyone else thinks of them… all that means nothing to my. I trust my own instincts, and so I judge by my own impressions of people, you know? If someone doesn't like who I choose to be friends with, then so be it. It's my own choice."
Snape looked at her for a moment, and Jade thought she might have said something wrong, until she saw him smile very slightly. "Very well said, Jade. Very well said. I only can hope that you'll be able to stick by what you said just now when you are in Hogwarts, and feeling the peer pressure all around you."
Jade simply shrugged, smiling.
Their next stop was the shop just next door, which sold quills, ink, parchment, and stuff like that. Along with the normal supplies she'd need, Jade picked up a cool dark red and silver quill which changed the ink to different colors as it wrote, the color depending on the user's mood.
They passed by the broomshop where Jade saw some kids admiring the broom in the window, the Nimbus Two-Thousand, which they were saying was the fastest ever.
And then they stopped at a shop that was pure heaven for Jade; it was called Flourish and Blotts, and sold books upon books upon books. Never had she seen so many! Unfortunately, though, Snape would only allow Jade to buy two extra books other than her school books, though he wouldn't explain why. She chose with great happiness Creatures of Transylvania: True Stories of Vampires and Werewolves Who Changed History by Lupis Bidmee and Anne Rice: How the Vampire Expert Blends So Easily into the Muggle World.
After picking up Jade's cauldron, which Snape helped pick out since she'd be using it mainly in his class, Snape pulled a pocket watch from his robes, examning it.
"We've got almost an hour until we're to meet Hagrid…" He said slowly. "So why don't we take a rest and stop for lunch?"
They headed back to the Leaky Cauldron, where they ordered two Shepard pies. As they ate, they sat there and talked, Snape explaining various things. Something mentioned by Draco occurred to Jade then.
"Professor Snape," she said after swallowing a bite. "Draco mentioned something… may I ask you what Quidditch is?"
"Ah!" Snape answered. "I apologize, for I forgot to mention that to you! Quidditch is very well known in the Wizarding world… it is our sport."
"Your sport?" Jade asked. "Is it played on broomsticks?" Snape nodded, and Jade spoke again. "Well, then, I'll have to check out a book on it at the Hogwarts library… I'm very curious about it!"
"You're right to be. Even in Hogwarts, it's important, and causes much competition among the Houses."
Jade looked perplexed. "Houses?"
Snape nodded. "Yes, Houses. You see, when students arrive into Hogwarts in their first year, they are all sorted into one of four houses; Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Gryffindor. How the students are sorted depends on their personality traits. The brave usually go to Gryffindor, but it's often the type of bravery that is to be had by brutes; they're called daring by many, reckless by others. Gryffindors are usually those who are truly righteous in their beliefs and will rush blindly into things because of it." He smirked slightly, pausing. "Your father and mother were both in Gryffindor… but your mother, as brave as she was, didn't seem much like a Gryffindor. I think it must have been how righteous she was that got her sorted into that house… she always seemed more like a Ravenclaw, with how intelligent she was.
"Hufflepuff is the House that stands out the least among the four; they're rarely noticed. People sent there are usually people who are very just, and loyal, too. They're also usually quite patient, and are hard workers.
"The most intelligent people usually go to Ravenclaw, though not always. If someone loves to learn, that would be the best House for them. They're also usually quite good at solving riddles and puzzles.
"And lastly is Slytherin, which I am quite proud to say that I am the head of. If you're sly, sneaky, cunning, or have traits similar to those, then you often end up there. Many times, power-hungry people are sent here, people who will give up almost anything to get the power or knowledge which they seek. Slytherins are brave in their own right, but are simply not so foolish about it. I am sad to say, however, that Slytherin is nowadays the House looked worse upon by some, and many people desire not to be in that House, simply because the Dark Lord and most other Dark Wizards came from that house."
Jade, having finished her Shepard Pie before Snape, steepled her fingers, looking pensive for a moment, before speaking. "Then people who see that way are blind, Professor Snape."
"Oh?" He was surprised to hear this. "And why do you say that?"
"Well, they need simply to look at it this way… every apple is a fruit, right?"
"Correct."
"But that doesn't mean that every fruit is an apple! There're many other fruits as well! Do you get what I'm saying?"
"Yes…" And he did understand. "That's rather insightful for a girl of your age, Jade. You're saying that just because all Dark Wizards were Slytherins, that doesn't mean that all Slytherins are Dark Wizards."
"Mmm hmm!"
As the two spoke, neither of them noticed something rather small crawl into a large pocket of her backpack, which Jade had sat on the floor.
Suddenly Snape remembered something. "By the way… I took the liberty of picking you up a present, since it is your birthday, after all. Consider it a gift from me to welcome you into our world."
Jade gasped. "Professor, you didn't have to! I get plenty…"
He waved away her protests. "Trust me, my dear girl. With where you grew up, you've had nothing like this. I simply wish to be the first to give you a wizard gift." He handed over a small rectangular black box to Jade, which she opened.
She gasped. "It's so pretty!" And it was. In the little box was a very pretty choker. At the center was a golden disc, and out from the disk was a strange, pliable silvery chain of feathers which greatly resembled delicate wings.
Snape actually smiled at her delight. "That's not just a necklace, Jade. Since your... father... was a Quidditch enthusiast, I thought that you might take a liking to it, too, and so you would like this. The smallest ball in Quidditch is called the golden Snitch, and is the hardest to catch." He tapped the golden disk three times in quick succession and Jade was stunned to see the necklace transform into a winged golden ball, which fluttered about their heads like a hummingbird. When it started to zoom off, Snape called out "Shadari" and it raved back to them and dropped limply into his outstretched hand, again a necklace. He placed it back into the box.
"As you can see, this can transform into a real Snitch, which can work just like a normal one, except for the fact that when you say its custom word, which for yours is Shadari, it will return to your hand. This prevents it from flying o-" A very shocked Professor was cut off when his soon-to-be student jumped up and threw her arms around him in a very enthusiastic hug. Before he could react, though, she had let go and sat back down, flushed with pleasure over the gift. "Thank you, Professor Snape, this is the best present that I have ever received!"
Snape checked the time again, and gave a slightly withering look. "Time to meet Hagrid in front of the bank."
When they arrived, they found Hagrid waiting for them, looking slightly red-faced but green no more. He grinned at Jade. "Like I said, Jade, it's yer birthday. So I'm gonna get ya yer familiar… how's an owl sound to yeh?"
Jade protested. "Hagrid, you don't have to!"
"'Course I do. I'd feel bad if I didn't get yer a birthday present, Jade."
And so about a half an hour later the trio were leaving the Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been rather dark and full of flickering jewel-bright eyes. There had been so many owls to choose from, so many different types. Finally, Jade had selected a beautiful ebony-colored owl whose black feathers shone blue in the light. Her eyes were a gorgeous sapphire blue. Jade promptly decided that the owl's name would be Athena, named after the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, whose sacred animal was the owl.
As they walked out, Jade stammered slightly as she thanked Hagrid; all her life she'd loved owls… and now she actually had one of her own! It was all too much to believe. Since she was still carrying her cake from Hagrid, Snape carried the owl in its cage for her. Once they'd exited the shop, Hagrid bid them goodbye, saying he'd see them at Hogwarts.
Lastly, Jade found out, they would be stopping for her wand at a place called Ollivanders. She wondered what kind of wand she'd be getting.
When they walked in, Snape seated himself in the single chair in the room to wait, setting the owl cage down beside him. Jade herself stood still in the middle of the room, hands folded as she looked around, waiting for the shop owner to make his appearance.
"Good afternoon," said a soft voice from off to her side, making her jump, startled. She turned to see the source of the voice, an old man watching her with wide, pale eyes which shined like moons.
Jade collected herself quickly. "Good afternoon," she said back to him, her tone polite.
"Ah yes," the man said. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Jade Potter." It wasn't a question; the man could obviously tell who she was just by looking at her. "You look much like your mother… if you would just shorten the hair and change the color, I'd swear that it was a young miss Lily Evans standing in front of me now. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."
Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Jade, and she was slightly unnerved by his wide, unblinking gaze.
"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it – it's really the wand that chooses the wizard or witch, of course."
Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Jade were almost nose to nose, and Jade could see herself reflected in those misty eyes.
"And that's where…"
Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Jade's forehead with a long, white finger. A look of regret flashed in his eyes.
"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands… well, if I'd known what that wand was going out in the world to do…"
Jade shook her head before speaking. "I can see what you're saying, Sir, but it wasn't your fault that the wand was misused."
"Yes well…" At that moment he spotted Snape. "Ah, Severus! How good it is to see you again… It was no surprise for me when I heard you'd become Potions Master at Hogwarts. I still remember your wand… Birch, fourteen inches, stiff. A perfect wand for potions-use, among other things."
Snape nodded, allowing a small smile to grace his pale face. "Yes, you always did have a remarkable memory to remember all that you sell like that."
Jade, meanwhile, had wandered over to the sales counter, as something on it had caught her attention. "What is this?" she asked, gesturing to the large, beautiful red-and-gold father laying there.
A grieved look came over Mr. Ollivander's face. "Less than an hour ago, another student… Neville Longbottom, I think his name was… came in here to purchase his wand. He accidentally knocked over a stack of boxed wands and when he attempted to help me pick them up, one of them went under his foot. The wand promptly snapped but I was luckily able to save the core, this phoenix feather."
Before anyone could stop her, Jade picked up the feather to admire its beauty. All three people in the room were surprised when the feather started glowing a luminous red color. Jade looked concerned. "Ummm… was that supposed to happen?"
Mr. Ollivander looked surprised. "It seems that that core is meant for you, my dear. Unfortunately, I only have one empty wand right now… I'll be right back."
The old man hurried into the back room, returning a moment later holding a wand. "This wand is an experimental type… I came up with it only recently. It is meant to focus the energy you put into spells to strengthen them. Oak, twelve inches." He handed it to Jade, who set down the feather and took the wand carefully in her hands to examine. She noticed that there was a small crystal imbedded into its tip as she looked at it. "This…" She said, tapping the crystal very lightly, "is what focuses the spell energy, huh?" Mr. Ollivander nodded. Jade noted that the wand felt warm in her grip. "Is it supposed to feel warm, sir?" she asked.
The old man smiled slightly. "Yes, when it is the wand meant for you. I'll be right back… give me a few minutes." He returned to the back room, taking the feather and wand with him, and returned about ten minutes later with the completed wand in his hands. "Take it and try giving it a wave."
Jade twirled the wand in the air above her and was treated to a shower of red and gold sparks which rained down around her. Snape smirked and clapped lightly as Mr. Ollivander cried out, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well… how curious… how very curious…"
He put Jade's new wand into a nice little black box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious…curious…"
"Sir?" Jade asked, perplexed. "May I ask… what's so curious?"
Mr. Ollivander fixed Jade with his pale stare. "I remember every wand I've ever sold, Miss Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather reacted so well to you, gave another feather – just one other. It is very curious that you were destined for this wand when its brother – why, its brother gave you that scar."
Jade swallowed the lump which had formed in her throat, not noticing the shadow that flickered across Snape's face.
"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the witch or wizard, remember… I think we must expect great things from you, Miss Potter… After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things – terrible, yes, but great."
Jade shivered slightly. She paid for her wand and left the shop with Snape, bidding a polite goodbye to Mr. Ollivander.
Outside, Jade looked down at the wand package in her arms, sitting innocently atop the cake box, her brow furrowed.
Snape noticed her concern, and spoke, his voice soft. "I wouldn't worry about it now, Jade."
"Yes…" Jade snapped out of it. "Yes. I'll not concern myself with it just yet."
Shortly after that, Jade was returned to her home by Professor Snape, who handed her her train ticket before bidding her goodbye, saying that he'd see her at Hogwarts and advising her to look over her course books in the time till school started.
That night, as the exhausted-but-happy Jade was unloading her backpack and going through her stuff as she snacked on a piece of the cake Hagrid had made her, she hear a strange sound. A sort of mewling sound.
Searching for the sound, Jade was, needless to say, stunned when she found a small dark grey kitten inside one of her backpack pockets, one which couldn't be more than a week old. Its eyes were even still shut.
Settling the fragile little thing on some of her pillows, Jade went to the medicine cabinet and found an eye dropper, then warmed up some milk in the kitchen and filled up the dropper. Returning to her room, she proceeded to feed the little kitten, wondering at how it had come to be in her bag.
QS: We're now four chapters into the story… Please, tell me, how do you guys all like Jade? You know, like how do you like her personality, how she looks, etc. As you can probably tell, she and Hermione will be great friends. :) And sorry if Snape's a bit OOC at some parts, but he is hard for me to write, you know. I am making him nice to Jade on purpose, though, because she is very little like her father, and Harry was very like his father, in looks at least. How did you all like the gift he gave her?
Oh, and if you all are wondering why she's so polite, well, it's 'cause how she was raised. However… -bratty look- DON'T think this makes her a goody-two-shoes. She can be a major mischief maker underneath it all. Who knows, I may even put in a catfight or two with Pansy Parkinson later in the stories, whaddya think?
Did you all like the scene with Draco? I think I got him in-character.
The reason I changed Jade's wand is because since she is not Harry, I think she'd have a different wand, but because of the Voldemort factor with the twin phoenix feathers, I was faced with a problem. And just 'cause Jade was born a girl doesn't mean that feather would be put in a different wand. So just think of it this way: It was destiny which pushed Neville into those boxes and guided his foot that day, hehe. That core was meant to go into a new wand. A wand meant for Jade.
Oh, and before anyone says anything to me I mighta done wrong about the kitten, please don't correct me, because, as you will find out soon, this is no ordinary kitten. ;P
PS: I really wish that someone good at HP fanart could draw me a picture of Jade peeking out shyly from her hiding place behind Snape… it'd be so cute, you know?
Well, bye for now!
- drags off Lucius and Draco Malfoy, who are both bound by a giant red Christmas bow, all the whilst merrily singing her "Labyrinth" Christmas Carol she made - "We wish you a happy peach dream, we wish you a happy peach dream, we wish you a happy peach dream, and a magickal year! Good tidings we bring from the goblin king… we wish you a happy peach dream, and a magickal year!"