It has been over a month since I put the first chapter up. (Quickly ducks for cover). Sorry everyone, I did honestly mean to get at least this chapter out before I headed off for my Christmas break, but exams and my other life got in the way. Anyway, happy new year everyone.
Some people may kick up a fuss that I have shifted the story onto home base, Australia. It's only temporary and I didn't know where else to put it. Technically, it does not matter where they are, just so long as it is isolated, secluded, etc.
I am not big on reviews. I know I got a lot of them for my first chapter and my first snarry story. I know I'm suppose to send little thank you notes. Send replies and so forth. I'll say it here and now. Thank you!
Thank you everyone who sent me a review. I had some good ones. Anyway, enough babbling. Onto the story.
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Harry swayed slightly, his skin prickled, he felt chilled and clammy as the world came back into focus, his belly rolled unhappily. He swallowed back the rising nausea and made himself look around. He really wasn't too fond of portkeys. Before him was a fairly modern building, all brick and metal with large glass windows. It was only two stories high, but it spread out over the grounds in a seemingly random fashion. It had covered walkways and paths crossing through the surprisingly thick gardens. There was a stream, a waterfall, and a little Japanese bridge that went over it. Harry had never seen anything like it before but fell in love with it on sight. It seemed perfect somehow.
"Perhaps you know now Mr. Potter, why a student must be a certain age before they learn to apparate?" Snape's demanding voice asked in a way that suggested the professor felt he would not know the answer. Yet with sudden clarity, he did.
"Apparition requires quite a bit of power. Since you do not get your full adult power until you are sixteen, most students do not have enough power when they are younger to manage it"
"You are correct Mr. Potter." Snape sounded like he had bitten something sour. Harry stared at him. He did not think he had ever heard those words come out of his professor's mouth. Not in relation to him at any rate.
"Do I get points?" He asked cautiously.
"Do not be ridiculous. It's the school holidays Mr. Potter and we are not at Hogwarts." Came the biting remark. Harry almost heaved a sigh of relief. Snape had him worried for a moment. Snape waved his wand and levitated the trunks. "Open the cage and let that poor owl out to fly. They are not meant to be kept caged up in such a confined space for so long."
"It wasn't my idea sir." Harry replied and was relieved to let Hedwig out. She fluttered out to land on his shoulder, giving her wings and legs a good stretch as he stroked her chest. With a croon, she launched off.
"I would certainly hope not Mr. Potter." Snape remarked, following her with his dark eyes. "Come." The snapped demand had him following the professor at a fast-paced trot before he knew what he was doing. It occurred to Harry as Snape confidently strode through the carpeted halls that Snape must have been here before. That it was likely that Snape himself had come here before he turned sixteen and learned what was taught here.
They stopped at a door labeled "Overseer" and Snape gave it a sharp rap. It was followed by the opening of the door and a friendly smile that proved Harry right by when the owner of the smile greeted his Professor by his first name.
"Severus. Albus told us you were coming back. It is good to see you." Snape shook hands coolly, his expression never changing though Harry thought he saw a glimmer of welcome in those dark eyes.
"Professor Protimas." Snape greeted formally.
"And this of course must be the famous Harry Potter." The statement was followed by the easy smile. Harry found himself smiling in return. There was something very good-natured about the man and yet something in the set of his eyes and mouth hinted that if you happened to cross him or get on his bad side, he would not be very forgiving. Harry instantly liked him.
"Professor Protimas." He shock hands with him.
"Welcome to the School of Advanced Magic Mr. Potter. I am the Overseer here. What I do mostly is make sure all the classes run smoothly, sort out the room allocations, and see that the house elves have everything they need for cooking and cleaning. My job is administration. I do lecture at some of the classes and if you ever need someone to talk to, I am here to listen. In general, however I am just here to make sure everything runs smoothly. I should have a basic information pack here somewhere."
The Professor disappeared and came back with a good-sized cardboard box. "This should have everything you need." The Professor opened it up and picked up a tiny rectangular box from the top. He then slid off the lid to show Harry the small key that rested inside. "This will open your room. I am sure the professor will show you the spell to make sure the lock only opens if you or Severus is holding the key. Do not lose it. You should have your timetable, a map, the list of rules, enough scrolls for the first day or two, ink, a couple quills, a book that you will need for your first week and a few other things. There is a list in there that tells you what should be in that box. If anything is missing, do let someone know. The rest you will have to provide for yourself or it will be handed to or made available to you, as you need it. Good luck Mr. Potter."
"Ah, thank you." Harry said quickly as the box was shoved into his arms. Snape took the little box that held the key. A moment later and the door was closed.
Professor Snape turned the rectangular little box over. "Room 639." Snape pocketed the little box. "If I recall correctly, that is on the second floor of the Mandrake Wing. We might be lucky enough to have a West view."
"Ah, we sir?" Harry asked while his stomach suddenly started to get the queasy sensation that Dumbledore deliberately left certain bits of information out. Like having to share a room with Professor Snape.
Snape turned and lifted an eyebrow in a way that only made that queasy feeling worst. "We, Mr. Potter. The student and his personal tutor are required to share a room." Severus strode forward in that manner which meant he was expected to follow. Harry let out a sigh and did so. He should have known Dumbledore was leaving bits out when he first presented this idea. Not much he could do about it now.
While getting to Gryffindor Tower required many stairs, this seemed to require quite a bit of walking through corridors and garden paths. Harry was puffing for breath and his legs were aching from having to trot in order to keep up with the long and fast sweeping steps of Professor Snape.
"It appears we are in luck Mr. Potter." He said, and Harry realized that Snape had stopped. He glanced at the room number and saw that it was 639. Was it facing west? Harry had no idea at this point. Snape pulled out the tiny box and slid off the lid to take out the key. Holding it in one hand, Snape tapped it with his wand in the other. The key and the lock both glowed. "Hold out your hand Mr. Potter."
Harry did so and the key was placed in it. Again, Snape's wand lowered and again both the key and lock glowed. "That takes care of that." Snape gave a slight nod of satisfaction. "I'll take that key back thank you." It was snatched from his hand before he could think to protest. Snape used it to open the door. It was quickly returned to its little box and was back in Snape's pocket as the door was pushed open.
Harry wasn't sure what he was expecting, but whatever it was, he quickly forgot. There was carpet the colour of a light creamy tan. The walls were also light, a golden-toffee brown colour. There were huge glass doors and white curtains, which were open to show Harry the last thing he expected. Moving forward he absently placed the box he was carrying on the coffee table and headed to the glass doors, which he found, opened onto a balcony. He quickly opened the door.
Outside he could see endless blue water surging forward with white foaming tips toward white sand, hitting against rocky reefs, and slamming onto low rocky cliffs. These rooms were not quite right on top of a very beautiful beach but they were damn well close.
"Where are we?" Harry turned to go back into the room, his eyes taking in the low, soft looking red couch, the glass top coffee table and the empty wooden shelves in the living space.
"In a place called Margaret River, on the South West coast of Western Australia."
(I'm a Western Australian. So shoot me.)
"We're in Australia?" Harry gapped in surprise.
"That we are Mr. Potter. It is the end of winter on this side of the globe though it is nowhere near as cold as in Scotland. It is rare that the thing they call a mountain here gets even an inch of snow on it."
"It doesn't snow?" Harry blinked. Trying to think what was stranger.
"For the most part, no. How much do you know about Australia Potter?"
"Ah, there are kangaroos and koalas?" Harry shrugged a bit sheepishly.
"Western Australia doesn't have any koalas." Snape's condescending voice informed him in a tone that suggested he was a complete dolt.
"It doesn't?" Harry blinked.
"They can only be found at the Perth Zoo and some specialized parks. They are not native to this part of Australia."
"Oh." There wasn't much else Harry could say to that.
"Get yourself unpacked Potter." Snape motioned his floating trunks to land on the ground in front of his feet. Then he waved his wand and with a crack, a pile of dark, heavy trunks appeared. More than likely, the Professor's own trunks were packed with his gear.
"Ah Professor? Isn't that kind of impossible, apparating stuff from somewhere else to you? I thought you would need to apparate to where they were, and that you had to touch them and bring them with you as you apparated back?"
"You will find Mr. Potter that there are advantages to having more power then most magical folk." Snape informed him coolly. Harry blinked. He could see the advantages of being able to do that immediately and wondered if he could learn how. The burst of excitement and eagerness to learn caught him by surprise. It reminded him of the first time he realized that he was a wizard and that he was leaving the Dursley's to go to Hogwarts.
"Can I use magic?"
Snape turned to him, those dark eyes glowering at him as if he was insane. "This is a school Mr. Potter. The use of magic and the application of wands are generally considered something of a requirement in most wizarding educational facilities."
"Oh, right." Harry flushed in embarrassment. He got out his wand, levitated his trucks, and went to the only door.
He opened it to find an airy, spacious bedroom. There were two beds on opposite sides of the room. Shelves with cabinets separated the two beds and each had a large, wide bedside table. On the other side of the room were two large wooden desks with drawers. Each had a comfortable looking chair next to it, complete with wheels.
Harry had seen desk chairs like these in muggle advertisements. He had never seen such chairs himself though and wouldn't have expected to see them in a magical establishment. He went over and sat in one. They were very comfortable and magically charmed to meld to the position that he found was ideal for him. He used his feet to give an experimental push. The chair glided over the carpet in a way Harry suspected no muggle chair would. He grinned and gave an experimental swivel. He could get used to this.
Rising from the chair, he looked around. The beds had plain sheets and a patterned white and brown cover. The chairs however, were the same red as the couch in the living space. They looked a bit out of place here. He opened a door and found a large hanging space containing more drawers and shelves then he knew what to do with.
Stepping out, he opened the other door and found the bathroom. Inside was a huge bath, separate shower stall, a sink and toilet. It was beautiful. The countertop was marble of some sort and the bath was a huge, old-fashioned claw-footed monstrosity with a baffling array of taps on the wall. He had no idea what they were for. The shower had a pattern of tiles in yellow, blue and green and its own confusing display of taps and buttons. There were white fluffy towels and the sink was the same red colour as the couch and chairs. There were also flashes of shiny gold plated metal glinting in places and it was perfect.
Stepping back into his bedroom, Harry let his gaze go over everything. Considering the fact that the walls were blank and that there was nothing on the shelves, Harry could only assume that you could dress up a room however, you pleased. It was simple enough to charm pictures to sit in a certain place on a wall, or to put up anything you really wanted to. You could even cause them to hover in midair if you fancied that sort of thing.
There were glass doors here too, which also opened up onto the balcony. Sitting outside on the balcony, he found two more chairs with red seat cushions and a small round table with the same tile pattern as the shower. He hadn't taken time to notice them there before. He headed back inside. Harry took the bed closest to the balcony and started to unpack. It did not take long. The only thing he had to hang up were his school robes, the rest he folded and put away. He put his schoolbooks in the desk across from his bed and on one of the shelves between the two beds. The photo album he put in his bedside table. He placed Hedwig's cage in a corner of the room with the door open for her.
With nothing left to unpack, he opened the bedroom door to enter the living space in order to get the box from the coffee table and see what was in it. He found that what had been an open, airy living space now had a fair corner of it turned into a makeshift potions lab. The empty shelves had been filled to stuffing point with books, and wall cabinets had being added and were stockpiled with the familiar jars that were filled with things Harry would rather not name. It was a good thing most of the labels were written in Latin by Snape's meticulously neat and small handwriting. This meant the chances were slim he wouldn't be able to read them.
Harry didn't know why he was so surprised. Considering this was Snape, he really shouldn't be. He grimaced and shrugged. What else could he really do? Deciding to ignore whatever Snape was doing in the little area he'd created, he went over to the coffee table that still had the box. Glancing sideways at the muttering Snape, he decided to take the box with him back into the bedroom.
The first thing he picked out was the list of things that should be in the box.
Harry next picked up the Rules and Regulations book; it was quite thick. Check. He put it down and looked at the next item on the list. Timetable of classes available. It was long; some classes were on at the same time on the same day. Check. List of classes he would be having during his first week. Check. A quick glance proved he would not need a time turner. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Check. One map. A few moments soon proved that this was not like the Marauders map, nor the official Hogwarts map. Harry was use to staircases moving. This map had classrooms appear out of nowhere and others vanishing while still others were swapping about in a seemingly random order. He let out a slight groan and placed it to one side before he got a headache. Check. A list of various games, clubs and activities he could get involved in. He glanced at the neat little pamphlet; a quick scan proved there were Quidditch and dueling, as well as a chess group. What badminton was, he had no idea. Check. Book of Required Reading for First Week of Attendance. Harry picked it up and found that the book's title said exactly that. He hefted the weight and eyed the thickness. He now knew why that box had been so heavy. This was only the first week's reading? He was going to be here for at least three weeks! Maybe even long enough to miss the first week or two of school. Harry grimaced and set it aside. Check. Box with plenty of parchment needed to take notes for first few days. Harry took out the box; it was nearly as thick as the book. He slid open the lid and found empty paper. Sliding the lid closed he set it aside with the book. Check. Diary to record homework, assignments, required reading and any other information. Check. Bottle of ink. Harry picked that up. Black and quite large. He put up down again. Check. Two ever-sharp quills. Harry frowned at them. Emus' feathers? Maybe. Check. That was it. Harry put the empty box to one side. He looked at the things he had pulled out.
Snape flung the door to the room open and strode in, looking down at him as if he was a particularly interesting potion ingredient.
"Read the Rules and Regulations book. Take the map everyway and always head for a class at least ten minutes earlier then you usually do. The rooms are highly unpredictable. Entire wings are known to vanish and reappear at the opposite end of the school grounds. The living quarters like this wing are the only exception. You have tomorrow to walk around, and figure out were most things are. The library, the eating hall and the activity room all tend to stay in one spot, so do the staff rooms and the general layout. Some classrooms are more predictable then others. Some change at a higher frequency and some like to go somewhere a bit obscure on a full moon. You will soon learn.
"You start classes the day after. I would advise that you look up which classes you have and read at least the first chapter on the relevant subject in your book while taking down some notes. This is not Hogwarts Mr. Potter. People are here to learn and it is accelerated learning at that. It is very easy to fall behind. All students are here because of their potential, the same as you. You will make friends here that will be your peers and equals for your whole life in a way that your friends back home will never quite be, for they simply will not be powerful enough to grasp the magic you will be able to wield. I would advise you not to make enemies here."
Harry swallowed and nodded. "Yes sir."
Snape stared at him, as if measuring him and finding him wanting. "There are not many with the ability Potter. Students come from all over the globe for these classes. Not just anyone of magical ability can get in and even though there are billions of people, the chances of a witch or wizard with high potential turning sixteen at around about the same time are moderately slim. Classes will be small and intensive. I will make sure one of the professors here charms you with the translation spell. This will enable you to understand any language, both written and spoken. Others will also be able to understand you. That should make things a bit easier."
Snape then turned and used his wand to bring in what was left of his things. Potter sighed and picked up the book of Rules and Regulations. He wouldn't put it past Snape to throw him a pop-quiz on it before dinner time.