Hi, sorry this took so long. I had to re-write it a few times, mostly to get the explainations to make sence. Still not sure if I have. Snape and Harry get a bit more OOC in this. Sorry.

Thanks to everyone who have reveiwed this so far. I know I am slow. Plus a bit lazy.

ssHPss

Reading through the rules Harry found a lot of it had to do with respecting the other students and the staff. Regardless of race, colour, religion and all that other stuff. Which he felt would be easy enough. There was stuff about doing magic without supervision and pulling pranks. There was an obscure warning about trying to break into personal rooms without a key, even if it was yours. It was the kind of vague warning that caused him to decide to never even try it. There was a slightly stronger and still deceptively vague warning about making off with property that didn't belong to him. There was a particular side note about trying to steal school property.

In the back there was a list of things in the Australian bush a foreign wizard had to be aware of. Magic creatures for instance, like the Bunyip, gumnut babies and vengeful banksia men, not to mention some giant rainbow serpent creature. He thought Britain had its share of strange magical creatures. He could now see that the ones he knew of that was only the beginning. Werewolves, unicorns, dragons and griffins were commonly known in Britain and while they were found in other places as well, it didn't begin to cover the varied magical creatures to be found world over.

Australia for instance, mostly ignored and isolated for so many centuries by wizards and muggles alike, had apparently evolved it's own parama of exotic and strange assortment of magical creatures without any help or contamination of outside forces, at least until fairly recently.

There was also a side note about some odd suicidal ghost who kept drowning himself in something called a billabong and by a tree known as a coolibah. He sang some song about waltzing with Matilda and always had a billy on the boil. Why anyone would want to boil a goat Harry had no idea.

"Are you about done Potter?" Snape's voice ended his musing and he glanced up in surprise, seeing that the room had darkened considerably and that Snape seemed to have transformed his side of the room. The bed had being enlarged and had a dark green quilt over the top. There were more books and more potion bottles set up and there was also a large leather black chair that hadn't being there before, placed to one side. The desk was set up with ink, quills, paper and a pile of books waiting.
Harry put aside the pamphlet.
"Yes sir"
"Good. Where is that map? Dining hall shouldn't have moved but you can never know for certain in this place." Harry fished it out and handed it over. Snape glanced over it, giving a slight nod before he put the map aside.
"Come along Potter," Snape commanded as he headed for the door. Harry hastened after him. Rather then the four long tables for students and the head table that Harry was using to, there were many, many smaller tables placed at random.

"Hay Severus, that you?" The man who rose from a chair looked to be Snape's total opposite, short, cubby and tanned with corn yellow hair and bright sapphire eyes. "Lance." The professor gave a courteous nod that seemed oddly formal and yet friendly in that polite way that was Snape.
"Still brewing your concoctions?" The accent sounded American, as far as Harry could tell.
"Still creating minor basic charm work?" Snape sneered in reply.
"I am as my magic made me." Came the loose shrug and Harry had the doubtable privilege of seeing a truly wicked little gleam come to Snape's eyes as his lips lifted in an almost smile.

"By that you are saying that it is your magic which controls and dictates where your strengths are. Denying any responsibly on your own part on where your interests were before your magic potential was reached"
"I'm not saying that I, such as I was, did not have an interest in improving other people's lives in small, insignificant ways. I was something of a finicky perfectionist about certain things to be sure, but given my own choice I don't think I would have pursued this particular revenue."

"Don't mind them." A girl about his age with obvious Spanish background reached a hand to him. "My name is Estelle"
"Harry." He shook her hand. Her brown eyes narrowed on him slightly.
"Oh. You're Harry Potter"
Harry flushed embarrassed and awkward.
"Harry Potter?" Lance's blue eyes fixed on him unerringly. "The Boy-Who-Lived?" Harry buried his head in his arms, blushing furiously and he could hear the whispers and feel the eyes on him already.
"Congratulations Potter. You're a Celebrity once again." Snape growled.
"Wonderful." Harry groused, crossing his arms defensively. "At least at Hogwarts most of them have gotten over that. Well except for Ginny and Colin"
"Ah yes, Mr Crevely. His, persistence is well known."

"Look, I'm sorry. It just took me by surprise," Estelle apologised.
Harry sighed. "It's ok. I should be use to that by now"
"Are you only just here"
"Yeah. Start classes Monday"
"Have you being told anything much about what to expect"
"Not really"
"No one who comes here is supposed to be told more then is necessary." Snape broke in, his dark eyes looking accusingly at Lance.

"Oh I wasn't sir." Estelle said quickly. "It's just that you both leapt into an age old argument between higher wizards without really explaining what the argument was about. I still don't really understand and my birthday is in four days"
"You have a point." Lance smiled in a friendly way. "Sit down Harry. Perhaps we should explain. It is a little tricky when you don't have your full magic yet. The intrinsic understanding of certain things comes after the transition stage. Estelle will have hers quite soon, before her birthday I think." Lance smiled at the girl. From what little Harry did know, he could only assume Lance was acting as her personal tutor, like Snape was doing for him.

"I sense the gathering of building magic." Snape said in an agreeing tone which left Harry baffled.
"Yours has hardly started." Lance said to Harry curiously.
"He has awhile to go yet. He was sent here probably earlier then he needed to be just in case"
"That I can understand." Lance nodded. "Take a seat both of you. Food will appear soon. It's almost six"
Harry reluctantly did so.

"Now among the higher witches and wizards, those of us with more power then common for regular witches and wizards, we gain more then just magic ability, we also gain knowledge and often our minds are changed as well. Gaining such powerful magic often opens our minds portentional, bringing with it a certain amount of intrinsic knowledge no book learning can gain you."

"Again your own knowledge falls short." Snape sneered. "Magic in it's self is a fixed amount. While it can be quite unpredictable in certain ways, there is only so much of it. The only thing that changes is our ability to harness it." Snape piercing gaze fell at him then. "Not even the best of high wizards know how the transition between potential and high wizard affects not only our ability to harness magic but also our intelligence. We don't just gain ability, with it come a certain gaining of knowledge, some more then others." Snape glared at Lance who just shrugged and smiled. "Most are given at least a basic understanding of how magic itself works to some degree, an understanding of what magic should be used for and most of us gain a little bit more too."

"This is where part of the argument comes in." Estelle told him. "It could but that the increase of magic ability emphases what we have already. Or the gain of so much ability triggers other side effects like an improved understanding and knowledge of magic as well as a sharper mind."

"Partly true." Lance nodded. "The main problem being that while all higher wizards and witches gain a certain understanding about magic itself, what other knowledge they also may gain can be guessed at but is not truly known until after the transition."

"On that point we have to disagree." Professor Snape sneered. "The exact area is generally not known but it has being proven that by knowing yourself you can gather a pretty good idea on what your strengths will be after the transition has occurred and what other knowledge you might gain." Snape had that lecture tone in his voice. "It is becoming a much more exact science, being able to pin point what a potential might be able to do and what intrinsic information he or she could gain."

"Of course it is a fair bit more complicated then that." Estelle broke in with a grin. "It isn't just that you gain power, your ability for magic tends to be keyed to your current interests and strengths. After the transition, your ability is likely to be focused upon one small aspect of your interests and abilities and you will find you will be immensely good at that one thing and it will be your main gift and you will likely devote your life toward expending, perfecting that and then developing you own new ideas upon that one area. You'll be just average in mostly everything else with a few expectations here and there. The few exceptions are known as minor gifts or secondary gifts, which are also usually keyed to your interests in some way, but that isn't always how it works.

"I'm curious, want to know everything and yet I'm not exactly a people person, friendly, easy to get along with sure, but I just don't have that knack some have. Not like Professor Trent here." She waved a hand at Lance. "I've always had an interest in Animus and metamorphis as well as transfiguration so I think my strength will end up being in that area. I think I would be a Metamorphmagus. That is however not at all guaranteed"

"Like Tonks?" Harry frowned at looked at Snape. "Is Tonks a higher witch then"
"She isn't on the same level as Albus and myself but she is a higher witch all the same"
"What about the others? Like the Weazely family, Mad-Eye Moody, Professor McGonagall"
"Professor Moody is certainly but no Potter. Though I believe Professor Bins was once"
"Professor Binns?" Harry blinked in almost disbelief. "It's hard enough to imagine him being alive once"

Snape glowered at him yet there seemed to be a measure of amusement there.
"Be that as it may Potter, he does have an intrinsic knowledge of history unlike anything most witches and wizards have. He specializes in wars involving non-humans, unless you haven't noticed"
"Could have fooled me." Harry muttered.
"While Professor Binns may not be the most interesting of teachers Mr Potter, that should not detract from the fact that there are few as knowledgeable as he is in his chosen subject"
"Does that also apply to you sir?" Harry had no idea where that came from. He wouldn't ordinarily dare say something like that to Snape. Not in his class room and not at Hogwarts and yet here it seemed everything changed.

Hell, Snape was not only letting a teacher or whatever challenge his opinions in an almost affable manner, he was also letting a mere student butt in on him, speak her mind and offer her own thoughts without so much as a murderous scowl, let along detention and minus points or whatever system they had here and so far Snape hadn't being too bad toward him.

"Does this mean the students consider me uninteresting Mr Potter? Is my teaching skills often compared to Professor Binns?" Snape asked in that dangerous tone he had when he was about to deduct points and throw in a few nights of detention as well.
"Not uninteresting sir." Harry said quickly. "Just..." Harry swallowed suddenly as Snape raised an expectant eyebrow. Oh hell. "Difficult?" He squeaked out, for lack of a better word.
"Difficult. I see Mr Potter. Would you consider me as difficult?" Those dark eyes challenged him.
"I, ah." Harry swallowed again. "Perhaps I shouldn't answer that"
Those thin lips lifted in a sneer. "Perhaps you shouldn't. This however you implied shouldn't detract from my ability with Potions"
"Well I..., no sir." Harry said quickly before he could get into any more trouble. Snape smirked.

At that moment food appeared on the table. Harry jumped back and blinked in surprise. He glanced up to see Professor Trent and Estelle were already digging in. Snape primly picked up his cutlery but Harry could see he looked less prim then when he was eating at the Dursley's. But not by much.
"You were putting on an act weren't you sir? At the Dursely's?" Harry asked as he picked up his knife and fork.
"What ever gave you that impression Mr Potter?" Snape asked in that cold, neutral way.
"Nothing obvious." Harry said in a thoughtful tone. "It's just..." Harry paused, what he wanted to say would definitely get him into trouble.

"Spit it out Potter." Snape gave him the murderous gaze. Damned if he did, damned if he didn't. Harry gave a sigh.
"Well, you were more arrogant and inferior, compared to usual that is." Harry blurted out. Dead silence for a long moment, then Professor Trent broke out in laughter.
"By all good magic. I believe that's the first time anyone actually had the guts to come out and say you're a bit of a snob Severus"
"I'm a Snape." His Professor had the deadly tone that promised smelly cauldrons and lots of soap in his near future. Snape pieced him with twin black holes. "Those muggle relatives of yours got more attention then they deserved"

"I think Vernon would be glad to never see you again. Or me for that matter"
"Did I ruin something Potter?" Snape glanced at him, was that a flicker of concern?
"Absolutely not. The Dursely's would have preferred if I'd died right along side my parents, saving them the trouble of having to raise me at all"
Snape relaxed slightly.
"Being that as the case Mr Potter. Are you questioning my methods"
"Not at all. It was kind of funny when Vernon realised you were a wizard though. I hadn't really thought of you as being part of a pure blood, traditional, old wizard family, high society and all that much before, not until lunch today anyway"

"What did you think of me as Mr Potter?" That was that deadly, cold tone again and Harry paled slightly.
"I had better not answer that." He said quickly.
"How very wise Mr Potter." Snape murmured, his lips lifting in an almost smile. Harry swallowed back the sudden chill of fear.

ssHPss

Notes:

Now "Waltzing Matilda" is a fairly famous ballad by Banjo Patterson gets a breif meantion. Matilda is actually an old slang word for swag, or backpack. Waltzing matilda means taking a pack with you as you travel. Or there abouts.

definition of billabong: a waterhole cut off from stream or river, replenished only during floods.

billy: usually a small tin bucket with a wire handle, placed on a fire to boil water or cook food. Just like you have a kettle on a boil, you have a billy on the boil, as the saying goes.

The rest of the ballad isn't mentioned much. Look it up and the definitions if you are really interested.

Also meantioned: The big, bad banksia men and gumnut babies. Anyone whose read May Gibbs's Snuglepot and Cuddlepie will know about them. May I suggest it as a good read?

The bunyip: something like boggarts, or bogey men. Bunyips live in water and are said to emerge at night and eat people (especially naughty children -).)

Last, but not least, the giant rainbow serpent of Aboriginal legend. To aboriginals she is something between the creater of the world and a mother goddess. I hope I got that right.