The next morning, Elizabeth woke in the early afternoon, curled up on her side. She had nearly forgotten the night before, but was reminded as she saw the armchair that wasn't there the afternoon before. She nearly made the choice to stay in bed for the rest of the day and hide, but her father could always come in the room, if he really wanted to. So, she got up and got dressed, made her bed and used the bathroom before padding down the hallway and down the stairs.
In the kitchen, she found her father sipping a cup of coffee that he held in one hand and reading a letter that he held in the other. When she came into earshot, Severus placed both items in his hand down and reached out his arm to her. She came to stand at his side, trying not to read the letter he had on the table.
Regardless, he picked the letter up and offered it to her. She took the paper and read the correspondence that had been sent to her father.
Severus,
I am so glad that you were able to find your daughter after all these years and I am sorry that she is going through what she is. I know a woman who she might be interested in seeing on a regular basis, a mind healer named Saundra Mullings. She works with children regularly, and I can write to her on your behalf to get an appointment so you and Elizabeth can meet her and decide if you want to work with her?
Let me know as soon as you've reached a decision.
Best,
Alexander
"A mind healer?" Elizabeth was confused.
"I think you would call it a therapist. After last night, I was thinking there is only so much that I can do for you. I am not a healer in the way of the mind, I am only trained to heal the body. If you want, I can have my friend Alex, who I wrote to this morning to set up an appointment with Healer Mullings."
Elizabeth was silent for a few moments then nodded. "I don't want to be sick like that ever again."
Severus nodded then took the letter back, placing it on the table again. "Now, I do have a letter for a certain Miss Elizabeth Evans, which looks suspiciously like a Hogwarts letter." He held an envelope up, offering it to her.
With a shy smile, Elizabeth took it and read the front, her fingers running over it, looking quite pleased.
The letter read-
Elizabeth R. Evans
Bedroom at the end of the hall
35 Spinner's End
Cokesworth England
She tore into the envelope, taking out the papers and spreading them out on the table before she sat down in her chair and went over the parchment.
"Dear Miss Evans, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Students will be required to report to the Chamber of Reception upon arrival, the dates of which will shall be duly advised. Please ensure that the utmost attention be made to the list of requirements attached herewith. We very much look forward to receiving you as part of the new generation of Hogwarts heritage."
"Term begins September 1st. We await your owl no later than August 1st to confirm your intention to attend."
Elizabeth looked up at her father, who's eyes seemed to shine with pride. He cleared his throat and tapped the booklist that sat on her right.
"I was thinking that we might go today to get you new clothes, since you have very few outfits here and while we're out, we could get your books and school clothes while we were in London. Madame Pomphrey, who doesn't seem to trust me to get you all the things you need, set me a list this morning, with all your sizes."
"Really?" She grinned, looking the pages over once more. "Wait, how does she know my sizes?"
"I would assume she knew because she sent us home with that bag of clothing for you, but the charms won't last forever. And I am not in the habit of making up lies, Miss Elizabeth. If I said we could go school shopping today, then we will go today, if you're up for it?"
She nodded furiously, clearly excited. Severus could remember his first time to Diagon Alley and understood why she would find the idea of it so wonderful. "Now, I will make you something to eat and we will only leave after that plate is empty, understood?"
"Yes sir!" She moved her hands as he gathered her book list and acceptance letter, tucking them into his robes. When he put a plate of eggs and bacon with toast in front of her, she tried not to think too hard about the fact that she was eating, but just to mechanically put food into her mouth.
"On my list for school supplies, it said that I need a wand. Am I really going to get a wand today?"
"Yes, we will be getting you a wand today. But not until that food is gone."
However, she clearly was taking a while, she noted when Severus left the room and came back with a quill, pot of ink and a piece of parchment.
"What are you writing?"
"A letter back to Alexander so he can make that appointment for us. I want you seen by a mind healer before you go to school. If possible, I want you to be seen sometime this week." He signed his name with a flourish before spelling the ink dry and tucking it into an envelope. He then tucked the whole thing into his robes.
"Aren't you going to send that to him?"
"When we go out, we can stop by the post office." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket watch. "If you eat and finish soon, we can leave here before noon." He pointed at her meal. "Keep eating."
She nodded and with a little bit more work, she scraped her plate clean and drained her glass. Severus nodded and took her dishes, bringing them to the sink.
"Go get your shoes on and then we can go." Severus shook his head as she pushed her chair back and nearly flew up the stairs.
*S*S*
"When can I use the floo by myself?" Elizabeth asked as Severus herded her into the fireplace.
"Not a day before 17."
"Why 17?" Elizabeth made a face, standing outside the fireplace as Severus took a handful of powder from the box on the mantle.
"In the Wizarding world, you reach adulthood at 17. Until then, the child lock will remain on the floo, understood? And you will not use it without an adult with you or my express permission." He finally got her to enter the fireplace completely, then Severus threw a handful of floo powder down and called out "Leaky Cauldron, London!"
The pair were taken away in a whirl of green, and Elizabeth tried to keep her eyes open to see the swirling flames around her before the spinning became too much and she had to close her eyes for fear of vomiting again.
After a few more minutes, the pair stepped out into the restaurant where the bar keep called out to Severus, who wrapped his arm around his daughter's shoulders, pulling her close.
"Severus! Long time, no see! Here for a drink?"
"No, Tom, not at 11:45 in the morning." He tried to shield his child from the eyes that were following them to the entrance to Diagon Alley. Severus internally cursed. Why was a pub packed at noon on a Tuesday? Didn't these people have jobs?
"A shame, but no matter. Who is this lovely young girl?"
Severus felt Elizabeth bury her head into his side and normally he wasn't keen on the idea of her hiding, but for the sake of now, it hid her scar from those in the restaurant. "She's my daughter, Tom, but if you'll excuse us, we do have some school shopping to attend to."
Tom nodded and waved them off with a smile. Severus then led his daughter to the brick wall that kept the Wizarding shopping center hidden.
"Sir?"
"Yes?"
"Are they going to be mad that we didn't stay to talk?" She twisted her fingers around, watching as her father shuffled the garbage cans that seemed suspiciously empty away from the wall.
"If they are, they'll get over it. I would like as few people as possible to know that you're the girl who lived. The more people get a close look at you, the more that they'll try to obsess over you and I have a feeling you would like to avoid that?"
"Yes sir. I don't suppose now is a good time to tell you that I'm scared of crowds?"
Severus smiled a little and tapped the bricks with his wand. Once the wall started to move, he reached out his hand. "I'm not too keen on crowds either, which is why we're here on a weekday. Most everyone will be at work." She took it, smiling, and together, they walked hand in hand to the first stop Severus had planned.
"Here we are, Madame Malkins."
Elizabeth looked at the shop window, seeing a huge pair of scissors 'cutting' through a huge piece of fabric in the window underneath the sign that bore the shop name.
"What's here, sir?"
Severus held the door open for her and led her through. "This is where we are going to get your school uniforms and wizarding clothes. We will be making a stop to Muggle London today to stock up on your casual clothing and shoes once we finish here."
"That seems like a lot of thing to buy. I don't really need all of that." She looked around the shop from where she was standing, watching a set of robes fold themselves while they waited for the shop owner to come from the back. "Why can't we buy clothes here today, like regular clothes?"
"Perhaps, but when you need all these things, it's not too much. And you certainly do need all these clothes. You can't run around in your uniform the whole time. What will you wear on the weekends, hmmm? Once we have a series of items for you, we won't have to make as much of a trip every year for new clothes. But when you have nothing to wear but four outfits, that really isn't enough to go on." Severus squeezed her hand. "And muggle clothes are far more expensive in the Wizarding world and the quality is far worse. I want to get clothes that will last you the entire school year, not half."
"Professor Snape! You haven't been here in quite a long time!" a plump woman came out of the back room, coming around the front till to stand in front of them. "Who is this lovely girl?"
"My daughter, Madame, Elizabeth." He shook his daughter's hand to get her attention off the robes that she was still watching, smirking when she jumped a little and turned around to face Madame Malkin.
"Sorry sir." She said automatically, then she semi hid behind him when she noticed the other adult in the room. "Hi." She said shyly, peeking out from behind his body.
"Hello dear! Are you shopping for Hogwarts?"
"Yes we are." Severus carefully removed her from where she was pressed onto his back. Rotating her, he managed to get her back pressed to his front, his hands on her shoulders. "We just need the usual uniforms and cloak today."
"Sounds perfect. Well, let's have you hop up on a stool so we can measure you." Madame Malkin walked to one of the stools in front of a mirror.
Elizabeth hesitated then came forward, leaving Severus to wait in one of the chairs off to the side. As she climbed up onto the stool, a measuring tape started to measure her on its own, alleviating the fear of being touched by a stranger.
"I had no idea you had a daughter, Professor." The seamstress came out from the back room with a series of plain black school robes. "You've never brought her here for robes before."
"My mother got me in the habit of children not wearing robes until they went to school. After all, why have children ruin robes if they're just going to run around in them?"
Madame Malkin smirked and whispered conspiringly to Elizabeth. "Your father is a bit of a miser, but he means well. Don't take it personally." She laughed a little and draped fabric over Elizabeth.
"What does miser mean?" Elizabeth asked.
"Telling my daughter I'm a cheapskate, are you Madame?" Severus barely ruffled the paper he was reading while he waited.
"Is that what it means? Cheap?"
"Yes dear, that's what it means." The shop owner laughed. "I've just never heard of wizarding parent not dressing their child in robes."
"Her mother's muggleborn. So, with the amount of time she spent around Muggles, it seemed to make little sense to buy her clothing that she would seldom wear."
Elizabeth remained silent during the exchange, knowing that there was something going on that her father didn't want this woman to know. Her aunt used to lie to the women in the shops about Elizabeth and her appearance. Stories ranged from her being a cancer patient to anorexic often were tossed around, but Elizabeth knew better to contradict what was being said. After all, she could ask him about it when they left the store. He had been answering her questions so far without an issue. Her relatives hated when she asked questions, so with any luck, her father wouldn't remember that questions were bad.
*S*S*
"Sir?" She had been biting her tongue until they got out of the shop, the warm sun beaming down on them.
"Hmmm?" Severus was preoccupied with shrinking their packages and tucking them into his pockets before he took her hand once more.
"Why didn't you tell that woman the truth?"
"What do you mean?"
Elizabeth bit her lip and then looked down at her feet. "About why I don't have robes."
Severus felt his arm tug as she stopped walking, causing Severus to turn around to see her examining her shoes. "Oh, Elizabeth, come with me." He led her to an out of the way bench and sat with her, tucking her into his side. "I figured it would be easier for you to not have to explain why you haven't been in this world since you were 15 months old."
"But-"
"But nothing. You defeated a very powerful wizard on luck. Your mother giving her life for you is what saved you, but because you were the one to cause the killing curse to reflect back to the Dark Lord, Wizards and Witches all over the world celebrate you. I think the last thing you need, on top of that pressure, is for the general public to know that you've been abused. I'm sorry I didn't discuss this with you before we came here."
"It's alright. I was just curious."
"Curiosity is never a bad thing." He got her up and took her hand again. "I'm just trying to give you as much privacy from the public as I can."
Elizabeth smiled a little and leaned into his side. "Thank you."
"For what, love?" Severus began the walk to the bookshop, prodding her up onto the sidewalk, out of the way of the shoppers who were walking at them.
"The new clothes, my room, protecting me, wanting me…" She hadn't meant to say the last part, but it came out anyways.
"I'm your father, Rennie. I'll always want you and protect you." He dropped a kiss on her head before they went into the book shop. "But you're welcome anyways."
When they entered the shop, Severus took a basket for her supplies, handing her the list that he had in his robes. "Here, you take the list and put everything in the basket. I'll hold it."
"I can hold it sir."
"It's going to get quite heavy, love. I got this, you find your books." Severus walked with her down the rows of books until they got to the Hogwarts section.
"Why didn't we stop over there?" Elizabeth pointed to the front of the shop where they had just passed through.
"Those are for adults. It's much more advanced magic and magical theory. They keep the Hogwarts textbooks here in the back to make it easier for parents and students." Severus pointed out the large sign that read 'Hogwarts Textbooks'.
"Oh." She said lamely, pulling a face.
"Its alright, you didn't know. What's the first book on the list?" Severus prompted, squeezing her hand before he let it go to put his arm around her shoulders.
"The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk" Elizabeth read, then looked confused. "But I'm in 6th grade in school." She looked at the book then down the rows, pulling the 6th grade book off the shelf. She tried to hand the book to Severus, who chuckled and put it back, taking the grade one version.
"I understand that in Muggle school you were in 6th grade but at Hogwarts, we start at the age of 11 and go into the age of 17 to 18. You are in the first year because you are 11." He put the book in the basket. "The magic in the 6th year book is far too advanced for an 11 year old."
Elizabeth followed after him down the row, not entirely sure about the interaction she had just had with her father. She wasn't entirely sure about the grade system at Hogwarts, but she assumed he knew more than she did about Hogwarts.
"What are the other books that we need?"
"Ummm… A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot and Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling." She looked around and saw the history section, pulling a book out of the shelf, handing it to Severus, who retrieved magical theory for her on the other side of the aisle.
"How many classes am I going to be taking? I only took 4 main ones before and then art, gym and music in my old school, but my specials weren't as important."
"Seven. But keep in mind that every class is just as important as the last. I don't want to hear that you've been slacking off this year, understood?"
"Yes sir. I was in the advanced math class in my school AND the advanced history class too." She smiled a little thinking about her old school. "Dudley hated that I was smarter than him."
"Well, those math skills might come in handy when it comes to potions." Severus led her further down the store, pointing out the potions book she needed.
"Take that one, you'll need it for my class."
"Magical Drafts and Potions?" She took the book from the shelf, thumbing through it. "I was reading one of your potions books last night, but I don't understand much of it."
"Which book were you reading?" Severus looked confused, trying to remember if one of the books he had in his shelves was out of place.
"Uh, I think it was something about an oracle… I'm not sure…" When she saw his confusion, she swallowed hard, trying to figure out if she was in trouble.
"Phial of the Oracle? Elizabeth, that was a master's level text, no wonder you didn't understand it." He chuckled a little. "What did you not understand?" He took the first year book from her and tucked it into the basket. "You'll also need One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore."
"It said something about eye of newt… but then it says it was mustard seeds. I have no idea which is which. Is it actual newt eyes or the plant?" She took the book he pointed to.
"Well," Severus led her down another section, looking for her texts. "Newt eyes have magical properties, but eye of newt are in fact mustard seeds. In your book, it clears up that confusion in parenthesis."
Elizabeth nodded, trying to wrap her head around the new world she had been thrust into. She could understand complex math and history, so why couldn't she handle this new material she was being given?
"A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration is right here. Professor McGonagall is just as strict as I am in class, so you'll do well to behave."
"I always behaved in class, sir." She smirked, the first show of her emotions other than terror and anxiety. "I was at the top of my class, after all."
"See that it continues." He smirked and led her away to collect the last of her books. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble. That should be all the books you need." Severus took the list and checked everything to what they had. "I think the last thing we need is a telescope for you. I was hoping to give you my old one, but it appears that it either was thrown away or my mother took it with her when she moved out."
"Why would she take it, sir?"
"My mother likes to collect things from my youth. Things that she thought that I wouldn't miss." He smirked, taking one of the telescopes from the basket by the till. "Now, once we pay for this," he checked his watch. "We can make a quick stop to Scribbulus to get parchment and quills. Have you written with a quill before?"
"Once, I think. A lady came to my school, for some Colonial thing. She had us write our names, but that's about it. I was 6."
"So a crash course in quill writing is in order when we get home." Severus handed over a stack of coins, taking the bag from the cashier.
Elizabeth nodded then turned to him as they were leaving the store. "How come you've paid for everything in coins? Are you just trying to get rid of your change?"
Severus paused in shrinking the bag to go into his pocket, stunned for a moment, but then burst into laughter, harder than he remembered laughing in a while. "No, I am not trying to just 'get rid of my change'. I'll explain wizarding money when we get home, alright?" He wiped his eyes, then put his arm over her shoulders, pulling her close.
Elizabeth was lost in her thoughts as her father took her into the supplies shop, buying her several packs of parchment, a series of quills and a couple of bottles of ink. She dawdled behind when they ducked into the post office to send the letter to Severus' friend. She was then brought to the apothecary, her nose assaulted with a series of smells, unable to identify a single one positively.
Severus very quickly bought her the supplies she needed, paying quickly and taking her out of the shop, getting back out to the sunlight streets. She yawned, growing a little tired from the constant walking they were doing.
"Now, I think the only thing left here is to get you a wand, but if you're too tired to go today…"
"No! Let's go! Let's go!" She pulled on his hand, trying to get him to walk faster. "Come on!"
"Someone is a little excited." Severus chuckled, following his daughter, even though she had no idea where she was going. He was at least glad that they were headed in the right direction, even though she did not know the name of the shop. He was a little surprised to see this much emotion out of her, but he wasn't going to be the one to ruin it.
"I'm sorry, I can't help it."
"Don't be sorry." Severus finally got her to walk next to him, smirking when she started to skip next to him, her hand wrapped in his. "I prefer this to the silent Elizabeth that you've been."
Elizabeth shrugged. "Everything feels different now, you know?" She grinned, letting his hand go and twirling in the street. "I mean, now that I have my books and uniform, it seems so real, that I'm a witch, you know. I've always known there was something different about me. Last year, I turned my teacher's hair blue." She laughed, spinning again. "Do you think my teachers would be mad if I did that at Hogwarts?"
"Her hair?" Severus sputtered, trying to wrap his mind around it. "And yes, I do think your professors would not be pleased. I would, without a doubt, either get a note from said professor or a personal visit. We should refrain from doing so. Once you get your wand, your accidental magic should be more under control.'
"Well, okay is wasn't her hair. It was her wig, but the Dursleys' weren't happy either way. They didn't like anything that had to do with magic." She turned to face him, her eyes bright with restrained laughter. "They were even madder when I ended up on the roof of the school."
"What? How did that happen? You climbed to the roof?"
"No," Elizabeth shook her head. "I went to jump over some trash cans to hide from my cousin and his gang, but I think the wind caught me and blew me up on the roof." She shrugged, still skipping. "I got in big trouble for that."
"She accidently apparated." Severus' heart swelled with pride, resulting in him needing to tie down his smile. "You seem to be an exceptionally powerful witch, my love. Apparating is quite difficult so it is remarkable that you managed such a feat."
Apparating?"
"Remember when I got you from the Dursleys? When we appeared in front of Hogwarts?"
"Yeah, I do."
"That's apparation. It's the ability to transport oneself to another place. You'll learn when you're 16 how to do it, just like your mother and I did when we were 16."
"But I already did it once… How hard would it be to do again?"
"Very hard and you would do well to wait. If you don't know how, and you try to do so, you can end up splinching yourself."
"Splinching?" She looked confused, her brows nearly touching.
"That's when part of you stays in the original place while the rest of you transports. It is very easy to get seriously hurt if you're not trained in the art of apparation. It is not something I want you messing with, understand?"
"Yes sir." She paused in her skipping. "Do you think that the other kids at Hogwarts will have done stuff like that?"
"What? Like accidentally apparating?" Severus snorted. "Decidedly not. Most likely, they've lit things on fire or summoned objects that they wanted." He ruffled her hair. "Besides, no one really sits around and talks about their accidental magic. But if they did, you would certainly be popular."
"Really?" Elizabeth looked uncertain. "I've never been popular. No one really liked me because of Dudley. If they were thought to be my friend, Dudley would beat them up." She pulled her mouth into an unpleasant face. "Will he be able to get to Hogwarts to do that there?"
"No, not at all. He's a muggle, first off and second, he has no way of knowing where the school is." Severus pulled her onto the sidewalk once more, pointing out the shop they were walking up to. "Here we are. Ollivanders."
"Ollivanders? For what?"
"Didn't you say you wanted to get a wand today? Here's where we get them." Severus opened the door and propelled her inside, the bell tinkling about them.
Elizabeth jumped when a ladder came rolling into view, an old man on said ladder, giving her a serene look that was similar to the one that the Headmaster had given her in the hospital wing.
"Good afternoon," He said a soft voice. The old man was now standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining as he looked at her. She felt uncomfortable, backing into her father, much like she did in the robe shop, his arm coming around to rest around her collarbones.
.
"Hello," said Elizabeth awkwardly.
"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Elizabeth Evans." He looked her up and down, almost critically. "You have your mother's eyes. 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." He looked up, his eyes finally leaving Elizabeth to see Severus. "And your father as well. If I remember, you came in here together."
"Yes we did, Mr. Ollivander." Severus' voice rumbled above her, and Elizabeth could feel the vibrations from his voice in her back.
The man held out his hand and Elizabeth watched as her father placed his wand into the older man's hand. "Hmmm. 13 and a half inches." He looked down the length, examining it for imperfections. "Dragon heartstring and ebony… unyielding. Good for defense." He handed the wand back to Severus, who slipped it into his sleeve.
Elizabeth fidgeted as the man looked at her once more. "I was wondering when you would come Miss Elizabeth Evans. Now, we do have the business of your wand choosing- it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."
The man stepped forward, his hand coming up to touch her forehead. "And that's where . . ."
Before he could make contact however, Severus' hand came out and clutched the man's wrist. "I would appreciate if you kept you distance, Mr. Ollivander. It's unseemly to put our hands on people we don't know, especially children." He tossed the older man's hand to the side, giving him a stony look. His grip tightened on his daughter, her hands coming up to rest on his forearm.
"Yes well…" The man had the decency to look rebuffed by Severus. "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 into the world to do…"
"Mr. Ollivander, I would think that the conversation would be more prudent if it were turned to the business of finding Elizabeth a wand?"
"Well, now— Miss Evans. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"
"Er — well, I'm right-handed," said Elizabeth. Severus carefully extracted her from his arms, but stayed close behind her, close enough where she could feel his presence.
"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Elizabeth from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand." Ollivander paused as he began to walk away. "And you will do well to not take another wizard of witch's wand."
Elizabeth suddenly realized that the tape measure was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.
"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Miss Evans. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."
Elizabeth took the wand and waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of her hand almost at once before anything happened.
"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try —" Elizabeth tried, waving the wand once and the light fixture beside them exploded.
"No, no — here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."
Elizabeth tried. And tried. Over and over, dozens of wands went in and out of her hands, each getting ripped out and replaced before she could say anything. Several times, things exploded or skidded across the floor. She, at one point, lit the man's desk on fire, but instead of anger, like she expected, he seemed to get happier and happier.
she had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the chair in the corner that had become the discard chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the more eager he became.
"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere — I wonder, now — yes, why not — unusual combination — holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."
Elizabeth took the wand. She felt a sudden warmth in her fingers, raising the wand above her head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls.
Elizabeth turned to her father who was right behind her, watching as he clapped softly, a look on his face she couldn't place. She smiled a little, letting her hand drop to her side, the wand held tightly in her grip.
Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well . . .how curious . . . how very curious . . ."
"That's enough, Ollivander." Severus put his hand on his child's shoulder, glaring at the man, who continued to mutter under his breath as he boxed up Elizabeth's wand.
"Sorry," said Elizabeth, ready to bite, even though her father tightened his grip on her shoulder, a clear indicator he wanted her to stop. "but what's curious?"
Mr. Ollivander fixed Elizabeth with his pale stare. "I remember every wand I've ever sold, Miss Evans. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather — just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother — why, its brother gave you that scar."
Elizabeth swallowed. Suddenly, she wished she had listened to her father's nonverbal cues to stop talking. She backed into him once more, happier than ever when he wound his arm around her collarbone once more.
"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember. . . . I think we must expect great things from you, Miss Evans. . . . After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great."
Elizabeth shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. Her father paid
seven gold Galleons for her wand, and another 6 for a holster like the one he had on his arm in the sleeve of his robes and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.
Heading back to the Leaky Cauldron, Elizabeth looked at Severus. "I don't think I like him very much."
"Why is that?" Severus carefully guided her through the bar, back to Muggle London.
"He seems…. A little all over the place." Elizabeth shrugged. "I dunno, he just seemed kind of weird."
"I can also see that you didn't understand when you need to stop. There are people in this world that want to…I'm not sure how to put this… They seem to think that it is their responsibility to tell your story. He, being the man who has sold every wand to every magical person since God created the sun, obviously feels because he made one transaction decades ago is entitled to your ear." He pulled them both into an alleyway and banished his robes and her school materials to their home, out of the eyes of prying muggles. "You don't have to listen to every person who wants to have a stake in the story."
"But I-"
"No, if you're uncomfortable at any point, you can walk away, tell them to stop, anything to get out of the situation is warranted. Your wellbeing is the most important thing to me." He pulled her into the street once more, leading her down the road.
"But they're adults. Aren't I supposed to be respectful to adults?"
"Yes, you are," Severus held her hand while they crossed the street, making sure she stayed pressed to his side so she didn't get separated from him in the crowd. "But you also don't have to let people hound you for information and attention when it comes to that matter. If you're uncomfortable, that's that matters. Don't be rude, but you can leave when you want, if it makes you uncomfortable."
Elizabeth nodded, walking into the store with him, looking around at all the clothes. "No one's ever told me that before."
"What? That you don't have to allow people to walk all over you?"
"Yeah… Aunt Petunia said that I always had to listen because I am a child and everyone else is an adult." She watched as Severus took a trolley and gestured for her to follow.
"I don't subscribe to such nonsense. If anyone is ever making you uncomfortable, you get out however you can safely and you come get me." He pulled the list from his pocket and smoothed it out. "Now, let's get your casual clothing and get home."
Elizabeth nodded, heading in the direction of the girl's clothing, watching as Severus picked out several pairs of jeans and sweatpants, shirts, underthings and over layers, her eyes getting wider and wider.
"I don't need all these things." She gasped, not sure how to stop him from putting clothes in the cart.
"You absolutely do. You have no clothing at home, one pair of shoes that have seen better days, and you need multiples of things since the house elves don't do laundry every day." He held up a few pairs of pajamas to her body, before tossing them in the cart. "You need shoes and then you're trying this lot on."
Elizabeth followed, concerned that he was spending too much money on her, but she stayed silent, not sure how to bring it up.
*S*S*
The father daughter pair returned home in the late afternoon, Severus sending their purchases into her room. "I think a late lunch is in order." He pushed her up the stairs gently, kissing her head. "Go put as much as you can away, and I'll call you when lunch is ready."
"Yes sir." She ran up the stairs, looking around at the multiple bags on the floor, feeling a strange feeling in her chest. She dutifully set about putting the clothing away, folding clothes into her drawers and hanging her uniforms and robes in the closet, stuck her shoes in the shoe organizer and placed her books in the bookcase. She was folding her shirts when Severus knocked on her doorframe, leaning against the door jam.
"Lunch is ready." He said, watching her putter around.
"Okay," She replied quietly, putting the stack of clothing away.
"What's wrong?" He pushed off the door and came into her room, pressing his hand into her forehead.
"Nothing, why?"
"You're quiet again." Severus pulled her to sit on the bed, sitting next to her. "What's going on?"
"It's nothing- I'm just overthinking."
"I can see that. What's going on in that head of yours?"
"This just seems like a lot of stuff and I don't need it all…"
Severus sighed. "You really are my child. Elizabeth, we had to get all the items on your supply list, that's a given. It's a school requirement. You cant wear you uniforms all the time, so you needed clothes to wear when you have downtime and the weekends. You had no school shoes, no socks, underpants, or jacket. These aren't things that we can skip. You needed all these things. I will always buy you what you need. That's the job I took on when you were born."
"I'm just not used to being taken care of. I've always fended for myself."
"That's not the case anymore, dear." He kissed her head once more. "You're not alone anymore." He then got up and offered her his hand. "Now, if you're ready to eat, lunch is on the table."
She took his hand, giving him a shy smile as she got up.
