Disclaimer: Chapter 1 disclaimer counts for all chapters.
The next day she had her breakfast in Dumbledore's office. Then she went down to the Great Hall and waited for a while at the door like they agreed upon. Headmaster told her that he was going to tell the students and professors right after the beginning of the breakfast who she was and why she was there. He took the Sorting Hat with him when he was leaving the office that morning.
The doors to the Hall opened. Carmina caught sight of the faces facing her, but this time she wasn't in shock and was calm enough to briskly walk the aisle between the Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables right to Dumbledore, who stood before the Head Table with the Hat in his hand.
"Miss Stetson will be sorted into her House now. As you know, she isn't a student so she won't be living in the dorm. She is free to do and go where she like, there is only one rule for her—Forbidden Forest is forbidden for you too, Miss Stetson. There are a number of beasts you haven't encountered yet. They may cause you serious harm," Dumbledore said while she was approaching. Carmina nodded and smiled a bit—a number of beasts, right. You can make it all as well. No chance she was going there.
Carmina sat on the small wooden chair and waited for the Hat being lowered on her head. It was mumbling to her for a full minute then the rip opened and shouted one word: "Hufflepuff!"
She took the Hat off and handed it to Dumbledore, shooting the right table a polite smile.
"And what now, Headmaster?" she asked the man quietly.
He smiled.
"That is, like they say, your ladder to climb," he twinkled.
"How do I get to the library?"
"Oh," his eyes twinkled even more, "you go upstairs to the fifth floor and wander around a bit. You cannot miss it—the library has the biggest and most decorated door on that floor."
"Perfect. So I guess I'll see you after the dinner."
They agreed that professor Flitwick would be able to take her to Diagon Alley after the dinner. They were going to use the Floo network.
"Don't forget the lunch. There will be a little table waiting for you beside the Head table. You should pay a visit to the kitchens to let the elves know what to prepare for you from the whole menu. Starting tomorrow you will just choose your meal and other food will disappear when you tap the table twice with your wand. Kitchens are…"
"I know. I'll find it," Carmina smiled.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled again and he nodded.
"I won't even ask how you can possibly know that," he said. "Well, all that is left is to wish you luck on your search for knowledge, Miss Stetson. Have a nice day."
"Thank you, Headmaster. Good-bye." Carmina left the Hall in the same brisk manner she did when she entered. And again, she didn't so much as glance toward the Slytherin table.
Carmina stayed the whole day in the library, except for ten minutes during lunch, when she went to the Great Hall. She was alone for a bigger part of the day—it was only first week of the semester and library was happily ignored for the most part.
It was three o'clock in the afternoon when the first student came. Carmina looked up from the book called A Short History of the Wizarding World when the door opened.
A black-haired student with a big nose and pale, slightly yellowish skin entered the library and headed to the table furthest from her after just one cold glance. Carmina watched him intently. He seated himself so that she was facing his profile (probably an attempt not to face her, but not to have her behind his back either) and pulled his books, parchment, ink and quill from the bag. He looked at her again only after all of those were on his table.
He scowled at her when he noticed her opened stare and went back to his work. Without a glance at his book he started writing and let his greasy hair fall around his face like a curtain.
After that, Carmina couldn't focus on her reading anymore. Severus Snape in his real, living form was incomparably more interesting to her, though exactly as cold and unpleasant as she expected. There was some kind of dark charisma around him, seeming outright dangerous every now and then. She liked that, not that she expected anything else. During the whole seven-book set she liked him as a character and believed he was a good one. In the reality he was even more interesting than on the paper. She couldn't stop staring.
It took her five minutes until she recalled what awaited him and his death. The next ten minutes were spent in an inner fight. Two minutes after that she resigned and took her book. She intended to leave the library, better than to try to hug him or something. She would rather not be in his presence if her body decided to get rid of more tears, either. It was already behaving stranger than she thought possible. One day clearly wasn't enough to get used to the fact of where she was, then.
She wasn't quite sure what happened when she found herself standing right before him. She wanted to leave, didn't she? Now she couldn't, that would make her look completely barmy and it was one of the things she didn't want to look like in his eyes. She wasn't sure what to do. What should she say that wouldn't make him snap at her? Well, she could still hug him, like she wanted before, but then he would kill her and never talk to her again.
"Erm, excuse me, please?" she tried cautiously.
His head slowly rose from his homework and he glared at her, annoyed.
"What?!" he growled impatiently.
"Are you Severus Snape?" she was making sure.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Yes."
"Oh," Carmina nodded, but couldn't turn her eyes from his. They were really black. Not dark-dark-brown, but black. Suddenly she decided it didn't matter if he was mad at her or not. She always got everything she wanted if she really tried. No matter if it took months, she would get it. That was the reason the Hat had put her in Hufflepuff, even if it wasn't the only option for her and she was a bit stronger-willed than her fellow Hufflepuffs.
It didn't matter what she do now, she would still get him to be friends with her later. She may as well shock him now.
She quickly bent down and kissed him. Then she straightened again. There, his reward for being good, against all odds.
When she looked at him, Severus Snape had a look of absolute shock on his face.
"I just hope you won't hate me straight away now," she said quietly and quickly left the library, before he could react. It would be interesting to get him to be friends with her now.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
When she came to Dumbledore's office that evening, Professor Flitwick was already there. Dumbledore asked a few questions about how she spent her day, then the talk turned to the shopping and lessons.
"You can relax, Miss Stetson, Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall already know of your trouble. You can talk openly with them. Speaking about your lessons, they will take place every day after the dinner. On Monday and Thursday you will be in Professor McGonagall hands. She will teach you a quickened course in Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures and Astronomy. Tuesday and Friday will be for Professor Flitwick and classes for Herbology, History of Magic and Charms. The rest, meaning Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday will be mine. I will teach something about Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, flying, occlumency and legillimency, too. It could be of use if the truth about you reaches the ears of Voldemort or those loyal to him."
"That's ok. The rest of the day is free?" asked Carmina.
"Yes. You can do whatever you like while it doesn't break rules of this school."
"Of course. I'll try to be like other students," Carmina smirked.
Dumbledore´s eyes got one more sparkle into them.
"I hope you won't take Mr. Potter, Black and Pettigrew for behaviour idols."
"Those?" Carmina scornfully snorted.
Dumbledore looked a bit surprised, but knocking on the door interrupted whatever reaction he may have. In the next moment Severus Snape entered, not even bothering to hide a grumpy expression. Carmina hoped she wasn't the cause of that.
"Professor Dumbledore, am I interrupting?" he said with an indication of politeness in his voice, but his eyes were flashing dangerously.
"No, Mr. Snape. What can I do for you?" Headmaster asked kindly, looking perfectly calm, although he saw Carmina stiffen when the boy entered and saw the hidden look or fondness, fear and pain in her eyes, before it disappeared.
"I need to get to Ollivander's in Diagon Alley immediately. Sirius Black," he spat that word out contemptuously, "stepped on my wand by mistake after Potter shoved it out of my hand. It's broken."
"Is that what happened?" asked Headmaster Dumbledore and Carmina frowned at him.
Snape stiffly nodded.
"Well, you can go now, along with Professor Flitwick and Miss Stetson. She seems to have similar problems."
Severus looked back at Carmina with an indefinable expression. She stared at Dumbledore. Not that it wasn't good to spend time with him, but she had better things to do than that now. She would like it better if he had some time to cool of a bit in the first place. And she still felt the pain when she looked at him, though it was only somewhere on the edge of consciousness and she didn't let it out. He wouldn't make friends with someone who was in tears half the day.
She shrugged her shoulder and looked and Dumbledore one more time. "Can we go then?"
"Of course, Miss Stetson," He smiled.
Carmina turned to the fireplace. Professor Flitwick was already offering her green powder in the pot. She stared at him incredulously. Surely he didn't mean…
"Ladies first," he said.
Brilliant. Now she would look like a complete idiot. She glanced at Dumbledore and saw his eyes twinkling in a way that seemed almost impossible. Her eyes narrowed. That man had planned it!
She grabbed a bit of the powder and stepped in the fireplace. With words "Diagon Alley," she disappeared from the headmasters study.
Next thing she knew, she was lying flat in the dust before the public fireplace in Diagon Alley. Of course she had hit her elbow twice during the way there and fallen over before she realized she had stopped spinning. Flitwick and Snape stepped neatly out right in time to see her getting up. Perfect.
"Are you alright, Miss?" Flitwick asked in his mousey voice.
"Yes," Carmina growled. "I guess I'm still put off from travel with that horrible portkey." Dumbledore hadn't actually said anything about her weird way of appearance. She could use it. Maybe she won't look like that much of an idiot.
"Portkeys aren't horrible," Snape snapped coldly. "They are safer and more pleasant than Apparating or Floo travel."
"Unless you get a defective one that will lose all your luggage and plump you down with gusto. I'm happy I at least arrived where I was supposed to."
She turned to Flitwick then. "Where are we going first?"
"We can take care of books, then potion ingredients and stuff, quill, parchment, clothes. Wands will be the last."
"Wands? What happened to yours?" Snape growled out immediately.
Carmina shrugged.
"Upon arrival, not only that I got stunned, I found out it got broken, too. Nice surprise," she said dryly.
"Come on, let us get it over with. Curfew is in two hours," said Professor Flitwick and moved towards the first shop. He had such short legs that Carmina and Severus didn't even have to try to keep up.
When Carmina looked at her list at Madam Malkin's, she turned to Flitwick indignantly. "What use do I have for dress robes?"
"Well, you know there will by Christmas Ball…"
"Do I? How should I know, I arrived yesterday and it dumped me down forcefully enough to forget even if I knew," Carmina said. Then she narrowed her eyes. "Moment, please. You're not telling me I am supposed to participate?"
"Yes, Miss Stetson. Headmaster Dumbledore indicated he wishes to see you there."
"Brilliant," she sighed and looked around. If there was something she really hated back home, it was when girls in her year became all over-excited and jumpy when there was an opportunity to dress up and go to a formal dancing.
Mr Ollivander was contemplating closing for the day when they came in.
"Ah, what do we have here?" they were welcome by an old white-haired man. "Mr Snape, twelve and a quarter of inch, ebony, inflexible and solid, core of a dragon heartstring. Ah, Professor Flitwick—ten inches, flexible willow, holly core, very lithe and excellent for Charms and Transfiguration. And… I don't know you. What can I do for you?" he looked at Carmina.
"Good evening, Mr Ollivander. My name is Carmina Stetson, I need a wand and Severus needs one as well. His was broken."
"Pity, pity. Very good wand was yours, Mr Snape. Miss Stetson, hold your wand hand out, please. Mr Snape, try this one in the mean time." He handed him a dark-brown wand.
Carmina divided her time between watching Severus and the number of minor explosions he caused with each wand, and scowling at the measuring tap. That thing seemed to measure everything it could.
After ten minutes, Severus had a new wand—inflexible ebony again, eleven and three quarter inch with a core of Abraxan winged horse mane hair. When Severus paid for his wand, Mr Ollivander turned to Carmina and raised his eyebrows. She was holding the fighting measure tap in her hand and glaring at it.
"What is the matter, Miss Stetson?" asked the old man after a while when he gazed at her unblinkingly.
She looked at him.
"Is it really necessary for it to measure length of hair and scars?"
"Oh, no. It's a bit addicted." he waved his wand and the tap went limp. She threw it on the table and waited for Mr Ollivander to choose her first attempt.
The first four wands she tried gave no reaction whatsoever, but the fifth shattered all windows in the building. Mr Ollivander raiser his eyebrows again and took a note on a small bit of parchment.
"Is something wrong?" Carmina asked, while Professor Flitwick was busy repairing the windows.
"Oh, no, don't be afraid, we will find your wand. It may take a while, though. It seems that you are destined only for one type of wand; otherwise it's dead or will react very violently. Now, cores of phoenix feather, holly and dragon heartstring are out. Try this one, magical poplar tree and core of Abraxan mane hair."
The wand gave a small sizzle and spat out two red sparkles. Mr Ollivander clapped. "Ah, we are nearer, now. Magical tree and core of a magical horse is needed. What about wailing spruce and unicorn tail hair?"
A flood of colourless sparkles came flying out.
"Ah, we have the core. So next the tree. Dancing birch and thestral's tail hair? Very strange combination, to be honest, one of the most impossible, but working. And… core again?"
Mr Ollivander watched the sparkles die out. Then he turned to Carmina and started gazing at her with those enormous unblinking eyes of his. Carmina withstood that look for half a minute, she knew something about Ollivander, but then she sighed.
"You know, you can think aloud."
Ollivander blinked. Then he gave her a slow smile. "You are very interesting young woman, Miss Stetson. Unicorn and thestral herds never stay close to each other, which is the reason they are not used side by side as wand cores or potions ingredients. One never knows what will be the result of their synergism, because thestrals are known for their talent at finding the right way—literally and figuratively speaking, and unicorns either flee or stay completely calm, but do nothing. One never knows if their mix may explode or do something unpredictable as a result of two so opposing individualities. And it seems that you will be accepted only by the wand with both thestral and unicorn tail hair."
"And do you have one?"
"Indeed, only one. I didn't think I'd actually sell it one day. Eleven inches, wood of whomping willow, core made of intertwined hair of both horses. It contains hairs from herd leaders, nonetheless. Fortunately it didn't explode and came out very nice. Nice lithe wand, but unfortunately as mysterious as unicorn whose hair it contains. I can't tell what is his speciality, but with the thestral part in mind I would say that everything it likes. Swish it, please."
Carmina was handed a dark-brown wood with light-brown thin ripples. She raised it and tried to ignore the sudden warm feeling spreading up her hand that came when she touched it. She swished it downwards. No sparkles came this time; instead a silver-white and black ray came flying. It did a circle around the shop and slowly dissipated. Carmina happily grinned and put it down.
"How much?" she asked. In that moment she didn't even remember what's going to happen in twenty-years time. She actually had a wand.
A/N Thank you for your reviews, they are greatly appreciated! I think I may have made Ollivander a bit OC in this one, but I don't really know, he had only few pages in a book… Tell me what you think on this one, please, I have changed it a lot from the pre-draft and now it feels like there's something off to me. Maybe I'm just having hallucinations again, but it never hurts to ask, right?