Title: Blue October, Volume One – Chapter Nineteen.

Author: Woodland Goddess.

Rated: M

Author's Notes: Thanks for reading/reviewing guys! I enjoyed writing this chapter. ^_^ For anyone who wants to read about the wood and core I chose for Severus' wand, you can find the information on Pottermore. I hope you enjoy reading, guys.

Chapter Nineteen: Magic

"Severus, wake up." A gentle hand accompanied the soft whisper, calling Severus out from the land of slumber. Severus opened his eyes and peered blearily up at the woman looming over his bed. "Come on, now; get out of bed. We need to leave while your father's still asleep!" Eileen's insistent words were quick to cure Severus of his lethargy. He fell out of bed in his haste to get up. Eileen jerked backwards, just managing to save her feet from being flattened. A quick gesture of her hand managed to muffle the thump just in the nick of time. "Get dressed," she urged, before quickly leaving the room, glancing back at him briefly.

Severus was exceptionally swift at getting dressed that morning, though it was still dark outside. He dashed, as quietly as he could, down the stairs, almost tripping over his own feet with his eagerness. Eileen was by the front door, bundled up in a long, tasteful and unusually feminine coat, though it was a little shabby from wear. She ran a quick comb through Severus' hair and he pulled his hat on. Glancing up the stairs surreptitiously, Eileen took her son's hand and quickly led him out of the house, forcing him to run in order to keep up with her long strides. She stopped at the end of the empty driveway.

"Hold on tight," Eileen advised, looking down at Severus, a trace of warmth in her dark eyes, "and don't let go." Severus tightened his grip around his mother's hand, taking her words to heart. Eileen turned on the spot and the two of them disappeared from Spinner's End with a soft pop. His mother was clearly more efficient at apparating than Severus and Lily were and that did not surprise him in the slightest. With another soft pop, the two of them appeared just inside the barrier behind The Leaky Cauldron.

Diagon Alley lay before them, sprawling and curvy. Severus had never been there before in his life. Standing there now, he was utterly mystified. He could hardly fathom how the white building at the end of the road managed to stay upright, not when it was leaning so dangerously to the side. There must have been some heavy enchantments inlaid into the architecture of the building. Severus was so busy staring at the building that he did not notice his mother was on the move until his arm was jerked suddenly.

Eileen pulled him down through Diagon Alley, the pair of them bumping into the throngs of people that littered the street. It was daunting; everyone towered over him, crowding around him. He had no idea how the Goblins managed to survive being so small all the time. When they finally managed to escape the crowd, Severus found that they were standing outside a shop. Peeling gold letters over the door of the shop read: Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A spark of excitement shot through Severus' veins at the thought of being allowed to buy a wand early.

Eileen pushed the door open with one hand, ushering her son in ahead of her. Severus' eyes searched every surface of the shop, taking note of the wand boxes covering the walls from floor to ceiling. There was a spindly chair in the corner, though it looked decidedly worse for wear. There was a thin layer of dust upon every surface. He wrinkled his nose in slight distaste, thinking that Mr Ollivander would do well to take some time off from work to do a little bit of spring cleaning.

Severus almost jumped out of his skin when a man loomed out of the shadows, his pale eyes shining like a pair of moons as he leaned across the counter, resting his chin in his palm, fingers tapping an odd rhythm against his cheek. The man – presumably Mr Ollivander – had a well-kept mop of greying hair. "Mr Snape...how peculiar it is to see you here; I wasn't expecting you to arrive here until next January...but then, you're not the first in your family to be an early bird. You were early, too, were you not?" Mr Ollivander dragged his pale silver eyes away from Severus, focusing intently upon his mother.

"Yes; the summer of '38 – I was two years early, but it was understandable, of course; Grindelwald was rallying his army..." Eileen trailed off briefly, before she remembered the rest of Ollivander's comments. "You saw the Daily Prophet last week." There was a hint of defence to her tone. Severus' mother stuffed her hands into the pockets of her coat, ducking her head as her shoulders hunched forward slightly. Severus eyed her curiously, wondering why she was getting nervous in the man's presence, before returning his gaze to the strange proprietor. "I thought it best to jump the wand, as it were." The corner of her mouth quirked upwards, though she was not in the least bit amused.

"Indeed," the proprietor replied, drawing the word out for longer than necessary. Mr Ollivander's eyes gleamed in the darkness. "It's a terrible tragedy, Mrs Snape. Lord Bones and his wife were two of the Ministry's finest Hit Wizards; I fear we'll not see their like in the ranks again." The man slowly lowered his hand as he withdrew from the counter. A tape measure had appeared in his hand, clenched in his loose fist. "Their eldest, Amelia – the poor girl – is in the middle of her NEWT year. I heard from Galatea Merrythought that Dumbledore had to convince her not to pull out...that he had given special permission for her youngest brother – Edgar, I think his name was – to stay at Hogwarts."

"I'm not surprised," Eileen said softly, shaking her head.

Changing topic almost randomly, Olivander continued. "Of course, you're not the first to bring your child in this week. Amelia dragged young Edgar in the morning after the article appeared in the Prophet. Walburga Black was in yesterday with her two boys – I've never seen a child as rowdy as that boy, Sirius. The little blighter set fire to a dozen of my wands when he had a strop – just because his mother wouldn't let him get two!" Eileen rested her hand gently upon Severus' shoulder, giving him an affectionate squeeze. She was clearly proud of her quiet boy. "I've never seen a mother look so ashamed at the behaviour of her child..."

Severus sighed impatiently and tapped his foot against the floor. While he was slightly interested in what the adults were discussing, he would rather be in the process of discovering which wand would be his. An amused smile tugged at the corners of Mr Ollivander's mouth. "Impatient, aren't we? It's only to be expected; I was always more fascinated by the wands than anything my own parents discussed..." The proprietor swept around the counter and the tape measure began doing its work of its own according, measuring anything and everything on Severus' person that it could measure.

Mr Ollivander hummed appreciatively and began perusing his obscenely large collection of wands. He pulled a box free and brought it to the counter. Opening the box, revealing the wand within, he said, "Ebony and Dragon heartstring, nine inches...reasonably supple." He plucked the wand from the box and held it out to Severus, waiting for him to take it. Severus reached for it, but no sooner had he wrapped his hand around it that Mr Ollivander was wrenching it back out of his grasp. "No; this wand is clearly not for you."

"How do you know? I didn't even get to cast a spell," Severus replied testily, though a hint of derision had crept in near the end. Severus folded his arms across his chest. The look Mr Ollivander gave him could have withered a plant and would have made Severus feel very uncomfortable had his mother not chided him under her breath, swatting the back of his head. Severus' cheeks tinged with colour and he looked down at the floor, shuffling awkwardly. After an awkward pause, Mr Ollivander's quest to find Severus' perfect wand continued.

Almost a hundred and fifty wands – including numerous wands of Blackthorn, Ebony, English Oak, Fir, Hawthorn, Pine, Red Oak, Silver Lime and Walnut – littered the top of the counter. Severus nibbled his bottom lip. He was starting to wonder whether there was even a wand for him. "Don't worry, young man," Mr Ollivander said sharply, as if he could read his very thoughts. "Most of my more difficult customers have gone on to do great things later in life. Sometimes, they were terrible...yes...but great all the same..."

The proprietor faded into silence as his fingers wriggled in the air during his perusal of the countless other wands that Severus might be chosen by. He retrieved another long wand box, revealing the wand within once he had returned to the counter. "A particularly handsome Red Oak wand," Mr Ollivander muttered, "Dragon heartstring...thirteen inches...slightly yielding." Severus reached into the box and removed the wand. As soon as it touched his skin Severus felt warmth run through his hand, before shooting off into the rest of his body. The tip of the wand glowed prettily. "Haha," the wand-maker exclaimed, clapping enthusiastically. "We have a winner!"

Severus turned and beamed up at his mother, a hint of pride in his eyes. The corner of Eileen's mouth pulled upwards, an indication that she was pleased. Eileen took care of the purchase. Though a Galleon did not seem like much, every Galleon counted in their family. Holding his wand tightly in his hand, Severus virtually skipped by his mother's side as she led him back towards the apparition point. He could not wait to show Lily his wand; he knew she would be as excited about it as he was. Perhaps they would be able to start trying proper spells.

Once Severus and Eileen reached the apparition point, she turned on the spot and the two of them vanished with a soft pop, reappearing at the end of their driveway in Spinner's End. It was just starting to get lightsome. The two of them slipped inside as quickly as possible. "Get upstairs," Eileen whispered, helping Severus out of his coat. "Stay there for awhile; I'll get a start on breakfast. Your father should be waking soon." She kissed Severus' forehead and sent him upstairs.

Severus was quick in step, but light on his feet, slipping into his room with hardly a sound. He toddled over to his bed and pulled his satchel out from underneath it. He had put his copy of The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection into it the previous night, to keep the book safe and out of his father's sight. Tobias was too horrified by the notion of being educated that he did not even bear to look at the bag, never mind touch it. He was afraid Severus' contagions would transfer onto him.

Severus, lip curling at the thought of his father's distaste of him, withdrew his book from his bag and settled upon the bed. He opened the book to the first chapter: The First Line of Defence. His hair falling forward in a curtain around his head, Severus began reading the text before him, fascinated by the subjects within.

To understand the importance of the Wand-Lighting Charm, as a necessary part of Defence Against the Dark Arts, one must be aware of our history. The Darkness has and will always be an ever-present companion to the Witch and Wizard, regardless of skill or heritage, and with it, come a variety of unpleasant surprises to catch the unwitting. The first line of defence, in any situation, is the presence of a portable source of light. The ability to illuminate an area is intrinsic to the continued survival of our kind.

Prior to the development of the Wand-Lighting Charm by Levina Monkstanley, an employee of the Ministry of Magic, in 1772, Wizarding Kind was the continuous prey of countless dark and dangerous beings, whose abilities only strengthened with the encroaching Darkness. Our numbers were severely depleted. The first use of the Charm by its creator, while mundane, sparked the growth of our populace and helped revolutionise the theory and practical application of Defence.

One might wonder how the simplistic Charm could have had such an effect, but the reality is this; if one cannot see one's enemy...how can one defend against them? This chapter will discuss, in detail, the theory behind and the application of the Wand-Lighting Charm. There are several variations of the Charm, but it is best to start with the simplest form: Lumos...

From the moment Severus laid eyes upon the first page of his textbook, it was love at first sight. He could not put the book down; it intrigued him far too much. It was early afternoon when he realized that he had spent half the day in his room. He scrambled quickly out of bed and shoved his book and his wand into his bag, shouldering it hurriedly. He was late for his studies at the Pharmacy. He ran through the house and was out the front door in record time. He knew he would have to apparate, to arrive early enough to save some face.

He focused on the Pharmacy with determination, visualising himself – and his belongings – appearing there, and turned on the spot, disapparating with a crack like a gunshot. It might have been his desperation, but Severus arrived without any problems, popping into existence in the middle of the Pharmacy. Severus did not get the chance to be elated by his success, for Mr Evans, who had been behind the counter, almost jumped fifty feet in fright, his hand covering his heart. "What the fu – Severus?!"

"Er...hello?" Severus replied nervously, his cheeks flushing red. "I know I'm late; I'm sorry. I...I...I lost track of time."

"Ha, no, don't change the subject, young man. What in the blazes did you just do?" Mr Evans did not look anywhere near ready to calm down; if anything, it looked like he was ready to have a coronary. Severus supposed that was understandable; it was not every day that young Wizards apparated into existence in the presence of Muggles. "One second I was alone, next second you're there at the sound of a gunshot!"

"Er..."

"What the hell's going on?" said the familiar voice of Mr Young, who poked his head around the side of the door to the backroom. He was noticeably pale and shaking. "Did someone fire off a gun?!"

"Nothing! No; the door was slammed a little too hard." Mr Evans and Severus answered the elderly man simultaneously, both of them looking as guilty and nervous as sin. The pharmacist eyed the pair of them suspiciously, hand gripping the door tightly, before disappearing from view. The door clicked shut, leaving the young Wizard and Lily's father alone once more. The man's green eyes homed in on Severus, their soulful depths burning with fierce curiosity, worry, affection and fear. "Are you going to answer me?" Mr Evans asked sharply.

"...Magic..."

Mr Evans stared at Severus for several long moments. "Oh..." Mr Evans looked as though he was not certain what else to say. He and Severus had not spoken about Lily's and Severus' shared gifts since that brief conversation the previous summer when Lily had run away from him after he had called her a Witch. "Well...that's...er...that's good..." Mr Evans coughed to clear his throat and began busying himself with rearranging the various products that sat there. Severus swallowed thickly.

He could tell Mr Evans was not particularly comfortable with the subject. Who could blame him, after all? Yet, it still stung Severus a little. "I just...I didn't want to be any later than I already was..." Severus hung his head as the whispered words escaped him. His eyes prickled, but he squashed the sensation before it could truly begin. "I didn't...I didn't want to disappoint you." He was glad that his dark hair and large nose hid the worst of his weaknesses from Mr Evans. He would not like him to think that he was prone to uncontrollable sentiment...like some silly little girl.

"Don't say that," Mr Evans snapped, sounding truly offended. Severus dragged his gaze upwards, only to see the man coming around the counter, his green eyes ablaze with emotion. "Don't you ever say that; you could never disappoint me." The kind, caring man drew him into a tight embrace, hugging him close. Severus felt his eyes sting again. Standing there in the Pharmacy – he really was lucky that there were no customers present – he felt as if he truly belonged, though he was not quite sure whether he deserved Mr Evans' obvious affection.

Mr Evans was Lily's father; he was not meant to care about the gutter rat from Spinner's End. He was meant to be as condescending as the rest of them, sneering at the sight of a boy almost as unkempt as the countless homeless men and women. Severus' breath hitched and he dared to hug Mr Evans in return, fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt for dear life, though he knew he should not be so bold. Mrs Evans would have thrown him out the door had she witnessed their embrace; Severus knew she hated the fact that Mr Evans cared about him.

He supposed her dislike of him was justified. Mr Evans spent time with him – time that would be better spent with his own children. Severus could understand why Mrs Evans and Petunia detested him. He would detest him, too, had he been in their position. Mr Evans was wasting his efforts with Severus; though Severus was extremely determined, the reality was that he was not likely to amount to much, in the end. When all was said and done, Severus would disappoint the man who was hugging him, one way or another, and there was really very little that Severus could do about it.

It made their embrace all the more bitter sweet for Severus. When Mr Evans eventually pulled back, he gazed softly down at Severus, his affection for the boy plainly evident. "Now...what had you so distracted that you forgot about coming here for your studies?" He gave Severus a kind smile and the boy hesitated, briefly, before diving into a quiet explanation...

To Be Continued

I'm not being sexist with the comment about silly little girls; I just honestly feel that would be Severus' mindset. Feel free to let me know what you think! ^_^