CHAPTER 3: WIZARD AND MAGUS

Severus Snape woke up the next morning with a headache. Still, he thought that he was rather fortunate that he did not catch the flu, considering the fact that he was running around in the rain the night before. He thought he could hear the sound of music playing. He shook his head, as he remembered their old radio was no longer working, and the old phonograph was out of the question. Still feeling a bit drowsy, he was about to fall asleep again when he heard a crashing sound of breaking china. Sighing, he got up and headed for the kitchen. Remembering that his drunkard of a father has been dead for a couple of years, plus the girlish scream that followed, there was only one person who could possibly be responsible.

Flashback

The girl had now detached himself from the young man, her well of tears final dried up.

"So, what now?" asked Severus.

He was still a bit flustered from the unexpected embrace assault, but it was getting late, the streets are never safe during those hours, so Severus Snape thought it was best to get things settled quickly.

"I don't know…" said Ilya seriously. "I'm all alone now, so I might as well hang myself or jump off the nearest bridge. Though stabbing myself in the heart or drinking poison are also good options."

"What are you, insane?" asked Severus, exasperated. Somehow he could sympathize with girl, as he has experienced having similar thoughts, the last time he did was rather recent. He thought that the girl had finally calmed down after all the crying. It appears he was mistaken.

"No I'm not," replied the girl. "In fact, I believe that killing myself would probably the best course of action. I don't have any reason to keep on living, and I prefer a swift death compared to a slow one from depression and starvation." At these words, a richly decorated knife suddenly appeared in Ilya's hand.

"NO! STOP!" cried Severus, as the girl slowly brought the edge of the dagger by her chest. The man was actually shocked when the girl apparently Conjured a weapon out of thin air, and without a wand, but it was not the time to dwell on that.

Ilya ignored him however, and the weapon continued in its course. Severus, in an instant, quickly grabbed the girl's hand, pried the dagger from her grasp, and threw it away. Unfortunately, he lost his balance and fell forward…

On top of Ilya, in an awkward position.

For a few moments, which felt like hours, the young man and woman once more stared each other in eye, black pair on emerald ones. Then the girl broke the silence.

"Why are you trying to stop me?" she began. "You don't even really know me. Besides, didn't you say you hate me? You shouldn't be worrying about me. After all, I'm just a stranger to you, am I not?"

Severus Snape was at a loss. As someone who grew up deprived of love, comforting words was never his strong point. Still, he gave it his best shot.

"Even so," said Severus. "After all that happened, I can't just leave you here like this. I've just met you today, it's true. I do not your circumstances, nor can I fully understand the hurt that you feel, but you shouldn't throw your life away so easily. I will not ask you to tell me about it. I just want you to live. If there is one thing I understand, it is the pain of being alone."

Moments of painful silence passed. Then…

"Um… could you get off me please, Mr. Snape?" said Ilya, her face red as a tomato. "I promise I won't try to kill myself anymore and…um…you're kind of…heavy."

Finally recalling that they were in such an uncomfortable position, Severus quickly got up, his face also burning. Another painful silence passed, as he and Ilya continued to stare at each other, their clothes a bit muddy from falling on the wet ground.

"So... you really have nowhere to go to?" asked Snape, still blushing.

The girl nodded.

"Then...but only if you'd like to though…" Severus was trying to find the right words to bring up his suggestion, but is finding it quite difficult. "We've just met, I'm just a stranger after all… no wait, you're a girl, I mean… but I won't do anything, I'm not that kind of guy… but my house is bit small and dirty… there is water though…but no, then the…AHHH!"

"?," Ilya looked at him inquiringly.

"What I mean to say is…" began Severus, thinking it best to get to straight to the point. "While you're still trying to get yourself back up… would you like to stay at my house?" he finished, his face, if possible, becoming redder than before.

A few moments silence passed. Then…

"Sure, I'd love to," said Ilya, as her face broke into a smile.

Severus felt his heart stop. It was the first true smile he had seen on Ilya. For the first time, he felt a bit of true happiness radiate from her, and it was infectious.

The first time he met Ilya that day, she fell right on top of him. His hand even accidentally got latched onto the girl's…um…chest. It did not bother him one bit. Perhaps it was because of that shock of the moment, Severus wasn't sure. After a while, however, Severus Snape's brain finally registered the white-haired, green-eyed girl, Ilya, for what she was… a girl, for God's Sake!

Flashback End

It was already ten O'clock in the morning. After hearing the sound of breaking china, Severus got dressed quickly and went in the direction of the kitchen.

As he went down the stairs, the young man noted a number of changes were done to his home. For starters, Severus' hooked nose, although it does not end up in an allergic reaction, easily picks up the presence of dust in the air, and it could detect none. As he entered the living room, everything appeared to sparkle. The floor was mopped and the furniture were polished. The books, which were scattered all over the place, were now neatly arranged in the old bookshelf (Of course these were Muggle-related. Severus kept all the magic-related books and items he ever owned in his trunk. He wasn't foolish enough to leave them lying around, just in case he had visitors, the extremely rare chance it might happen.) . The curtains were replaced and the windows were open, allowing sunshine into the house. Lastly, Severus found where all the music was coming from: the old phonograph which Severus thought was already beyond repair (even with magic). It was currently playing a music collection of Mozart. Then he remembered exactly what it was that forced him out of bed, and hurriedly proceeded to the kitchen.

Contrary to how the living looked appeared, the kitchen was…okay. True, a lot of cleaning has been done, the curtains were replaced and the room illuminated by sunlight, but it only allowed the eyes to see just how much of a mess that was recently created. The cabinet in which kitchenware were in was toppled, with broken plates and cups littered all over the floor. Apparently, it collapsed. (Ever since his mother died, Severus and his father only used a few cups and dishes, which were always on the table. Neither of them knew how to cook, so everything else in the kitchen was left untouched. They either ate their meals outside or buy ready-to-eat food items.) Then Severus caught sight of a white-haired figure emerging from the rubble and rubbing her back side.

"Ow, ow, that hurt…if I'd known that old piece of woodwork was so heavy I'd have Reinforced myself…Oh, good morning Mr. Snape," greeted Ilya, finally noticing that Severus' presence.

"Good morning to you to Ilya," Severus greeted back. "And please don't call me Mr. Snape. Call me Severus instead."

"Oh, right sorry," said Ilya. "Good morning then, Sev."

Severus cringed slightly at her use of that name, but restrained himself from retorting. "What happened here?" he asked quickly.

"Oh, I wanted to cook breakfast, but all I found in the cupboard were coffee and biscuits, so I tried the cabinet and then well… this happened," she replied sheepishly. "Anyway don't worry, I'll fix it right away. Would you mind stepping out of the kitchen for a moment? I need some space to clean up."

"Alright then, Ilya," sighed the young man, and he left the room.

He closed the door and headed for his room to his wand. Ilya was just too nice. She just cleaned his house which he had not done properly in years (The last time the house got any decent cleaning was when Lily visited in the summer before their fourth year at Hogwarts.). Sure, she was imposing on Severus, but she was a guest, not a house elf. Besides, there was no way he would just stand by and watch a girl do all the work. Pacing quickly down the stairs, he reentered the kitchen, and gaped at what he saw.

Ilya was standing, her left hand holding a knife, her right one outstretched, on top of the destroyed china and furniture. Blood was dripping from a cut on her thumb (To Severus' horror.) and she was muttering some intelligible words. After the chant finished, a flash of white light filled the room. When the light faded, Severus noticed that the plates and cups were repaired, and the damage the cabinet received from the fall was gone.

Blood magic, thought Severus, his mind spinning.

"All right," chirped Ilya, wiping sweat from her forehead and the blood from her hand with a handkerchief. "Now I just have to…" She froze as she caught sight of Severus.

-BREAK-

Severus Snape was creeping silently towards the door and out of the kitchen. Unfortunately, he stepped on a broken plate (which was overlooked, as it landed a bit further away from the wreck), and the crack was loud enough for Ilya to hear.

The girl stood rooted on the spot. It appears that she had not noticed the entry of another person into the room, having been too busy and focused on her spell. From the time they first met (which was less than twenty-four hours ago), it seems that moments of unnerving silence are a normal occurrence between them.

Neither of them spoke. Severus did not know what to say, and neither, apparently, did Ilya.

Severus had to think fast. He can't let the silence go on forever. Then he remembered the remaining broken plate by his feet. Seeing as Ilya seemed uncomfortable by the fact that it was revealed she can perform magic, he thought he should do the same.

"You missed one," he said finally. Then he waved his wand and muttered reparo. The shattered pieces of the plate immediately reformed.

Ignoring the surprised expression on Ilya's face, Severus muttered wingardium leviosa, levitated the plate and caught in his hands. With a few flicks of his wand, the cabinet was back in its place by the wall. He then whispered scourgify, cleaning the dinner ware before setting them back in order to the cabinet with another few swishes of his wand. Then, Severus muttered accio first aid kit, and a small box he kept in his room flew towards him.

Trying to act as normally as possible, Severus approached Ilya. "Are you all right?" he said conversationally. "Let me take a look at that wound."

Ilya opened her mouth and was about to say something, but Severus cut her off.

"Let's talk about this later, alright," said Severus, as he gently grabbed Ilya by the hand and led her to the living room. "Let's patch up that wound first…"

-BREAK-

"There, that should do it," said Severus, as he finished wrapping the bandage around Ilya's wound. He then levitated the first aid kit and landed it gently on top of a bookshelf. It was then that the white-haired girl spoke.

"Sev, you're a magus," whispered the girl who was sitting on the living room sofa. It was a statement, not a question, and from the tone of her voice, seeing Severus perform magic just confirmed her suspicion.

"If you mean wizard, then yes I am," said young man, mildly surprised, who set himself down on an armchair. He has never encountered anyone use the word verbally before (having only seen it used in books and essays as a word substitute). "The same as you. You're a sorceress, am I right?"

"No I'm not," replied Ilya in a snappish tone that surprised Severus. "A sorcerer or sorceress is someone who is able to perform one of the Five True Magic, or Sorcery, as they are called. I'm just a magus."

"And what do you mean by that?" asked Severus, half-curious, half-irritated with the tone Ilya used. "Magus, mage, wizard, sorcerer, they all mean the same thing, as do sorceress when referring to female witches."

"No they don't."

"Yes they do."

"No they don't!"

"Yes they do!"

Neither Severus nor Ilya would back down. Both of them believed that they were right and the other was wrong.

Suddenly Ilya stood up. So did Severus. Their small argument was about to turn into a shouting match when a brown owl suddenly swooped in from an open window and dropped an envelope on the living room table.

The two pairs of eyes looked at the post then at each other. Suddenly, Ilya dashed for the table and grabbed it before Severus could even react. Probably thinking that Snape would try to snatch it back, the girl jumped nimbly to the back of the sofa out of the young man's reach.

"What is this?" asked Ilya innocently, waving the letter in Severus' face.

"It's a letter," replied Severus rather nervously. "An owl mail, to be more precise."

"So owl familiars are used to send letters in this world," said Ilya questioningly. "May I open it?" But she was already opening the envelope, obvious curiosity gleaming in her emerald eyes.

"Sure why not," said Severus weakly. He became nervous when an owl swooped into his own, and when he saw the seal on the letter, he forgot all about his anger, as it was replaced with weariness. The letter was from the Ministry, and there was no doubt in his mind as to why it was sent. He did not need read it to know the contents.

Ilya hastily threw away the envelope and started reading the letter.

"We have noticed…unauthorized use of the summoning charm, levitation…underage magic…Ministry of Magic," she was muttering. "Ministry of Magic?"

"Oh," Severus said, as he realized the question was addressed to me (she was gazing at me). "To sum it up, it's a form of government which presides over and enforces law on the witch and wizard community."

"What about the London Clock Tower?" she asked.

"Clock Tower?" asked Severus confusedly.

The two were silent for a while, deep in thought.

Severus was thoroughly confused. For someone who has studied the world of magic by heart, he could not understand what Ilya was talking about. The silver-haired girl, on the other hand, seemed to have confirmed something.

"Sev, can I ask you a question?" said the girl.

"Yes, Ilya?" By now, Severus Snape has gotten used to being called in that name by the pale-complexioned young woman, and resignedly accepted it. There was no point arguing over it, after all.

"Do you know of a famous wizard who goes by the nickname Kaleidoscope?"

"As far I know, no."

"Are you familiar with the name Kishua Zelretch? I'm sure every magus in the world would know about him."

"None. Why? Is he a powerful wizard?"

"Yes he is. Are you sure no there is no wizard who goes by that name?"

Severus tried hard to remember if he read or heard of anyone with that name from his studies, from books, from the Daily Prophet, from his mother, from Lily, from his school, from his Slytherin 'friends'.

"No, sorry, Ilya. This is actually the first time I've encountered that name myself."

"I see… thank you Sev," said Ilya.

Severus felt a chill. He took one look at Ilya, and realized that a dark shadow had gone over her face. He was not someone who was easily intimidated, having faced the Marauders on a daily basis and slept in the same dormitory as people with murderous nature, yet he shuddered as he felt the aura emanating the girl in front of her: It was MENACING. To make it worse, the ill intent was not even aimed at Severus, yet he felt like he might get killed. What was wrong with him? Was this girl always this scary?

"There is Ministry of Magic.. the Clock Tower Mage Association does not exist… nobody knows Keleidoscope…" Ilya muttered to herself… "magecraft is different… they use owls for communication..I get it now... I knew it… the Root is to blame for this, I'm sure of it… curse the Root."

As she said those last three words, the hostile aura around Ilya was suddenly projected in full force around her, then dissipated. Severus Snape felt it, and his knees buckled. It was only by putting one of his hands on the table for support that he prevented himself from falling to his knees at the moment the wave of hostility passed through him. Silence prevailed…

Suddenly Ilya wobbled, her knees about to give way instead. Completely forgetting about the menacing atmosphere that was present just moments before, Severus rushed towards her, and gently held Ilya by the shoulder to prevent her from collapsing.

"Are you all right," inquired Severus, his voice filled with worry for the girl, his fear apparently forgotten,

"Oh, yes, I'm fine," she replied, her voice back to her usual tone. "I was passed out when I got lost in my thoughts there. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Another tense moment, then…

A grumbling sound was heard… the sound of an empty stomach.

"Ohhh," said Ilya, flushing. "Sorry…"

"That's nothing to be embarrassed about," said Severus. "You were cleaning up my house all morning, and you haven't eaten since yesterday, right? I'm the one who should be ashamed, for letting a lady do all the work. I should be the one apologizing Ilya."

"To be honest," said Ilya, her face growing redder. "I…um…I'm actually feeling a bit hungry." Her stomach chose to growl loudly at this moment, as if to challenge the bit part of her statement.

"I can see that," mused Severus. "There is nothing here in the house save for coffee and some old biscuits. So, why don't we eat outside instead?"

"You mean like a date?" asked Ilya. "But I thought you don't have any money?"

"Yes, I did say that. You see, yesterday, I really did not bring any along, so I wasn't lying."

Ilya was eyeing him suspiciously.

"Do you really think I'd still be alive if I can't even buy food for myself?"

"I see," said Ilya, apparently convinced. "So where are we going?"

"Diagon Alley," said Severus.

"Diagon Alley?"

"it's where items related to magic are sold. Magic books, cauldrons, wands, those kind of things," said Severus. "I have to go there anyway since I have to buy my school supplies for Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?" asked the girl, her curiosity increasing by the second.

"Wizards school. I'm in my sixth year there now, and I'm taking as many N.E.W.T.s as I can as well.

"Wizards school? N.E.W.T.s?"

"I'll tell you all about it later. It's almost twelve. We should really get going. Would you mind waiting for me for a bit. I have to get changed first."

"Okay, sure."

Severus took one look at the girl as he went up the stairs. The dark mood she was in a while ago was gone, as she twirled around the living room in excitement, humming merrily to herself.

The raven-haired teenager couldn't help but smile.