In those early days of her magical awakening, she had difficulty holding back her outbursts. Confusion and fright would bring about unpredictable outbursts of magic which only served to scare and confuse the woman more. Mirrors shattered at random, light bulbs flickered and burst, and random objects would catch fire before her eyes.
She was taken by American wizarding government officials. Forced to leave her life behind and be hidden and secluded from the world as she knew it. Y/n felt like a science experiment under their care. She was constantly poked and prodded by them with their sticks. They used words y/n didn't recognize and no one seemed bothered to provide her any context. Their constant alienation of her would send her temper over the edge. She often, unintentionally, caused destruction. She couldn't control it. And the more unexpected magic that escaped, the more scared she would be and thus perpetuate long bouts of accidental magic often leaving her exhausted to the point of collapse.
One morning, following a particularly destructive afternoon, an older, official looking wizard approached and offered no explanation or answers, instead he proposed sending y/n to a special school of magical education. A place she could go to learn to harness and control her magic. Anywhere would have been better than that facility she felt a prisoner within. Y/n eagerly agreed and thus set into motion her transportation to a place called Hogwarts in Scotland. She was delivered by government officials to a wizened old witch named Minerva McGonagall, the headmistress of this "school."
Y/n stood in her office. "I don't know what's happened to me."
The old woman smiled reassuringly. "I don't expect you to, dear."
"Horrible things seem to happen around me. I think it's my fault, but I don't mean to do it."
"Accidental Magic." Began Minerva her tone soft and matronly. "Accidental Magic is magic that a young witch or wizard does that is not intentional. It usually occurs when there is a strong burst of emotion, such as anger or distress, it causes the magic within you to escape. While you are here, you will be taught to control and use your magic."
As the old woman spoke a man entered the room. He was tall and wore heavy black robes, his face was framed by long raven colored hair. Y/n stared at him as he stared back at her.
When he spoke he had a deep velvety voice. "You summoned me, Headmistress?"
"Severus, this is y/n. She is the muggle-witch that's been sent here from America."
The man seemed to roll his eyes with a sense of aloofness. Y/n furrowed her brow. Every other witch or wizard she encountered always regarded her with an air of cautious curiosity. This man looked as though he was annoyed by her.
"This is Severus Snape," Spoke the headmistress directly to y/n. "I am entrusting him with your magical education."
"Headmistress," Said the man in cold indifference. "Surely, there is someone else more suitable for this task. I haven't the time to suffer foolish muggles."
"I am assigning the Deputy Headmaster to this task." She replied curtly; Severus clucked his tongue, clearly not pleased. Minerva raised her hand at him. "Severus, you know, as well as I, that you would trust this task to no one other than yourself. I've had her belongings brought to the empty room across from yours." Minerva looked over to y/n and tried to smile reassuringly to her. "Have you got a wand?"
Y/n furrowed her brow once more in confusion. "Wand? You mean one of those sticks you all carry?"
Severus audibly scoffed and Minerva once again shushed him from saying anything rude. "Ms. L/n, will you excuse us for a moment, please, dear?"
Y/n nodded and stepped back through the entrance and waited in the small alcove outside the office. She could hear the two professors arguing, though she could barely make out the words. The man inside had raised his voice and y/n was unable to decipher the context of what he said. London, Diagon, Ollivander… It seemed the older woman inside was assigning tasks to the unpleasant man. Y/n could practically hear him spitting in disgust. She debated pressing her ear to the door when she heard Minerva finally raise her own voice. She sounded severe as she silenced their argument and gave him no further invitation to reply.
Y/n stood still and quiet another moment when the door suddenly burst open and the tall man, Severus, stepped out. "Come!" He snarled at her and proceeded down the spiral staircase not waiting for y/n to follow.
Y/n practically had to chase after him to catch up. To say this man was unpleasant was a terrible understatement. He was down-right mean. "Once again" He began as he continued his brisk walk. Y/n had finally caught up to him. "MACUSA and Ilvermorny have proven their utter incompetence."
"Ilvermorny?" She questioned, another word entirely unfamiliar to her.
"Silence!" He commanded. He continued walking, leading her down the corridors, traveling further into the depths of the castle. Y/n noticed the air grew cooler around her as they traveled further down under the castle. "You belong at Ilvermorny. As it is, they haven't the resources to deal with you. So it has become my great fortune to be charged with your training." He stopped suddenly and rounded on her. Y/n nearly walked straight into him. He glared down at her. "I will have no tolerance for foolishness or ineptitude. You will receive a wand, and we will begin lessons. Any failings shall be entirely on you."
He pulled a wand from a pocket within his robes and tapped a sconce on the wall. The wall shuddered briefly and the stones trembled out of place creating a threshold to a hidden corridor. He stepped through."These are some of the staff quarters." Severus continued to walk down the hall speaking shortly. "My chambers are here, you are to come to me should you require anything, but only if absolutely necessary. Your room is there." He gave a dismissive wave to a second similar door across the hall.
Severus opened his own door, stepped inside, and without any further conversation slammed the door shut causing it to rattle on its hinges. Y/n stood alone in the dark corridor feeling lonelier than she ever had in her whole life. She fought back tears as she walked to the second door.
She stepped in and surveyed the bleak surroundings. The room was small and stark. There were no windows, the only light came from a small fire burning in the hearth. Her suitcases had been brought in. The room had a modest sized bed, an old armchair, some empty bookshelves and a small bathroom. She scrambled to one of the bags and retrieved a thick sweater for warmth. She curled up into her bed and her tears began to flow.
Having magical abilities might seem like a dream come true to any muggle, but in her experience it was one nightmare after the other. She'd spent nearly every moment since the obscurial attack either terrified, or confused. Everyone she looked to for guidance merely regarded her as an anomaly, everyone except for that man. He was cold, mean, indifferent, he treated her like a petulant child. Severus Snape; even his name sounded harsh and unkind. She sobbed into her pillow wondering what it was she did to deserve this treatment.
She didn't sleep at all that night. She spent it either pacing back and forth in front of the fire or tossing and turning in the bed. She feared sleep anymore, knowing she would be visited by the memory of the obscurial once again and she was too intimidated by the tall dark wizard to ask him for any potions. Several hours passed until morning arrived and she finally heard a rude, nearly violent knock at the door.
Y/n jumped at the sudden break to the silence. She wiped the tears from her eyes and slowly made her way to the door. The harsh knocking came a second time as she reached the door. She shuddered again at its abruptness and with trembling fingers reached out to greet the dark and sour man.
Severus scowled down at her. Her eyes were red, puffy and tear-stained. Her hair was disheveled. "Breakfast will arrive soon. Be ready to go after."
He didn't give her any chance to reply. He quickly turned, his cloak billowing around him, as he retreated to his own room again. She stood blinking to the now empty hallway.
Almost as soon as she closed the door again, there was a much gentler, softer knock. Confusion washed over her once again. She turned and opened the door. Standing in the middle of the otherwise empty hall was a golden cart adorned with plates of breakfast, a newspaper and a tea kettle.
Severus emerged from his own door. "When classes resume, meals will be taken in the great hall with the students. For now, enjoy the sanctity of a quiet meal." He poured himself a cup of tea and picked up the newspaper to read.
Y/n reviewed the contents of the cart. It had everything she could imagine, except for one thing. "Coffee?"
Severus did not reply and silently left to his bedroom kicking the door shut behind him with his heel.
"Asshole" Y/n muttered under her breath.
A short time later, Severus appeared again at her door. "Come, let's get this over with." He referred to his instruction to escort her to Diagon Alley to get her a wand.
Severus's stride was long and deliberate as if he wanted her to fall behind, but due to her excitement to have a wand of her own, it wasn't much of a feat to keep up with him. He pressed forward out of the castle and across the grounds. Once past the gates of the school, he motioned for her off to the side of the path. "I'm going to apparate us. You'll have to hold on. You don't want to lose your grip and end up splinched."
Y/n stared at him, not understanding a word he just said.
Severus closed his eyes for a moment, biting back his annoyance. "Apparation is the act of teleporting oneself over a distance. Failure to do it properly could cause catastrophic consequences to one's body. Now hold on!"
She continued to stare at him. "Hold onto what?"
Severus reached out grabbing her upper arm with a firm grip and pulled her against himself. He turned on the spot to apparate. The act was over just as soon as it started. In an instant her body felt as if it was made of wind, her insides lurched and whirled around within her and in a blink of an eye she felt solid again. Y/n stayed rooted in place clinging to Severus's torso. Her eyes were scrunched shut.
Severus looked down at her, almost amused at her obvious discomfort. "You can let go now."
Y/n opened her eyes first before releasing him from her grip. She looked around, noting the drastic change in surroundings. She tried to take a step away from Severus, but nearly lost her balance, still dizzy from her first apparation. Severus caught her around her waist and held her still until she regained her footing. Severus stared down at her expressionless. He spoke slowly to her. "Do not vomit."
Y/n shook herself from his grasp in offense. "I'm fine."
Severus turned and headed into Diagon Alley. He afforded her no time to take in the sights. Y/n followed behind him, her eyes in wide wonder. She drank in the sights of the shop windows. Some sold broomsticks, others cauldrons, book stores, apothecary supplies, animal menageries. It was nothing she had ever seen before or could even imagine. She wished desperately she was with someone more pleasant than the tall bat-like man ahead of her. Someone who might allow her to savor this new world.
Severus maintained a distance ahead of her. He did not wish to be seen escorting a muggle, nor did he wish to be stopped to chat with any students or parents should he be recognized. His stride was fast, his expression angry. The alley was fairly empty of shoppers. He led her to Ollivanders Wand Shop and wasted no time to enter. The bell of the shop chimed when the door was opened. Thankfully the shop was empty of any other patrons.
An ancient old wizard slowly emerged from the back of the shop. He spotted Severus first and then Y/n coming in behind him. Ollivander regarded her with a great deal of curiosity. He could sense her magical abilities, but before he could begin to ask her any questions, Severus interrupted the silence.
"The lady requires a wand." He said coolly, anxious to get the ordeal over with.
Ollivander nodded. He was familiar with the hardened disposition of the tall black haired wizard. The old man taped a tape measure on the counter with his wand. It levitated and began to take several measurements of her. Y/n watched it with curiosity and self-consciousness. Ollivander soon plucked a long thin box from a shelf. He opened it and removed an ornate wand. He hesitated to hand it to her then returned it to its box untested. Y/n could only observe, her mind was oddly free of questions.
"Young man, could you retrieve that purple box there on the bottom shelf behind you." Severus did as he was asked. "Thank you, Severus." The old man nodded respectfully to him and took the box with a shaky hand. "In my youth I traveled to America where I experimented with several different magical wand cores. This relic is one of the oldest wands I have ever made." He opened the box pulling a delicately thin and long wand from within. He turned the wand over in his hands regarding it fondly; it seemed to change from a deep plum color to viridian as the light hit it. "Southern Live Oak; drought resistant and long-lived. 12 inches. The core, very rare indeed. Dual combination. Thunderbird tail feather and mermaid scales. Two cores I never attempted to work with again. Very volatile, but somehow they have found marriage in their magic."
"What does that mean?" Y/n finally asked.
Severus watched the exchange with a stoic expression not revealing any of his own thoughts. Ollivander continued his explanation. "Thunderbirds and Mermaids come from two separate walks of life. Electricity and water. For such opposing forces they should not work in harmony. Very unheard of."
"So is a 30 year old muggle-witch." She said with a shrug.
Ollivander chuckled and held the wand out to her. Y/n hesitated a moment to accept it. She looked back at Severus who looked almost bored. As she turned back to the wand, she reached her hand out and very delicately took the wand.
Ollivander eyed her as she took the wand. The shop was still and quiet. His expression turned curious. "Do you feel anything?"
"I feel something…." She began
"Delusion, likely." Commented Severus.
Y/n shot him an angry glare, but chose to ignore the comment. "It feels warm. Tingling." She closed her eyes and purple sparks began to emit from the tip, dancing around the three of them. Ollivander eyed her with a look of pride. For the first time in several weeks, y/n felt a natural sense of warmth course through her. A soft giggle escaped her lips.
"Well, give it a wave." Said the ancient man encouragingly.
Y/n focused her attention to an inkpot on the counter. She jabbed the wand in the direction of it and it suddenly flew at rapid speed at Y/n. She ducked out of its way and the inkpot smashed into the shelf by Severus's shoulder shattering and splattering herself and Severus in black ink. Ollivander held back a chuckle.
Severus rolled his eyes and sneered at her. "How about you try with less force?" He shouted at her.
"I did what he told me to do!" Y/n shouted back her frustration finally boiling over.
"Idiot, you have no clue what you're doing. You are casting spells with ridiculous amounts of power. You could have hurt yourself."
"Screw you! I'm not an idiot just because I don't know what I'm doing!" Y/n's hand clenched on the wand now down at her side. Purple sparks began to emit from the tip, singing the threadbare rug at her feet. Severus and y/n glared at each other, Severus about to make another rude retort. The old man cleared his throat to end their bickering, and took the wand back.
Ollivander replaced the relic in its original box and handed it back to her. "No charge, my dear. I am very pleased this wand has finally found its witch."
"Uhm… Thank you." She said sincerely.
Severus nodded in thanks as well as he vanished the ink from himself only and opened the door indicating it was time for them to leave. Ollivander kindly vanished the ink that splattered across her. Once out on the street, Y/n was lost in thought as she pulled the wand from its box and turned it over admiring its shimmering finish in the sunlight. "Is it always like that?"
Severus did not respond.
"What is your wand made of?"
Her second question annoyed him more, he didn't acknowledge it. "We must return to the castle now."
"Do we have to do that apparation thing again?"
"By all means… Walk back to Hogwarts."