The American Witch

On the first day of summer, Laura Snape - a red-headed girl of eleven with dark brown eyes - woke up early to the sound of her grandmother rapping on her bedroom door as she did every morning. And, as they were every morning, her grandmother's words were:

"Wake up, dear, I have porridge ready for breakfast."

Laura didn't know why she did this (because it never changed, not even by a minute), but she looked at the clock on her nightstand, which told her it was seven-thirty. Then, she stretched out her arms and, very slowly, sat up in her bed, thinking about, just once, getting to sleep in, like everyone else her age did during the summer. Her grandmother wouldn't hear of it, though. "You're not like everyone else," she would say, and that was that.

She never bothered to change before going downstairs for breakfast. Her grandmother would just yell at her for taking too long. She grabbed her bathrobe and put it on, and walked out of the room as her clock turned to seven-thirty-two.

As she walked down the stairs, she could smell the porridge. It was peach-flavored, Laura's favorite. She knew that meant her grandmother was in a good mood - and not much could put Grandma in a good mood.

She sat down at the kitchen table, across from her grandmother, who was named Eileen Prince, and who looked quite a bit older than she was. Laura knew that she had been married once, but they never spoke of this. She had the feeling that it wasn't a very happy marriage. Her husband had either died or disappeared, Laura wasn't sure. Eileen was reading the paper - one of her many morning rituals. She didn't look up when she spoke to Laura, who was now eating her porridge.

"Your father's coming for a visit today," she said.

Laura had to stop herself from jumping out of her chair in excitement. It wasn't often she got the chance to see her father, but none of his visits had ever disappointed Laura. Last time, he had taken her to a zoo. It had been a delightful trip, even with him complaining about the boring non-magical creatures, and it had ended with him promising to take her to a wizard's zoo on his next visit.

Laura Snape, you see, was a witch, something she had known since she had accidentally thrown the school bully onto the roof in kindergarten (he had stolen her best friend's, Kiara's, lunch money). She didn't know much magic, though, because her grandmother had sworn it off. Her father taught her a little bit in each of his visits, and he promised that she would learn even more once she reached the sixth grade.

Her father, she knew, lived in England, while she lived in Richport, Texas. She didn't understand why they had to be so far apart, but both her father and her grandmother assured her that it was for her own protection.

Once Laura had finished her porridge, she washed the dish in the sink. They didn't have a dishwasher like Kiara did, so Laura always did her own dishes by hand. She longed for the day when she could use magic.

By this time, her grandmother was finished with both her own porridge and her newspaper. She was approaching Laura at the sink when she smiled and said, "Well, you'd better go get ready, hadn't you?"

Laura didn't argue, and she was thankful that her grandmother wasn't criticizing the way she was washing her dishes, as she was sometimes prone to do. Eileen was hardly ever happy at all, but whenever her son came to town...well, that was another story.

Upstairs, she brushed her teeth and showered and changed all as fast as she could. She was out of the bathroom a full seven minutes earlier than she was on most days. She rushed back downstairs, eagerly awaiting her father's visit.

While she was waiting, she grabbed the book she was reading - which she had left downstairs the previous night. It was about a young werewolf who sought to change, because he didn't want the woman he loved - the princess - to have to take care of someone like him. Laura wondered when the werewolf would understand that the princess loved him for who he was, werewolf or not.

She had been reading for about an hour when there was a knock at the door, and she jumped up. Only her father ever knocked - everyone else rang the doorbell. Her father said that the doorbell was an ingenious work of muggle science, and he dared not touch something like that. Laura ran to the door and opened it immediately, before even her grandmother could enter the living room, and engulfed her father in the biggest hug that she could give him. She felt his arms wrap around her, and that feeling had never been more wanted.

When she let go, they both came in through the door, where Eileen, as short and not-very-attractive as she was, greeted him with her crooked, yellow-toothed smile and big nose. "Severus!" she said, opening her arms to him. "It's so great to see you again!"

The man named Severus was a tall man, with a greasy straight mop of black hair and very white, sallow skin. He was by no means handsome, but Laura recognized herself in the man in his eyes - they were the same deep brown, almost black, that hers were. Severus smiled at her grandmother, even though, to Laura, it seemed very forced. Her father rarely smiled - except when he was with her, and then he smiled all the time. She got the feeling that Severus Snape wasn't a very happy man most of the time. Laura watched her father and her grandmother embrace - and her grandmother, she noticed, hugged him more tightly than he hugged her. It wasn't the first time in her life that Laura believed there was some big secret hidden between them that she didn't know about. She guessed it had to do with her grandfather.

She didn't dwell on this, though, for she was too excited. There was one thing she had been most looking forward to on this trip, and she knew that he would make it happen. "Are you going to take me to the wizard's zoo?" she asked, barely able to keep herself from jumping up and down.

He gave her another smile - a real one this time. "I'm afraid that they are all closed today," he said. Laura felt her heart sink, and he walked over to her, kneeling so that he was her height. "I have something for you," he said, as if that would cure her disappointment, and he pulled a letter out of the pocket of his long black robes and handed it to her. She looked down at the front of the envelope - most curiously, it was addressed:

Miss L. Snape

The Upstairs Bedroom

5408 Sandman Lane

Richport, Texas, United States of America

In the back, the envelope was sealed by what looked like a shield. It was decorated by a snake, an eagle, a badger, and a lion, all surrounding the letter H. She tore it open, making no effort to conserve the envelope when she did this, and pulled out the thick parchment inside.

HOGWART SCHOOL

of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Miss Snape,

We are pleased to inform that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Laura had to read the letter three times, and pinch herself in the arm five, to make sure that she wasn't dreaming. Oh, she knew that she was going to a school of magic - she just never expected...Hogwarts? Her father taught there, she knew, but she lived in Texas, she thought she would go to Eyelop's Magic High School in Dallas, or Camelot Academy of Sorcery in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

She didn't even have to voice the questions forming in her mind when her father answered them (she always assumed that he could read her mind; it certainly seemed that way). "I spoke with Professor Dumbledore about admitting you into Hogwarts...we both thought it would be safer for you there than it would at a school closer to here, away from your family."

"But...but how am I going to get to Hogwarts?" she asked.

"Your grandmother and I have already discussed this," he said. Laura looked at her grandmother, who now didn't look happy at all; instead she looked downright sour. She averted her eyes from that sore sight back to her father. "She will apparate you to London, where you will take the train from King's Cross."

Laura pulled out the list that lay behind her acceptance letter to Hogwarts. She read it out loud to herself.

UNIFORM

First year students will require:

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)

By Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi

By Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

"Where am I going to get all of this?" She, of course, had heard of magical malls in Texas - but certainly none that had everything she needed.

"Ah, the purpose of my visit today," he said. He went over to sit at the kitchen table. "I was hoping that, this afternoon, I could present you with a late birthday present. Then, tomorrow, you and I will take a trip to Diagon Alley in London - where we will find all of the supplies on your list."

"But first," her grandmother chimed in, pulling out a seat for herself and a seat for Laura at the table, "lunch."

-*-

After lunch, Severus and Laura said goodbye to Eileen Prince quickly to go look for Laura's birthday present. Severus said not another word to Laura about it until they arrived at The Magic Owl, a witch's and wizard's pet shop in Austin. Laura had never been there, but she immediately noticed how the rest of the shoppers on this particular strip walked on by this store, as if they didn't see it at all. "Muggles," her father said, with a hint of disdain in his voice, "so blind to the world around them." Her father liked to complain, but it never bothered her much, even when she disagreed (which she most often did).

They went inside, and Laura's nose was greeted with the smell of cherries. "Special air freshener," a long-nosed middle-aged witch at the desk told her when Laura had taken a rather heavy whiff of it. "Covers up the smell of owl droppings."

The store itself was about ten times larger than it had looked from the outside - another reason Laura was in love with the magical world. There must have been thousands of animals there, and not just owls, but also cats, toads, rats, mice, butterflies, and birds of all kinds. "Pick one," her father said, "and don't worry about the price."

Laura walked around for hours when she stopped at a black cat in cage looking at her sadly. She waved at him, and he jumped at her, growling as if she smelled of mice or spiders. Laura shivered and walked away. Maybe she wasn't meant to have a cat.

Next she let a young caterpillar crawl up on her finger. It was cute, and it certainly wouldn't hurt - and, one day, it would turn into a butterfly, the most beautiful insect there was. When the caterpillar reached her knuckle, however, she felt a sharp pain and pulled the little bug off. It had bit her! She hadn't even known that caterpillars bite! "Only magical ones," her father said. "Non-magical caterpillars are harmless."

She continued to walk, praying that she would find an animal that actually liked her. She reached a small brown owl in a family's cage. The owl was different from his brothers and sisters, smaller. As such, she was neglected, and sat there, all by herself. Laura put her finger to the owl's beak, and the owl pecked softly at it, as if she were happy to find a friend. Laura looked up at her dad, who was smiling.

A few minutes later, they were walking out of the shop with the little brown owl in a different cage, all by herself. Laura had decided to name her Lily, after her mother. When she told her dad this, she swore she could see tears threatening to fall down his cheeks before he wiped them dry.

-*-

Laura woke up before sunset the next day - her clock said it was five-sixteen. She could not expel the thoughts of London and Hogwarts that were swirling around in her head. By the time she brushed her teeth, showered, and got dressed, her father was already in the living room, waiting for her. It wasn't even six o' clock.

"I heard you routing around in your closet," he said. "So, you want an early start, do you?"

Laura smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir," she said.

"Then we must hurry, before anyone sees us," he said. "Follow me." They left through the front door and they didn't stop walking until they reached the very middle of the street. Laura thought that they would be looking very odd to any on-lookers, just standing there as if they were waiting for a car that wasn't coming. Then her dad held out his arm and said, "Grab a hold and hang on."

She did not disobey, and just a second later, she felt herself spinning against her own will. The next thing she knew, she was in front of a house that she had never seen before, and she had a very weird stomach ache. "The discomfort will only last a couple of minutes," he said. "Welcome to Spinner's End. My home."

He led her inside the house, which was - although very uncluttered - very dusty, and Laura had to hold back a sneeze after a couple of seconds. Her father didn't seem to notice, and he didn't give Laura a tour of the house. Instead, they stopped right in front of the fireplace. "Have you ever traveled by Floo powder before, Laura?"

"Once," she said, remembering when she eight and her grandmother took her to a Quidditch match.

"Then you should go first," he said, handing her a handful of Floo Powder. "Remember - 'Diagon Alley' - speak very clearly...we wouldn't want to end up any place else, would we?"

"No, sir," she said. She stepped into the fireplace. "Diagon Alley!" she yelled and threw the powder onto the wood underneath her. Green flames surrounded her, and then she was sliding out of a fireplace in a strange little store with all sorts of magical equipment. She stood, brushing her clothes clean, and was joined by her father after a couple of seconds.

"Well, we don't need to be here," he said, and they left the store without even looking around.

Outside, Laura was greeted with a sight that amazed her more than anything had ever done before. Stores, big and small, lined the street...there seemed to be more stores than anyone could ever visit in a lifetime - everything that a witch or wizard could possible need. "Cool," she said softly.

They walked down the street together after Severus had announced their first stop - "Flourish and Blotts, they'll have all the books you need," - and Laura's eyes were turning with every step. It was simply too much to take in for a young American witch like herself.

When they made it inside of Flourish and Blotts, Laura became less impressed, perhaps because it didn't differ much from other bookstores she had visited in Texas - both muggle and magical. It was two floors, and filled with several bookshelves. Laura found all of her required books on a shelf catered specifically to Hogwarts first years. When they checked out, the cashier mentioned strange things such as "galleons" and "sickles," whatever that meant. She didn't ask.

Next, they went to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Once Laura was inside, her father started to leave. "I'll go ahead and buy your other supplies while you're trying on robes. I've already paid Madam Malkin."

It was a bit unnerving to be left by herself, but she had faith that her dad would soon return. Madam Malkin greeted her sweetly. "Hogwarts, dear? Oh, I'm fitting two other first years right now, as well, maybe you can get to know them!"

One of the other students she met was a blonde boy with white skin and sleaked-back hair. She heard him talking to a boy next to him about Hogwarts, and from the way the blonde was talking, Laura immediately took a disliking to him. He didn't seem like a nice boy at all, talking about how muggle-borns shouldn't be allowed into school. Of course, Laura had heard about witches and wizards who held a prejudice against muggle-borns and half-bloods, but she had never met someone so nasty before.

The first boy - the skinny one with unkempt dark hair - was done with his fitting and hopped off of his footstool, looking all too eager to end the conversation with the blonde boy. Laura wasn't eager for that at all, though, as that meant Madam Malkin would start fitting him and he would start talking to her.

Sure enough, even while she was trying to avoid eye contact with the boy, he turned to her. "Are you going to Hogwarts, as well?" he asked.

"Yes," she said simply, not wanting to say anymore.

It was enough, though. "Blimey!" he said. "Are you American?"

Laura sighed. So he had gathered her accent from just one word. "Yes, I am," she said, a hint of defiance in her voice.

The boy just shook his head. "Well, I suppose that's alright - as long as you aren't a mudblood."

Laura raised her eyebrows, but she didn't say anything. She didn't wish for the conversation to go on any further, and, as if the universe was reading her thoughts, Madam Malkin finished with the boy's robes, and he left. "See you at school," he said.

She attempted to smile and said, "Yeah, see you," though there was very little confidence in his voice.

A couple of minutes later, Madam Malkin was finished fitting Laura, as well, and she was meeting her father outside of the store with her robes, books, and supplies. "Only one thing left," he said.

The last stop was a place called Ollivander's, where Laura would receive her first wand. This was, of course, the moment Laura had been waiting for her entire life. She had often asked her grandmother if she could get a wand, but was always refused - most of the time, rather harshly. ("What do you want a bloody wand for? You aren't even allowed to do any magic with it!")

Mr. Ollivander was a strange old man with white hair that went every which way. He seemed to have a remarkable memory, for when the two of them walked in, his eyes went straight to her father. "Ah, Severus...12 inches, monkwood, phoenix hair...still have it, do you?"

"I do," her father said simply. He wasn't smiling.

Ollivander must have taken the hint and turned towards her. "And you must be...Laura! Oh yes, oh yes, your mother told me about you when you were born. You look very much like her, except you have eyes like your father." He glanced back up at her dad. "Well, here for your first wand? Very well, it is a very special moment in a young witch's life..." He turned to the shelves behind him and grabbed a long, thin box. "Try this. Eight inches, holly, dragon heartstring."

Laura stared at the box for a moment before opening, and pulled out a rather short wand. She held it there, unsure of what to do next. "Well, give it a wave," Ollivander said, and so she did. And nothing happened. "Well, well...not a very powerful wand, that is...and not the wand for you, eh?" He put the box back up.

"No matter, no matter. It is the wand that chooses the wizard, or in this case, witch, after all." He pulled out another box. "Here, try this. Ten and a half inches, yew, phoenix feather." This time she pulled out the wand with more confidence, and when she waved, something happened. Half of the boxes on the shelves behind her flew out of their spots, creating a terrible mess. Laura put the wand back on the table before her. "No, not that one either," Ollivander said. He put this box underneath his desk, and made a note out loud to himself to clean up the mess later. He then climbed a ladder behind his desk and reached to the very top shelf to pull out the next wand.

"Ten and a half inches, redwood, unicorn hair," he said, handing her the box. She took out the wand, and as soon as she touched it, she felt a connection between her and the wand consume her. She gave it a wave and the mess behind her vanished, everything assuming its right place.

Ollivander clapped. "Very good, very good! Well, I see now you are made for great things, indeed, Miss Snape! A right powerful wand that is, indeed. One of my most powerful wands...it wouldn't choose just anyone! You are on your way to becoming an outstanding witch!" She smiled at him, feeling very special at the moment. Her father even patted her on the shoulder, a sign of his affection that he didn't usually show in public.

They returned to Richport, Texas soon after buying the wand. Her dad walked her to the front porch - it was already dark out - a gave her a small piece of paper. "Your ticket for the Hogwarts Express." She looked at it, and her eyebrows arose when she read the platform she was to go - platform 9 ¾? Her father noticed her confusion and added, "walk straight into the barrier between platforms nine and ten, and you'll be there."

With that, he disapparated - and Laura had the entire summer to enjoy before heading off to Hogwarts for the first time.