Birthday
You lay in bed, awake. You knew your dad was asleep. You kept looking at the clock.
"Okay.....no big deal.....I'm only turning 10 tomorrow and I might get my letter to hogwarts....no biggie." You said aloud.
Who were you talking to? Don't ask me.
Eventually, you went to sleep. And to save us some time I'm going to skip to when you wake up.
You open your eyes and sit up in your bed. Today was the day!
You get dressed in your favorite outfit that you had laid out the night before, you go brush your teeth and hair, and put on a light dusting of your favorite perfume. You go to the kitchen, where you're dad is cooking.
"Happy birthday!" He said giving you a kiss on the head.
"Thanks, dad."
"I'm making chocolate chip pancakes. You're favorite."
"Really? You didn't have to do that for me!"
"Well, it's not every day you turn 10. Oh speaking of which..."
Your dad reaches into his cloak and hands you an envelope with a Hogwarts seal on the back.
"No way...." you say at a loss of words.
"Well, open it then!"
You shakily open the letter and read it aloud.
"'Dear Ms. Snape,
We are pleased to inform you that you've been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.' Oh my gosh! Is this really happening? I'll actually get to go to school with you next term?!"
"Yes. Oh and I think it's time you get a real wand. Not that silly old training wand."
"Really?!"
"Yes. We'll go to Ollivander's when we get through eating. Speaking of which, the pancakes are done."
He gives you a chocolate chip pancake on your plate and sits down next to you.
After you eat, your dad goes over to the fireplace.
"I know you've travelled by floo powder before. I've taken you."
"Yes but it's been a while."
"Well, no better time to do it again! Go ahead!" He said pushing you gently into the fireplace (unlit of course.)
He gave you some floo powder and reminded you to say diagon alley very clearly.
"Diagon alley." You say clearly. You drop the floo powder and you travel to diagon alley. You step out of the fireplace and wait for your dad.
A few seconds later, he appears.
"Well?"
"Just how I remember it!"
"Good. Now, do you have your letter with you?"
"Yes, sir. It's right here."
"Good. Let's go to ollivanders first."
You walk into olivanders. You don't see anyone at the counter. Eventually, Olivander himself came and said,
"It was about time I saw you, Ms. Snape. Good morning, Professor."
"Good morning." He said.
Olivander went and got a wand out.
"Try this one."
You give it a wave. Some books fly off the shelves.
"That's okay! That's normal." Olivander said with a smile.
He gave me another one. You held it and everything was perfect. It was magical.
"That's the one! Hawthorn wood with a unicorn hair core. 12 1/4 inches and slightly yielding flexibility!"
My dad came and hugged me.
"Your first real wand." He said. You think he was getting a little emotional, which he never does.
My dad paid for the wand and we went and got the rest of my school supplies.
When we were done getting all of that, we went home.
"I'm so excited!!!" You say almost jumping.
"Good! I am too. Now, you can take these to your room."
"Okay!"
You take them to your room and open your charms textbook.
"Wingardum Leviosa." You read aloud.
"This is the levitating spell. It has a swish and flick movement of the wrist." You kept reading.
You tried it on a stuffed animal. It worked!
"Wow!"
You look behind you to see your father standing there.
"Oh..um....hey dad."
"Lily. You know you're not allowed to do magic outside of school. I've told you that since you were little."
"I know. It's just so fun!"
"I know. But, you can't do what I've asked you not to do! Do we need to have another talk about you being rebellious?"
"No, sir." He came over and held his hand out.
"Really? You're going to take my wand?! I just got it today!" You say rather loudly.
He glared at you.
"What did you say?" He said in his signature voice that happens when he's mad. It kind of scared you.
"Nothing. Sorry." I said handing him my wand.
"When are you going to learn, Lily? I'm your father. You can't treat me as an equal. You can't talk to me any way you want."
"I know."
"If you know, then why are you doing it?"
You stay silent.
"Right. Well, I'm going to go put this up in my desk. Don't even bother trying to take it. It will be under a protection charm."
He walked out.
"This is not you."
He closed the door.
It felt like he just had this discussion with you yesterday!
You look around. "Maybe I could brew a potion? That's not actually magic."
You go to the basement. You pull out your cauldron on your desk.
Snape comes down the stairs.
"No magic means no potion making." He said taking my cauldron.
"You will get this back the day before you leave for Hogwarts."
"Yes, sir." You say and you walk to your room.
"Why is he so strict?" You said to yourself. "It's only because he loves you." You respond. "And now I'm talking to myself. Great."
You went to your desk and started to study for potions class. Your dad had made it very clear that you were not to get bad grades or there would be consequences.
"Lily? Time for dinner." He said at my doorway.
"Okay." I said.
You both ate your dinner and then, you went down to the basement to help him organize his potion room. He was making you do that along with no magic until Hogwarts day came.
You were both silent for while.
"Why do you think I'm so strict on you?" Snape asked.
"You heard me didn't you."
"Yes. I know I can be strict. I'm strict with my students, too. It's because I know you can do great things."
"Thanks." You say sheepishly.
"But, I think I know what's been causing your rebellious phase."
"What?"
"It's your mom dying. Tomorrow marks 8 years since she died at the hands of you know who."
"I don't think that's it. Listen, I'm sorry for being in a rebellious phase."
"Just, try to be better." He says as you both go back to organizing.
"Okay.....no big deal.....I'm only turning 10 tomorrow and I might get my letter to hogwarts....no biggie." You said aloud.
Who were you talking to? Don't ask me.
Eventually, you went to sleep. And to save us some time I'm going to skip to when you wake up.
You open your eyes and sit up in your bed. Today was the day!
You get dressed in your favorite outfit that you had laid out the night before, you go brush your teeth and hair, and put on a light dusting of your favorite perfume. You go to the kitchen, where you're dad is cooking.
"Happy birthday!" He said giving you a kiss on the head.
"Thanks, dad."
"I'm making chocolate chip pancakes. You're favorite."
"Really? You didn't have to do that for me!"
"Well, it's not every day you turn 10. Oh speaking of which..."
Your dad reaches into his cloak and hands you an envelope with a Hogwarts seal on the back.
"No way...." you say at a loss of words.
"Well, open it then!"
You shakily open the letter and read it aloud.
"'Dear Ms. Snape,
We are pleased to inform you that you've been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.' Oh my gosh! Is this really happening? I'll actually get to go to school with you next term?!"
"Yes. Oh and I think it's time you get a real wand. Not that silly old training wand."
"Really?!"
"Yes. We'll go to Ollivander's when we get through eating. Speaking of which, the pancakes are done."
He gives you a chocolate chip pancake on your plate and sits down next to you.
After you eat, your dad goes over to the fireplace.
"I know you've travelled by floo powder before. I've taken you."
"Yes but it's been a while."
"Well, no better time to do it again! Go ahead!" He said pushing you gently into the fireplace (unlit of course.)
He gave you some floo powder and reminded you to say diagon alley very clearly.
"Diagon alley." You say clearly. You drop the floo powder and you travel to diagon alley. You step out of the fireplace and wait for your dad.
A few seconds later, he appears.
"Well?"
"Just how I remember it!"
"Good. Now, do you have your letter with you?"
"Yes, sir. It's right here."
"Good. Let's go to ollivanders first."
You walk into olivanders. You don't see anyone at the counter. Eventually, Olivander himself came and said,
"It was about time I saw you, Ms. Snape. Good morning, Professor."
"Good morning." He said.
Olivander went and got a wand out.
"Try this one."
You give it a wave. Some books fly off the shelves.
"That's okay! That's normal." Olivander said with a smile.
He gave me another one. You held it and everything was perfect. It was magical.
"That's the one! Hawthorn wood with a unicorn hair core. 12 1/4 inches and slightly yielding flexibility!"
My dad came and hugged me.
"Your first real wand." He said. You think he was getting a little emotional, which he never does.
My dad paid for the wand and we went and got the rest of my school supplies.
When we were done getting all of that, we went home.
"I'm so excited!!!" You say almost jumping.
"Good! I am too. Now, you can take these to your room."
"Okay!"
You take them to your room and open your charms textbook.
"Wingardum Leviosa." You read aloud.
"This is the levitating spell. It has a swish and flick movement of the wrist." You kept reading.
You tried it on a stuffed animal. It worked!
"Wow!"
You look behind you to see your father standing there.
"Oh..um....hey dad."
"Lily. You know you're not allowed to do magic outside of school. I've told you that since you were little."
"I know. It's just so fun!"
"I know. But, you can't do what I've asked you not to do! Do we need to have another talk about you being rebellious?"
"No, sir." He came over and held his hand out.
"Really? You're going to take my wand?! I just got it today!" You say rather loudly.
He glared at you.
"What did you say?" He said in his signature voice that happens when he's mad. It kind of scared you.
"Nothing. Sorry." I said handing him my wand.
"When are you going to learn, Lily? I'm your father. You can't treat me as an equal. You can't talk to me any way you want."
"I know."
"If you know, then why are you doing it?"
You stay silent.
"Right. Well, I'm going to go put this up in my desk. Don't even bother trying to take it. It will be under a protection charm."
He walked out.
"This is not you."
He closed the door.
It felt like he just had this discussion with you yesterday!
You look around. "Maybe I could brew a potion? That's not actually magic."
You go to the basement. You pull out your cauldron on your desk.
Snape comes down the stairs.
"No magic means no potion making." He said taking my cauldron.
"You will get this back the day before you leave for Hogwarts."
"Yes, sir." You say and you walk to your room.
"Why is he so strict?" You said to yourself. "It's only because he loves you." You respond. "And now I'm talking to myself. Great."
You went to your desk and started to study for potions class. Your dad had made it very clear that you were not to get bad grades or there would be consequences.
"Lily? Time for dinner." He said at my doorway.
"Okay." I said.
You both ate your dinner and then, you went down to the basement to help him organize his potion room. He was making you do that along with no magic until Hogwarts day came.
You were both silent for while.
"Why do you think I'm so strict on you?" Snape asked.
"You heard me didn't you."
"Yes. I know I can be strict. I'm strict with my students, too. It's because I know you can do great things."
"Thanks." You say sheepishly.
"But, I think I know what's been causing your rebellious phase."
"What?"
"It's your mom dying. Tomorrow marks 8 years since she died at the hands of you know who."
"I don't think that's it. Listen, I'm sorry for being in a rebellious phase."
"Just, try to be better." He says as you both go back to organizing.
