Preparing for Snapes Lessons.

(Seras POV)

The day had finally come for my first lesson with Snape. It was the first time I was to leave the mansion in my life, and I couldn't be more excited. Snape has treated me less and less like a 1-year-old and more like a young prodigy in the field. Of course, this is nowhere close to my opinion holding the same weight as an adult's, but baby steps—quite literally.

The last few days have been exhausting. My mother was not ready to see her little baby girl go off to school, and despite this only being for a few hours a few days a week, she was acting like the world was ending. The days I had spent undisturbed in the library were now filled with mother-daughter time. I was her little dress-up doll, and she needed to get a photo of me in every article of clothing I tried on for her scrapbook. I would have to find a way to burn that in the future—only if my photos are more embarrassing than Draco's. I saw a little sailor costume in her bag of goodies she brought home, and it didn't end up on me. Maybe I should start working on fireproofing spells to protect such a weapon against my brother. I can hardly wait until he brings home his first girlfriend and I show her that. My mother also wanted to try to get me interested in the arts. The first thing she brought me to was a piano. It was a skill that I really didn't see much value in, but it was a skill she stated I would need to learn. I guess even in a magical world, parents still want a classically trained child. Narcissa was also very adamant about me becoming a great artist. She was impressed by my runic drawings and believed that I was meant for painting portraits. She asked me to try to paint a few things I had seen around the house. I mentioned that a model might be better for practice, so she called Draco in with his sailor uniform. I practically overclocked my brain and muscle system with magic, trying to get the most accurate painting I could. I will need to figure out preservation spells fast and get myself a good hiding place. Blackmail against me will only result in mutually assured destruction from now on.

Despite being only 1 year old, Narcissa already seems to be scared of whether or not I'll be able to find a date. This has opened my eyes to two truths: the first is that in my past life, I had never really found someone I loved or who truly complemented me. Hell, I didn't even figure out my own sexual orientation. The second truth is that it would be just as hard, if not harder, to find love now than it was in my past life. The pool of magical Britain is rather small. Mix that with people who are around my age physically that can match my mental state, and there might not even be a single one. I know that the way my brain functions has been changed by the chemistry of being a child, and there will probably be similar differences when I am a teenager. Hopefully, at that point, I may be able to control the impulses and feelings that come about.

Draco has been very annoying, though I will admit all the time in the library has made him more tolerable. The saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder" may as well have been written about my brother. He has recently premiered a new word: "More." This one may be as bad as the last. He will point at anything and say "mine," then he will ask for more. This deadly combo has increased his glow-in-the-dark Quidditch figures by two more before my father had a chat with my mother about over-spoiling Draco. My respect for my little brother has actually gone up following this incident. He clearly knows what the words he knows mean and what they can do. He uses them much louder when he knows mother is around. He also likes to stare at me when he is given the products of his word-learning. Maybe he is actually a genius and just playing me so that he will one day live on easy street, or maybe he is the Draco that tries to stick random things he finds around the house in his mouth, it's really hard not to lean towards the second explanation.

I was given the materials by my father that I had asked for. They had been cut to the specifications I required, and I was even given an artificer quill and plenty of ink to create runes with. Being stinking rich has quite the charm to it. An artificer quill was by far the greatest artifact that I had been given so far in this life. It allows runes to be written using magical ink on almost any material. With it, I was able to simply copy the plans I had made step by step. By the end of the day, I had created the designed lamp. I brought it to my father to show him what I accomplished. I ended up giving him the designs after he finished it. He said that he would apply for a patent under a pseudonym for me. I didn't even know the wizarding world had patents; nothing in any of the literature I had read had told me anything about this. I left the prototype with my father and prepared to meet Snape by the fireplace. Snape arrived in his characteristic way. He was a very theatrical man, and I believe the power he had been given through his position at Hogwarts had only increased his flair. Snape asked if I was ready before giving me a brief outline of what to do in the Floo Network.

"Alright, Seras," Mother said, cutting off Snape's explanation, her voice calm and reassuring yet with a twinge of sadness. "All you need to do is step into the fireplace, take a pinch of Floo powder, throw it at your feet, and clearly say 'Hogs Head Inn.' The magic will do the rest." I was about to ask why not Hogwarts itself when Snape answered my question in advance, "The wards and protective barriers of Hogwarts do not allow people to enter through Floo. We are able to Floo out from Hogwarts, however."

I nodded, taking a deep breath as I stepped into the fireplace. The warmth of the hearth enveloped me, and for a moment, it felt just like any other fire. But then, Mother handed me the pouch, and I took a pinch of the powder, feeling the cool granules against my skin.

"Hogs Head Inn," I said clearly, tossing the powder at my feet.

Instantly, green flames roared to life around me. I felt a curious sensation, as if I were being pulled and stretched in every direction at once. The world outside the flames blurred into a whirl of colors and shapes. The amount of magic that my eyes picked up in that short second was more than I had seen ever before—maybe in my entire life. My stomach lurched, and I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping this would be over soon. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself stumbling out of another fireplace into a dimly lit room filled with people drinking. Snape appeared right behind me and grabbed my hand, helping me make my way through the crowd of people.

"I see your first journey through the Floo Network was successful," Snape's voice drawled, a hint of amusement in his eyes. I straightened up, brushing off the soot that clung to my robes. Despite the dizzying experience, I had accomplished something. I had used the Floo Network, arrived safely, "escaped" the manor, and left Draco hundreds of miles away.

"I think I need more practice," I answered back.

Snape raised an eyebrow at that comment. "Indeed. And as long as you pay attention and work productively, I'm happy to provide that over the coming weeks. Now, onto business. I take it you previewed the first-year textbooks?"