Author's note: I am so sorry if it seems like I abandoned this story. It was always on my mind. I wanted to take some time to make sure I had a clear vision of where this story was going. Thank you once again to everyone who reviewed. Special shout out to Lady Rebell-K. I also dislike character bashing. And I hope to explore the nature of Alice's abuse and the definitely profound effects it will have on her as the story unfolds.

The Wand Chooses the Wizard

"The wand has to choose you in order for it to work with you..."

The professor's words were ringing in Alice's ears when she and Neville stepped into Ollivander's. On the outside, it looked quite plain with black peeling paint and a single wand lying on an old purple cushion in the display window.

On the inside, however, Alice thought it was amazing. There were tall shelves that spanned from the floor to the ceiling, and all were crammed full of thin dusty boxes. Sunlight streamed in through the window, making specks of dust floating in the air appear golden.

Alice felt warmth cloak her shoulders as soon as she crossed the threshold. A swelling feeling of - something - filled her up. She lightly squeezed Neville's hand. "Did you feel that?" she whispered to him.

Somehow it felt right to whisper in such a place. Neville looked at her and nodded.

The adults sat themselves down in black wooden chairs that were against the wall. Severus tried not to look amused at the children's wonder and their solemn hushed tones. He himself had felt the very same way when he had first entered Ollivander's.

There was a counter and behind it were rows and rows of even more shelves full of wands. Alice and Neville stepped forward together, unsure of what to do next.

"Miss Potter and Mr. Longbottom," a voice from somewhere behind the counter said, startling them. "I have been expecting you." An old man materialized out of the shadows from behind the counter. His eyes were a pale blue and his hair silver.

He then glanced over at the adults sitting in the back. "Ah, Augusta. Yes, elm, twelve inches, unyielding. I trust you are here to get a wand for young Neville?" His eyes bored into hers unblinkingly.

Augusta drew herself up in her chair. "He has his father's wand," she said, "but it became clear to me it would never work for him." As she said this, she peered down disapprovingly at Neville.

The man looked scandalized at the very thought. "Of course it would wand chooses the wizard! May I see your wand, Mr. Longbottom?"

Neville handed over the beautiful dark coloured wand. Ollivander began murmuring under his breath. "Yes, yes... cherry, dragon heartstring, thirteen inches..." He gazed at Neville. "This wand is a terrible match. Let us try something else. Perhaps..."

And he was off, talking to himself and searching amongst the narrow boxes. When he came back, his pale eyes were gleaming. "Try this one," he said. "Give it a wave."

This one was a light coloured wood, and not quite as long. It had intricate carvings on the handle. As soon as Neville touched it, a wind rustled around him. His robes billowed. He waved it, and a shower of golden sparks lit up the room.

The old wandmaker looked quite pleased. "Willow, eleven-and-a-half inches, dragon heartstring," he said. "Quite an uncommon wood. As it is said, he who has furthest to travel will go fastest with willow. Good wand for healing and charm work."

Augusta was looking at her grandson's new wand disapprovingly. Neville, on the hand, was looking down at the wand in his hand in awe, not quite believing he had just produced something so clearly magical.

Alice decided to speak up. "Sir, what do you mean when you say the wand chooses the wizard?" she asked. Ollivander peered at her.

"Not many ask that question, Miss Potter," he said. "No two wands are the same. Each is unique. Even two wands made of the same wood may have come from a different tree. One might have come from the branches and one from the trunk. The core is always taken from a magical beast, and just as no phoenix, dragon, or unicorn are alike, no wand is alike. These things all make each wand respond to a slightly different magical frequency. A wand will choose just the right the witch or wizard who uniquely suites it. " As he said this, he looked at Neville.

Perhaps it was because Alice was only eleven, but it did not strike her strange at all that the old wandmaker spoke of wands as though they had minds of their own.

She smiled kindly at Neville. "See?" she said. "You just needed the right wand. I bet my mum's wand wouldn't work for me either - or my dad's."

Neville nodded and held his wand reverently. It was a whole different matter knowing that this wand chose him.

Augusta did not seem so convinced. "It's a shame Frank's wand will have to go unused when it is such a fine wand," she said. "Wands aren't the same when they aren't used anymore."

Severus thought about this. "The boy can still keep it. It is always useful to have a second wand at the ready when engaged in a duel," he said.

Augusta seemed to see the benefit in this. Soon Neville had purchased a new wand and two wand holsters (at Alice's urging).

"Mr. Ollivander, sir, how does a wand choose somebody?" Alice asked curiously as the wandmaker began assessing what wands to give her to try.

The man blinked, jolted - and quite pleased - by the child's curiosity. "You may call me Garrick," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "Are you familiar with what magic fundamentally is, Miss Potter?"

Alice shook her head. "It feels warm," she said uncertainly.

Garrick nodded. "Very perceptive," he said. "Magic is essentially just another part of nature that can be felt and used, but is imperceptible and intangible to muggles. Magic has a certain frequency. Witches and wizards are able to attune themselves to this frequency. Of course, there are different kind of magics, and some witches and wizards will find they are better attuned to those. Just so, every wand must be attuned to the magical frequency of its owner. It will not respond well to a master whose frequency does not match. Some wands choose masters whose frequency is the very same as its own. Others like to choose masters whose frequency is perfectly complementary."

"Like music," Alice said, absorbing all of this information.

The wandmaker seemed very pleased indeed. "Yes. You can think of it like finely tuning an instrument," he said.

Severus was beginning to wonder if the Girl-Who-Lived would be in Ravenclaw with all of the curiosity she was showing. She is certainly perceptive - much more like Lily. He had always thought Lily could have done well in Ravenclaw.

"Now let us find you a wand, Miss Potter," Garrick said, interrupting Severus's thoughts. "Let's see... perhaps larch, eleven inches..."

As it turned out, the wandmaker had his job cut out for him. The first couple wands Alice tried caused destructive things around the store to happen. She was starting to feel slightly nervous. Neville, who had begun to feel fiercely loyal to her, said, "You'll find one. It just has to be the right wand."

The first one that didn't cause a violent reaction was a willow wand with a unicorn hair core. But...

"It doesn't feel right," she said, puzzled. It felt rather like putting your shoe on the wrong foot.

Ollivander gave her a curious look when she said that. "Don't worry, miss Potter, we'll find just the one." He then went back into the shadows for a moment, and Alice could hear him murmuring, "I wonder..."

"Willow and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple," he said, his eyes burning into hers. "Give it a wave."

She didn't have to. As soon as her fingers touched it, warmth enveloped her and that - something - inside her filled her up and she felt so wonderfully happy. She smiled. Unbeknownst to her, everyone in the room was staring at her in wonderment.

For a second - just a second - she looked as though she was shining.

Then she gave it a wave, and an array of golden sparks cascaded from the tip.

Garrick was thrilled. He applauded. "Yes! Wonderful! A perfect match!" he exclaimed. "I have not seen such a match in ages. Very curious though, Miss Potter, very curious indeed," he said. As Severus paid seven galleons for the wand, Ollivander kept murmuring, "Curious, very curious..." He kept glancing at Alice and her wand as though the pair were an interesting puzzle.

"What's curious?" Alice asked finally after Severus had paid for her wand and it was safely stored in her wand holster. Severus was glad she asked. If she hadn't, he would have to shut the insufferable man and his dramatics up.

Ollivander stroked his chin. "It is very curious that this wand would choose you when its brother gave you that scar," he said.

"Voldemort," Alice breathed. At the mention of the name, everyone in the room flinched.

As for Severus, he felt a certain amount of dread. He had hoped the child would not have to deal with any more connections with the man who had killed her parents. Why this? Why now? He had the nagging feeling Albus would be unsurprised to hear this information. The old man was always saying the Dark Lord was not dead and would be back again. The war was not yet over. He shuddered inside.

"I remember every wand I have sold, Miss Potter," Ollivander continued. "Every single one. The phoenix whose feather resides in your wand gave only one other feather - in the wand of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." His face was solemn. "I think we can expect great things from you, Miss Potter. After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things. Terrible, yes, but great."

Everyone in the room was silent, letting these facts sink in. Ollivander shifted his gaze to Neville. "Of course, it is also curious that both of you children have an affinity for willow wands. As it so happens - yes, I am just now remembering - I made those two wands from the very same branch. I think we can expect great things from both of you," he said.

Alice turned excitedly to Neville. "Our wands are like siblings," she said. "It's like we were meant to meet," she said, smiling.

Severus, who was growing impatient, decided to speak up. "I think it is time for us to move on," he said.

Augusta stood up from her seat, leaning on her cane. "We are also done shopping. I think it is time to head home. Come along, Neville."

Alice did not seem happy at the prospect of her new-found friend leaving. "If it would be all right, perhaps we could arrange for the two to meet again sometime before the start of the school year?" Severus suggested.

Alice brightened up at that. Augusta weighed it in her mind and then nodded. Yes, it would be good for her grandson to meet with someone so important as Alice Potter. And he was always much too shy for his own good. "That would be agreeable," she said. "You may owl us a date."

The two parties left the shop and parted ways. Alice waved goodbye to Neville and they promised to write each other.

Alone again in the shop, the old wandmaker thought about the two children he'd just met. Willow was a curious wand wood. It often chose those who had some amount of insecurity and limitless potential. Those two will grow to become something amazing, he thought. He smiled to himself and then went back to work as the door to Ollivander's opened once more.

-x-

Once Severus and Alice were alone again, Severus decided to take them to eat. It was getting late, and he did not feel like cooking dinner for two at home.

He ordered shepherd's pie for the both of them. He took their time together as a chance to prepare her for her time at Hogwarts. He did not want her to feel as lost as muggleborn children. It could be detrimental to her experience, he thought to himself.

"Once you get to Hogwarts, you will be Sorted into one of four Houses: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Gryffindor," he began.

"Houses?"

Severus nodded and then launched into his explanation. "Yes. The founders of Hogwarts were four talented witches and wizards. Salazar Slytherin taught those who were ambitious and cunning. Rowena Ravenclaw preferred students who were intelligent and curious. Godric Gryffindor taught students who he felt were courageous and noble, and Helga Hufflepuff decided she would teach anyone who was willing to work hard and learn magic."

Alice smiled at the last one. "She seems nice," she said. "All the other ones chose people based on what they liked. But she chose people based on how much they wanted to learn."

Severus was pleased the girl did not automatically seem drawn towards Gryffindor. "That is a very good observation," he said. "Some witches and wizards have ideas about which house is the best or which is the worst. However, no house is better or worse than any other. They each have their own strengths and weaknesses."

Alice nodded solemnly. "It's not fair to assume someone is bad just because of their House," she said.

A sense of justice. Just like Lily... Being the Potter child's caregiver was turning out to be more rewarding than he had initially thought.

"Which house were you in?" she asked, curious.

Severus sipped at his drink. "Slytherin," he answered. "I am actually the current Slytherin Head of House. Once you are Sorted, you will also get your own Head of House. They will serve as a guide to you during your time here. Should problems with your fellow housemates come up, they are who you should go to for help." Instead of focusing on his own past, he decided to use the moment to provide Alice with more helpful information.

She seemed to soak this up. "Mmm," she hummed, contemplating this information. "Maybe I should be a Slytherin," she said. "Then you could be my Head of House."

At first Severus did not know how to respond to this. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. He settled for, "Hmm. We shall have to see."

"Does Hogwarts have a class where you learn how to make wands?" Alice asked, taking her wand out of its holster and looking at it with much admiration.

Severus thought about this for a moment. Hogwarts did not but... "It is not one of the main courses offered," he said. "However, you can ask your Head of House should you desire to pursue an independent study starting in your third year."

Alice seemed satisfied with this, and the two finished the rest of their meal in companionable silence.

He paid for their food and then the two were off, apparating back to Privet Drive so that Alice could get her belongings. She did not have much thanks to her horrid relatives, so it was not long before the two were standing on the streets of Cokesworth in front of Severus's newly-charmed green townhouse in the setting sun. With a feeling of nervousness that he could not seem to shake, he opened the front door. "It's a drab place," he said. "Why you believe that staying here with me is a good idea is beyond me." They stepped inside.

His heart was warmed when he was met with sparkling eyes and a smile.

"It is wonderful," Alice said, not scurrying around like a hooligan, but taking everything in with her eyes.

Perhaps this was not such a bad idea, Severus thought idly.

Not that he would tell Albus.

-x-

A pretty young woman wearing gauzy blue robes, unbeknownst to the world, was leaning over a rickety desk in her one bedroom flat. Her hands were dry from washing her hands so many times due to coming into contact with potions ingredients. She was currently engrossed in an article. It was quite interesting - simple and elegant. Very well thought out, in her opinion.

The amplifying effect of chamomile when used in potions designed to promote healing by Severus T. Snape.

Interesting, she thought. She pulled out her quill and parchment and quickly wrote down the ideas flooding her mind.

No use getting excited, Elanor. You know you won't be able to get published anytime soon. The magical community still doesn't respect squibs all that much.

... Still, this article is fascinating.

A great horned owl at the window interrupted her thoughts. "Altair, what are you doing here? Does Ben need my help again?" she asked aloud. She took the envelope the owl was holding from it and stroked its feathers. It hooted at her affectionately. She opened the letter and scanned its contents.

E. Fawley:

Please be at the store tomorrow at 8:00AM. I apologise for the inconvenience. An important matter has come up and I cannot be there to mind the shop. You will be paid for the overtime.

Sincerely,

B. Price

Elanor sighed. Her potions experimenting would have to wait another day. She had already worked overtime this week and tomorrow was supposed to have been her day off. She stretched. It was getting late. She would need to be getting to bed soon to get a good night's sleep.

Ben,

You do not need to be so formal with me. Please take care tomorrow. I will take care of the shop.

Love,

Elanor.

"You can take this to Ben," she told the owl. "Thank you for delivering his letter to me. Fly safely." Altair hooted again before flying away.

The cold and formal way her own cousin communicated to her never went unnoticed. She tried to put as much warmth in her letter as possible. Even if her family tried to keep their distance from her, they were still family after all.

-x-

Alice could not believe she would be staying here for the rest of the summer. With the professor, no less.

She could not understand it when he said the place was drab. She thought it was anything but. It was far more appealing to her than the pristine and lifeless place that was number 4 Privet Drive.

The walls were light. It was a small narrow kind of place with lots of quirks, but to Alice, that gave it character. They were currently standing in the entryway. Up against the wall to their right was a large window with a comfortable looking chair in front of it. A worn carpet was underneath of it. Another comfortable chair sat on the opposite side of the room.

The kitchen was in a corner. It was small, but serviceable. There was a small little table up against the wall where she assumed meals were eaten. Down the hallway there was a door to the left and then a set of stairs to her right leading up to somewhere. There was also a door at the far end of the hallway that was left open. She could see a bed in it and a nightstand. She assumed that was where the professor slept.

"This is the door to my potions lab," Severus explained, gesturing to the door to the left. "You are not go into this room without my explicit permission. Is that clear?" He gave her a stern look. The thought of an eleven year old running around unsupervised in a room full of potentially explosive ingredients was enough to give him a headache.

"Yes, sir," she said. Alice did not mind. She was used to following rules. That rule would not be hard to follow.

"Down the hallway is where I will sleep. If you need anything at night, that is where you will find me," he said. He then turned his gaze to the stairway. "Up here is where you will sleep," he said. He started up the steep and narrow steps.

Alice followed, her excitement building with every step.

When they got to the top, she could not believe her eyes.

"It is not much," Severus said, "but unlike your relatives, I thought it was time you had something more than a cupboard." He said the last word with clear distaste, expressing his hatred towards the her relatives. Particularly Petunia.

The vaulted ceiling above was painted a clean white. Exposed old wooden beams ran across it, which Alice rather liked. The walls were painted a light sunny yellow. There was a window towards the back and up against it was a twin sized bed with an old quilt lying atop it. The curtains around the window were light blue.

"You have your own bathroom," he said, gesturing towards a short white door to the right. "It is small, but it has a shower and a toilet. I hope you will find it adequate."

For some reason that she could not quite articulate at the age of eleven, tears formed in her eyes and soon spilled over onto her cheeks. She looked up at the professor. "Thank you," she said. "I've never... I've never had a room."

Of course, it was far more than just the room that was causing her to tear up, and Severus knew it.

Damn relatives.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. She startled and looked up at him. It had been such a long time since someone had touched her in a way that was not to hurt her in some way. She was so used to it, in fact, that she reacted to someone's touch rather like most would react to touching a hot stove.

That is concerning, he thought. He would like to use legilimency to get a better idea of the abuses the child suffered under the hand of her relatives. Still, it didn't feel right to do any more than a cursory scan without asking...

He knelt down. "In the wizarding world, there are some who have mastered the ability to see into the minds of others," he said. "It is a branch of magic called legilimency."

Alice wiped her eyes.

"As it so happens, I am a highly skilled legilimens," he said.

So the professor could read minds after all. Somehow, this did not surprise Alice at all. It was beginning to seem as though he could do everything.

Severus made his voice as gentle as possible. "With your permission, I would like to see memories, so I can know how your relatives treated you," he said.

Alice's chest and throat felt tight at these words. His eyes and his words were so gentle and so nice. Even his tough was gentle. Surprisingly so. That made her want to cry more for some reason.

But somehow she was scared of him seeing her memories. She didn't like to think back on them either. Some of them, she preferred to keep away, far away in her mind.

Like that one -

Shivering in her cupboard, hoping and praying not today, not today, not today...

Fear gripped her heart as she saw a shadow moving through the crack in the door -

She violently shoved the memory away. She was so good at not thinking about it sometimes that the memories almost felt foreign to her. She had gotten rather good over the years at compartmentalizing the different parts of her life.

Severus did not need to use legilimency to see that Alice was scared of his proposition. "Perhaps not tonight," he said softly. "It's been a long day. I think it is time we both get some rest. I trust you can see yourself to bed."

Alice nodded, not trusting her voice. Her throat was still tight.

Severus walked out of the room. "Goodnight, Alice," he said, and then closed the door.