Medicine (Severus Snape/O.C)

{Chapter Two: Maura Graves}

Much to Lorelai's dismay, the rest of the week had gone by fairly quickly. Her mother had offered to go with her and help with getting her supplies, but Lorelai declined and walked to the given address. Luckily, the response letter from the headmaster came with a list of supplies and where to get them. As she re-read the letter she furrowed her eyes in confusion. "I don't remember seeing a Leaky Cauldron on our walk." Her other self spoke, equally confused.

"Maybe we didn't walk down the street it was on. Either that or we just didn't notice it." Lorelai reasoned with herself. When they finally reached the pub she followed the headmaster's instructions and entered the building. At the sound of the door closing some people turned their heads and stared as she limped over to the back door, some looking pitifully, some judgemental. She exited the building to see bricks moving, slowly closing up a pathway to what she believed was Diagon Alley, at least that's what the letter said it was called. Without thinking, Lorelai quickly slipped through them, just barely missing getting crushed by the bricks. She huffed and turned her head to glare at them before looking at were she actually was. Her body completely froze when she saw the scenery before her, brows knit together in curiosity and, yet again, confusion.

Lorelai stood upon a large cobblestone pathway lined with many shops whose buildings were a bit crooked. People were bustling through the street, some rushing and some just enjoying themselves. They all seemed to be uniquely dressed making Lorelai seem like the outcast, save for one person here and there. "Well?" She heard her other voice question as she leaned against her shoulder with her elbow. "You gonna' explore or just stand there like an idiot?" Lorelai shot herself a side glare before starting to walk down the pathway.

"Hiya!" A girl suddenly exclaimed popping up in front of her out of nowhere. "I'm Maura Graves, what's your name?" The bubbly brunette asked her, holding out her hand. Lorelai hesitated before shaking it.

"Lorelai Hallewell."

"Are you new? You look new. I haven't seen you at Hogwarts before, either, but you're too old to be a first year." She babbled and gasped all of a sudden. "You're a transfer student! Which school did you go to?"

"Lincoln High?" Lorelai was confused by her behavior.

"Wait - as in muggle school? You've never attended a wizarding school?" She exclaimed in shock. Lorelai slowly shook her head. "Wow." Maura whispered, eyes wide. Her eyes then flicked down to the list in her hand and snatched it from her. "You have a lot you need to get." Lorelai rolled her eyes. "You might need my help, after all." Mumbled the teen. "I don't care what you say, I'm helping you." Maura grabbed her hand and dragged her through crowds of people to a place called Gringotts, walking inside to be greeted by marble flooring and walls, goblins lining the latter as they worked. After a goblin took them to Maura's vault where her money was she grabbed as much as she could, being seemingly rich, and exited the bank. "What on the list would you like to get first?" She asked.

"You know, I really don't think you should be paying for my supplies -"

"Nonsense! I'm paying for it and that's final. Now, since you can't seem to decide, we'll be getting your wand first." Again, Maura dragged her to a shop named Ollivander's to get her wand.

"Ah, Miss Graves. Lovely to see you." An old man said from behind the front desk with a kind smile. He then noticed Lorelai. "And who might this be?"

"Oh! This is my new friend Lorelai Hallewell. She's in need of a wand."

"You broke your other one, I'm guessing?"

"She's actually just starting wizarding school. A fourth year, I'm guessing."

"Well, then. Let's get your wand, shall we?" He offered a kind smile before going into the back of the shop and grabbing a rectangular box, opening it and handing the wand to Lorelai. "Give it a flick." He said a bit excited. She did as she was told and broke a glass vase not too far away. "Definitely not that one..." He mumbled and grabbed another. This went on for a few minutes until they finally came upon one that lit up as soon as it touched her hand. "This is a special wand. The wood is made of Pine, choosing an owner who is independant and sometimes mysterious. A loner, perhaps." Lorelai gaped at the wand as he continued to speak. "The core is also very special. It is the horn of a Horned Serpent and is very sensitive to Parseltongue. When it detects it, it vibrates. It even makes a humming noise when danger is nearby." The wood was pale and seemed to be burnt from the tip to the center, almost charred. The tip felt almost as sharp as a knife as she gently poked it with the tip of her finger. After paying and giving their thanks they continued on with the list.

It took a few hours to finish it, but they eventually did. Heading to the exit, they were about to leave when something caught Lorelai's eye. In the window of a shop she saw a black fruit bat hanging in a cage. It had large, beady brown eyes that stared right back at her along with a narrow snout, similar to her own perky red nose. "Oh, that's Magical Menagerie. They sell all kinds of pets for wizards and witches. Most of the time they make great companions." Maura informed.

"How much is a bat?

~*°oOo°*~

"Are you sure you have everything?"

"Yes, Mom. I'm sure." Lorelai confirmed for the third time, slightly irked. They were currently waiting at the train station between platforms nine and ten waiting for Maura. She said she would meet Lorelai there to show her the ropes and talk to her more about the school before they actually got there.

"Lorelai!" They heard a sing-song voice call out. They looked over and saw the short girl making her way over to them with a smile.

"Where's your parents?" Lorelai asked.

"They had to go to work, so I said 'goodbye' to them at the house." She answered while trying to catch her breath. From what Lorelai could remember, she heard Maura call herself a 'muggleborn' or 'mudblood'. She still didn't know what they meant, but apparently some people teased her about it. "Hello!" She chirped and held out her hand to Lorelai's mother who happily shook it. "You must be her mother. I'm Maura Graves."

"Oh, her friend, I'm guessing?"

"I'd like to think so." Maura said giggling.

"Well, I'm sure you two will be great friends."

"Shall we get to the train?" Maura asked Lorelai who nodded.

"Have fun, sweetheart." Her mother said and gave her a hug before leaving with a smile, already late for work.

"Now," Maura clapped her hands together. "In order to get to 9 ¾ you need to run through that brick wall." She said pointing to one of the walls.

"Run into?" Lorelai stuttered.

"Well, it helps if you're nervous." Maura noticed her hesitant expression and laid a hand on her shoulder making Lorelai whip her head around to look at her. "It'll be fine, trust me." She visibly relaxed a bit and Maura could've sworn she saw the ghost of a smile. "Now go before you get scared again." She teased and gave her a little nudge towards the wall, watching as she disappeared through it before following her. It took them a few minutes to find an empty compartment and sat down. "So?" Maura questioned, practically jumping in her seat. Lorelai raised a single brow. "Any questions?"

"How long does it take to get there?" This question made her laugh.

"A few hours. I might as well go over the basics with you." She thought about what to talk about first when she finally thought of something. "Houses! I love guessing what house someone will be sorted in to." If Maura wasn't bouncing before, she definitely was now. "Okay. There are four houses that you can get in to. There's Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Hufflepuffs tend to be the nicer ones, they value loyalty and hard work. Gryffindors are the braver ones and have more nerves. Ravenclaws tend to be intelligent and/or witty. They're like the nerds of the school. And then there's Slytherin. They tend to be categorized as the mean ones because people think they're snobbish and uptight. They're usually cunning and ambitious and are big on self-preservation."

"What house are you in?" Lorelai asked curiously.

"Hufflepuff." Lorelai mentally slapped herself. "But I have a feeling you'll be in Ravenclaw."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know. You just seem like one."