Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Customer Confidentiality
ONE YEAR LATER....
Thomas Donovan is currently meditating on the floor of his room with his eyes closed and a snake in front of him. The serpent's body was currently rigid, as if ready to strike. Baring its fangs, the snake shot forward and was about to sink its teeth into the boy if not for his hand shooting up. The snake stopped, suddenly captivated by the child's phalanges.
Opening his eyes, Tommy's deep blues glowed for a second as he spoke in a slithery language, "Heel before me...."
The snake suddenly bowed somewhat and Thomas grinned before breaking his concentration and looking behind him. Severus came into view now, with his arms folded as he leaned against the door frame. "The snake still tried to attack you...again!"
Thomas groaned, "Come--on, Severus!" the boy rocked his head back, "I've been at this for days now," he pulled up the sleeves of his white sweater which sported dozens of fang marks, "Look at this!"
Suddenly a rolled up newspaper came into contact with his head, "If I wanted your input...I'd have asked for it, Donovan!"
There was silence for a while....
"Oh--sure, it's not like I had venom in my system or anything," Thomas rolled his eyes before going back to the snake that was back in its original position.
"Is that sarcasm...I detect?" Snape raised the newspaper again, already anticipating his next response.
"Oh--No, of course not," Thomas received another whack on the head from the newspaper, "I'm not a dog, you know?!"
"Of course not," Severus suddenly turned on his heel and was about to exit, "Continue practicing! Later today we will be having a visit to the castle...just for you."
'For me?' Thomas' face scrunched up as he folded his arms and peered at the snake whom stared back intently. 'This should be interesting,' he sighed before he saw the snake slither its way into a brown box. Staying seated for a while, Thomas observed his room.
It was fairly simple, a bed in one corner, a study table, book shelves on the walls, his broom in one end, a closet with his clothes, but no pictures...nothing else but his books and plants that he tended to on his free time. Thomas was also a neat boy, not much of his stuff ever being out of place.
Going to his feet, Thomas went over to his desk by one of the windows of his room and began reading up on some basic spells that Severus and Albus allowed him to research, even if he didn't have a wand as of yet.
After a solid two to three hours of reading various spell and history books, Thomas decided to exit his bedroom and entered the common room of his and Snape's hut near the lake hidden by various charms, 'Cave inimicum...amazing,' Thomas marveled at Severus' work.
Currently, the man in question was outside staring into the distance, as if lost...broken. Thomas looked at him intently from the window of the house. His eyes suddenly held sympathy of some sort. The young boy sighed before slumping against the couch underneath the window.
"If you are going to mope around...you might as well do it in your room...alone," Severus' voice penetrated his ears, causing the boy to perk up at the man's extremely unexpected appearance.
"I could tell you the same thing," Thomas folded his arms and narrowed his eyes at Severus whose eye merely twitched in annoyance.
"Fair...enough," Severus suddenly began making his way upstairs, "Be ready by the next hour, boy...we head for Hogwarts."
Thomas suddenly became suspicious, 'What is up with him today? Then again...it is Severus, he's always weird. And this thing about going to Hogwarts today...just for me...something's not right.'
Closing his eyes, Thomas relaxed his racing thoughts before they could take him on some nasty adventure, his imagination could do the silliest things sometimes. Suddenly he heard something...something dark, it was only for a sliver of a second, but he could have sworn he heard something whisper in a slithery voice... the word 'Kill' was definitely distinctive. Today seemed to be one of those off days....
....
As Severus was adorned in his usual dark attire, Thomas opted for his regular denim jeans and a black sweater. Currently walking through the halls of Hogwarts, the atmosphere seemed oddly quiet, not even a ghost was in sight.
Coming up on a door at the end of one of the halls, Severus opened it, allowing Thomas safe passage. As they entered, the young boy could immediately make out Dumbledore with another old man. "Uncle Albus!" the boy sprinted towards Dumbledore and the older man merely chuckled as he collected the charging boy.
"Hello there Tommy!" he knelt next to the boy, "And how have you been?"
Tommy hadn't acknowledged the other older gentleman as of yet, whom was sporting a shocked expression. The other man's peculiar head of white hair suddenly disappeared into the giant trunk he carried with him.
"I'm good, thank you," the child suddenly got closer, whispering the next part, "But Severus has been moody these days."
"Hmm," Albus hummed, amused at Severus' scowl from afar, "That sounds like him."
The boy and older man shared a laugh before Dumbledore finally turned to the stranger whom now had three peculiar boxes, they were no longer than 15 inches nor thicker than 2.
Albus gestured to the stranger, "Tommy, this is Mr. Ollivander."
The older man stuck his hand out for a shake and the boy obliged whilst also saying, "A pleasure, Mr. Ollivander, I'm Thomas."
"Why hello there, Thomas," Ollivander shook his hand enthusiastically, "Do you have any idea why I am here, dear boy?"
"No idea, sir, my apologies," Tommy smiled sheepishly.
Ollivander chuckled, "It's quite alright young man!" Ollivander handed the boy the first box. "I am actually here to give you a present."
"A present?" Thomas asked as he accepted the box and looked to Severus and Dumbledore, as if asking permission, to which they both nodded.
Severus observed the boy with keen eyes, as Thomas opened the first box and pulled out a wand. The boy grew extremely confused and looked toward his elders, "I'm afraid I don't understand...Why am I getting a wand this early, Uncle Albus?"
Severus jerked ever so slightly as Tom addressed Dumbledore first, "It is about time you ascended into the second part of your training," the raven haired man stepped forward, "It may not be according to the rules, but...you are a special case, boy."
Thomas looked back down at the wand in his hand and then shifted his gaze to a smiling Albus and grinning Ollivander, "Well, don't be shy now...give it a twirl!" Ollivander urged and the boy did as instructed.
BOOM
Suddenly, a piller was destroyed and debris was sent all over, everyone in the room was deathly silent until, "Well...that doesn't seem right," Thomas said and looked back down at his wand with intrigued eyes now.
"How about this one?" Ollivander offered the second one in his possession. Tommy gave it a swish in Snape's direction and suddenly--
"Wait--Thomas!" Severus was sent into a wall, causing a deafening crack and he slumped down to his behind. The Slytherin head groaned in pain as he tried to get up.
"Can I keep this one?" Thomas asked, his voice filled with mischief.
"No!"
"No!"
Albus and Severus shouted at the same time, prompting Ollivander to laugh, suddenly it died down as he looked to his last option...from what Dumbledore had told him about the young boy, this one seemed like the only plausible option and should have been Thomas' first, however...they hoped that it wasn't so.
Ollivander cleared his throat and shared a glance with Severus and Dumbledore before looking down at Thomas, his hands were now shaky as he opened the box and showcased the wand to the boy.
Tommy raised a brow at the wand, there was something about this one, something that was calling out to him. His small and slender fingers grabbed the wand and suddenly a bright light illuminated the room swaying all of their hair and clothes as if a powerful gust of wind passed by.
"Wicked..." Tommy muttered as he oddly felt complete.
"Gentlemen," Ollivander began amazed and slightly aghast, "I believe we have a winner." Dumbledore and Severus shared a worried glance as Ollivander explained, "13 inches long and constructed from yew...this piece of art has a phoenix core making it the counterpart of only two other wands...one of which was owned by He--"
"That is quite alright, Ollivander, thank you," Dumbledore came and gestured the man toward the door, "Why don't we go have some tea? We can go over those Customer Confidentiality Agreements again, doesn't that sound lovely?"
"Yes--Yes," Ollivander seemed lost as Tommy continued to peer down at his black wand in curiosity. He absentmindedly followed after Dumbledore and Ollivander until--
"Everte....Statum!" Snape's voice sounded and suddenly Thomas was thrown back violently. The boy soared through the air and his body rotated before he connected with the floor with a hard thump.
He groaned in pain as he heard the sound of a door shutting, he turned to his side and looked up at Severus whom had a brow raised, "What did you that for?!" Tommy sat up with his wand near his body.
"First lesson...awareness," Severus stalked around the barren room, "If you are to be of use to me...you must be able," he pointed his wand at Tom, "to protect yourself," he swished his wand again, "Everte....Statum!"
The spell shot towards Thomas, but the boy had already reacted and grabbed his wand, he swung a counter spell, "Finite Incantatem!"
The spell was immediately discharged and Severus paused before nodding, Tommy was panting, "The only reason I recited the spell was so that you would be able to know which counter spell to use," the older man explained as Thomas rose to his full height, Severus wasn't impressed, "Now, let's put those book skills to work...shall we?"
Suddenly firing another blast at Thomas, the boy quickly tried to counter, "Finite--Ugh!" he was too slow. He groaned from the floor again. "Oh that hurt...that very much hurt..."
Severus raised a brow, "There will come a time where you will encounter someone who doesn't need to recite incantations...when that time comes...you must be able to defend yourself...Now, Again!"
Steeling his resolve, Thomas got up, "Okay...you want defense, I'll show you defense..."
"Un--Likely," Snape shot another spell at Thomas and the boy tried again.
"Finite--Ahh!" the boy was sent into a wall and he fell to the floor, he laid there for a while as his world spun around him and feeling a warm substance seep through his hair and blind his vision, he wiped the blood from his right eye.
"Finished already...Donovan?" Severus re-positioned himself already, his wand at the ready.
"Like bloody hell I'm finished," Thomas decided to copy Severus' stance and they both began circling each other.
Severus hummed, 'Good...' he noticed the way Thomas' deep blue eyes observe his every move, 'With a few more years of training, you'll be there...Thomas.' He suddenly took a step back, "Confringo!"
As the ball of fire shot toward Thomas, time seemed to slow as his resolve kicked in and he suddenly felt infused with the equivalent to an ocean's worth of courage. Cooley twirling his wand in his hand, he maneuvered his body to one side and swished his wand whilst enchanting in his mind, 'Finite Incatatem!'
Thomas Donovan...was ready to start 'Phase Two' of his training!
How long would it take?
He didn't know.
How brutal was it going to be?
He didn't know.
But, one thing he was certain of....
He was going to make Severus Snape acknowledge his strength!
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