The Letter: The Letter

by star_girl

The Letter

It had all begun with a simple letter addressed to him in long, flowing handwriting. A passing owl had dropped it on to his plate while he ate breakfast.

After brushing off toast crumbs from the smooth envelope and ensuring the letter was concealed from his fellow teachers, Snape had carefully unfurled a thick piece of parchment, which had borne the same rich, curly script, and began to read.

Embarrassed about the length of your wand? Do you wish you had more length in your hand when working your magic?

Do not fret! I can help you achieve the commanding wand you truly desire! Respond by owl today to see how I, Madam Mynx, can change your life.

Testimonials:

‘I felt like I was waving around a pathetic twig, and it dented my magical confidence so badly I was having troubles with even the simplest of charms. But thanks to Madam Mynx, I now boast a mighty twelve inches and can swish and flick with the best of them!’ – Royston Stout, Wigan.

‘Thank you, Madam Mynx! I can now hold my wand proudly aloft in public and feel like a true witch!’ – Araminta Merryfield, Dundee.


Snape had closed the parchment swiftly, his keen black eyes searching for evidence around the Great Hall of a practical joke. The letter had indeed touched a nerve. Snape would indeed have liked a longer wand himself. His ebony and dragon heartstring wand was nine inches in length, but he had always felt that an extra inch would benefit him. Not that he had any troubles performing magic, of course; Snape was a highly-skilled wizard and had no troubles in that department. But he had always felt that an extra inch would have given him more presence when spell casting.

Tucking the letter into his robes, Snape had left breakfast and hurried down to the dungeons to write a reply to the enigmatic Madam Mynx before classes began.

To his great surprise, Madam Mynx had responded at lunchtime.

Dear Severus,

Thank you for your interest in my services. However, I feel I am unable to assist you. My services are for those who have the misfortune of owning a wand less than the standard size of six inches long and who therefore suffer lack of confidence in their magical abilities as a result.

Your wand, on the other hand, sounds like it is the perfect length already. Your reputation as a fine wizard is already widely known and, although you may feel dissatisfied with what you have been given, let me assure you that you already possess a wand that many wizards would kill to own, and many witches would be impressed at the sight of.

Yours faithfully,

Madam Mynx


Snape could not suppress his smirk at the last line. Witches impressed at the sight of his wand, indeed! With a sense of pride that puffed up his chest, Snape had sauntered through the Great Hall, twirling his wand like a baton.




Written for the May Challenge at Muffliato!, a facebook forum for writers and/or readers of Harry Potter fan fiction, who have a particular interest in the Severus Snape/Original Character pairing.

The rules:

* Your story must be SS-centric (duh!) and max. 500 words long

* You will be given the two first sentences, and you have to use them without making any changes to them.


This story archived at: Occlumency

http://occlumency.sycophanthex.com/viewstory.php?sid=7670