A/N: Hello to any new readers out there! I'm hoping you will not judge this story too quickly by the first chapter, as it takes a few to really get started. It might seem confusing, but it will explain itself in a few chapters, I promise. When this story is completed I will be going through all the chapters and cleaning up, as I did with this first one. I've rewritten this first chapter just to clear up a few things. I feel that some people may have lost interest because they didn't see the tie in to the whole story within this first chapter. So, I've added a prologue and rearranged a few things in the body. Enjoy! Oh, and yes, this story is rated mature for a reason.

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Prologue

The mid October sky was fresh and crisp, painted by the red and orange leaves extending from the treetops. The trees lined the quiet street like a canopy, every so often revealing a patch of blue. As the car turned into a driveway, in front of an elegant brick home, a woman in her early thirties turned her head to look at the sleeping baby in the backseat.

When the car came to rest, a man of the same age stepped out of the driver's seat, and then walked around to open the door for his wife. He helped the woman out of the car and they looked at each other for a moment. They smiled. Several minutes later they entered their home, and the woman took the tiny baby out of the car seat.

She held the child close to her chest, rocking back and forth, nothing but a smile on her face. The man watched, feeling pleased that his wife was the happiest she had ever been.

"Oh, Nicholas, she's smiling at me. Look! Look!" she said, beaming as she looked down at the baby. "Look at those eyes," she gasped, "they are so beautiful."

"All babies are born with blue eyes," he smiled, "but those are more than blue."

"I know. I wonder if they will stay like this." She rocked back and forth again, holding the child as if it were a treasure beyond any other. "I'm so glad we decided to do this, Nick. I thought my dreams of being a mother were over when they said I couldn't have children. I'm so happy. I still can't believe she's here."

The woman talked more animatedly than she should of, but since she was directing her voice at the baby, it was only natural.

"I know, Mary, I'm happy too." He could do nothing but watch his wife and new daughter, feeling a hole in his heart fill up with pride. "I'm glad we decided to keep her name. It's different, but I like it."

"Yes, Seda is a lovely name, isn't it?" She said in a singsong voice. The baby looked up in wonder with her big blue eyes and she smiled, mouth wide open and little tongue clicking in excitement.

Ten years later…

It was another mid October day, the sun was warm and the sky was bright blue. There was a soft wind, blowing through loose hair and rustling in the leaves. Groups of people, mostly young girls, were crowded around a bench outside a theatre.

"Ok, girls, sit down so I can take a picture. Come on, over here." A woman called to a bunch of giggling ten year olds, all dressed in dance attire.

The girls all scattered to sit on the bench or stand behind it. They all wore black leotards, pink tights with black leg warmers, and they all had matching jackets with their names embroidered on the left side. Each one had their hair wrapped in a tight bun at the back of their head, and they giggled to each other as they prepared for a picture.

"Seda, look at the camera, darling," the woman said from behind the camera. "Ok, everyone say cheese!"

As the girls around her smiled and said, "cheese," her attention was drawn elsewhere. Her eyes lingered on a small orb of light, floating in the sky a few feet away from her face. Her eyes widened in amazement just as the camera flashed, capturing her wondrous smile forever.

She stared at the orb for another minute until a girl hit her on the arm. "Come on, Wood, we're leaving," she said, but her voice seemed distant.

"Oh, ok," she replied. She looked back to the sky to see if the orb was there, but it was gone. She stood up from the bench and walked away, feeling a slight sense of loss.

Another woman came and put an arm around Seda's small shoulders, as they walked to a car. "Wonderful job today."

"Thanks, mom," she said, somewhat distracted.

"Mrs. Casey thinks you might have a spot in the show."

"The group?"

"No, a solo spot."

Seda looked up at her mother in surprise. "Really?"

"Yes. She said if you keep up your enthusiasm in classes you might be in the fest this year by yourself."

"Great!" she said excitedly. She hugged her mother and they walked to the car. She forgot about the orb she saw and focused on dancing from then on.

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It was a summer night in June, and the staff waited to hear the last words from the Headmaster.

"Well, that will be all. Have a wonderful holiday, and I will see you back at the start of term. Thank you, everyone." Dumbledore smiled at the group of witches and wizards.

They said their goodbyes and left the office, except one.

"Ah, Severus. Please, have a seat." He gestured to a chair.

Snape sat down and looked at Dumbledore impatiently. He hoped it was not going to take long, what ever it was. He had things to do before the holiday started.

"You remember that favor, do you not?" Dumbledore asked.

"The possibility of an assignment, yes."

"Oh, good," he smiled. "Well, I have heard back from the Minister, and it seems as though assistance will be required." There was something smug about him.

"So it is definite then?"

"Yes, indeed it is. They request your presence as soon as possible. The summer session starts on Monday."

"I see, so soon?"

"Yes, I'm afraid the terms in the Americas are a bit different than ours." He waved his hand at nothing, though a pot of tea appeared. "Tea?" Dumbledore offered. Snape shook his head. "The session there will end the week before the start of term at Hogwarts, should it be required you stay that long."

"Is it really going to require two months?" Snape seemed irritated.

"It depends, Severus, when ever the situation is inspected thoroughly enough. There may be no sign of any disturbance at all, though I doubt that."

"And you are certain you cannot do this yourself, Headmaster?"

"I'm afraid not. You see I would be a bit more suspicious looking than you. Besides, they requested an excellent Potions Master, considering it is the closest to chemistry there is."

"I still do not see how this is substantial. What does my skill have to do with this?"

"It's more of a diversion. Throw them off course so they suspect nothing. You are capable of that, having been-"

"Yes, a spy, I know," Snape said bitterly.

"Then I'm glad we are understood then, because this is extremely important. The outcome of this… ah, mission has a role to play in your future."

"My future?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yes, very much so. I know how persuasive you can be, Severus, so I'm relying on you to find the disturbance and rectify it." He gestured to the teapot. "Are you sure you wouldn't like some tea?"

"No, thank you," he had the urge to roll his eyes but he didn't. "So where exactly is my post?"

"Oh, I thought you might like to know that. The school is in New Hampshire. It's called New Hampshire University, ironically enough."

"How very original," he said coolly. "And you are certain there is only one class I have to deal with? There will be no other surprises when I arrive?" Snape had a funny feeling there was something he didn't know.

"No, Severus, only one. I dare say one will be more than enough. Now, if that is all, I suggest you prepare to leave as quickly as possible."

Snape stood up and nodded. "I shall be in contact," he said before he turned to leave.

"Oh, and… watch for the unexpected. Good trip, Severus." He waved, and then Snape was gone in a swish of black robes.

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The day was being drawn out painfully. The dreary Thursday was losing light more rapidly now and soon the earth would be stripped of any trace of sunlight. Looking onto the grounds he could see visions of nameless figures, as fireflies danced around without a care. How long he had been in this daze he could only guess, when a voice, far off in the distance, came echoing into his thoughts.

"Professor Snape, how would you… is this… excuse me, sir?" The voice faded in and out of his head like a flickering light bulb.

It felt as if he'd been sleeping upside down. The sudden rush of mundane questions came hurtling at him, causing a burning headache. He felt slightly dizzy as the world turned right side up in his mind.

"Professor, are you alright?" The voice faded in again. He nodded his head and dismissed the student with a wave of his hand.

The previous afternoon he caught glimpse of a peculiar situation, and since then he had been lost in his thoughts. He had been pondering all day, as logically as he could, that it couldn't have been possible. Maybe the warmth of that particular room was causing his brain to become a bit fuzzy, but he could have sworn he had seen what he did. Yet it would have to be put aside as of now because he was brought back to an all-familiar reality, his mission.

The next day was gloomier than the last, if it was possible. Snape sat at his desk waiting for the students, checking his pocket watch, as they only had several minutes before they would all be late. It was strange, he thought, how these Muggle students didn't fear him like the Hogwarts pupils. Then he remembered they didn't know he was a wizard. So of course they didn't fear him, as they should. They didn't know he was capable of putting them in detention only to scrub out cauldrons or clean potion vials filled with mutilated caterpillars. They didn't know he was capable of hexing them to pieces.

Advanced Chemistry was definitely a piece of work. What Muggles had been doing for the last several decades he didn't know, but he had imagined it to be some type of mad experimentations. Then again, magic wasn't a part of their daily lives. Naturally they would have nothing better to do than concoct indifferent ways to find the meaning of a pointless substance, although he found something slightly fascinating about it all. This was mostly because it had a distant relation to the concept of Potions. With that settled in his conscience, it was probably the only thing that kept him sane that holiday.

Snape checked his watch yet again, and just as the last thirty seconds began to tick away students began to swarm into the room. Surely these Muggles didn't waste a second, he thought, cutting it tight on the edge of time.

"Today we will continue with the development of our formulas. Many of you have completed your research and may continue with the developmental process of this formula. Those who have yet to finish their research had better not procrastinate any longer."

The class set to work, in an apprehensive way, not sure whether to ban the research all together and jump right into the processing stage or just give up. It had not been long since they had been in Snape's classes and all ready they assumed he is not one to be fooled with.

Snape floated around the room and offered criticism to those who were struggling and silence to those who advanced. It wasn't until he noticed the same unfeasible sight as before that he began to snap at anyone who disturbed his thoughts.

It wasn't possible, he thought.

"Excuse me, Professor. Is this the correct amount here or is this the prescribed expression in this column?" a young woman spoke nervously.

Damn these students, he cursed in his head, they were always asking silly questions at the wrong moment.

"It's this column here, Miss Patterson, but surely you realized your formula is also wrong," he snapped at the girl and then she bent over her papers and avoided him.

He didn't continue down the row, but took a right instead, heading to the back of the lab. A young woman, no more than twenty, stood behind a Bunsen burner and a vial while she examined the process. Snape stood behind her, puzzled for a moment, and then headed to the front of her lab table.

"What exactly are you doing, Miss Wood?" he asked in a low and curious tone.

Usually the sudden appearance of Snape startled people, but she seemed rather calm. Continuing her gaze on the items laid before her, she answered him in an even calmer manner.

"I revised my formula. I discovered that by adding one extra drop of Iodide and lowering the temperature by three point six degrees the development of the oxidants is more significant."

Snape raised an eyebrow at this remark. It was certainly not what he had expected.

"Fascinating, Miss Wood," he said sarcastically. "However, that is not the correct formula. I asked for the proper formula from your book, not your experimentation."

"Thank you, Professor Snape, but I knew what you asked for. The research led me to this formula so I continued to experiment, which has proven successful," she answered nobly.

If it was possible, Snape's eyebrow nearly jumped off his head. That was, dare he say it something he would expect to hear from a Gryffindor. Not to mention, she was extremely arrogant and had no idea who she was dealing with. She had brains, however, that he couldn't ignore.

"Carry on then, Miss Wood," he said annoyed. "Let's hope that more mistakes like that won't lead to a more unpleasant outcome." He glared at her for a moment then turned with a snap of his robes.

Snape roamed past the rest of the tables and proceeded to his desk. He needed a minute to think things over, which was very unlike him. He was usually the type to determine the cause of a situation within a matter of seconds. This seemed to have boggled his mind. It wasn't her remark; it was what led him to her table in the first place.

While Snape gathered his work, the class filed out of the room except one other person. The young woman that reminded him of a Gryffindor was packing up her things as well, obviously in no hurry. As she was placing her books and note pads in her book bag, she didn't realize one of her vials was on the loose. It was rolling towards the edge of the counter top, and it fell before she could catch it.

"Damn," she said quietly, but Snape heard her. He glanced up only to observe momentarily, but he saw something very unexpected.

He knew at once he was not seeing things as he tried to convince himself before, but he had actually just seen proof that he was not losing his mind. Without any hesitation, Snape swept from behind his desk and approached the young woman.

"I'm sorry Professor, it slipped before I could catch it, but I cleaned it up." She was looking away from him.

"Miss Wood, could you answer me something?" He stared intensely at her.

She looked a little hesitant. "I suppose I could, Professor," she said nervously and looked at up him.

"Very well, Miss Wood, be honest with me. How did you manage to clean up that vial without moving?" He was right to the point.

Snape stared right into her eyes, as if he was searching for an answer before she could reveal it. He knew he had her trapped. She would not be able to come up with silly excuses for what he had just seen.

"I don't know what you mean, sir." Something in her deep blue eyes flickered but she didn't look away from him.

"You know perfectly well what I mean," he snapped. "Your vial rolled onto the floor and broke into several pieces, and then you managed to have it restored to its original form within a matter of seconds. That is what I mean, Miss Wood."

Snape could sense that she was frantically searching her mind for some sort of explanation, but it looked as though she was failing.

All she could manage to say was, "I'm going to be late for my next class," in a rushed, under her breath sort of voice. She turned back to her book bag and started tossing things in quickly. She was turning to leave when Snape called again.

"I know what you managed to do. I am not blind, Miss Wood. All I ask is that you explain yourself." His voice was demanding yet calm.

She stopped mid step and stood with her back to him. "What exactly did you see, Professor?"

Snape thought for a moment. He needed to choose his words carefully, as he did not want to give away his true identity. In a tone that he had never seen something so magnificent, he explained again, sarcastically.

"What I saw, exactly, was several pieces of broken vial extraordinarily levitate themselves back to your table without you moving at all, within a matter of seconds. I would like you to please explain how you managed to do this."

Slowly she started to turn towards him, and then she took a few steps to the nearest table. She adjusted the strap of her bag to sit higher on her shoulder, and then she placed both hands on the counter top.

"I don't know how I did it, honest. Strange things like that have been happening to me ever since I was young, and no one has ever been able to explain what they saw." She looked down at her hands.

Snape was staring at her head, where her eyes should be if she was to look up properly. He folded his arms inside his robes, curious of her words.

"Lately I've grown used to these abnormal… abilities, and I hardly notice when it happens anymore." She looked up at Snape and stared into his eyes. Just as he was, she looked like she was trying to search for an answer within his mind.

He merely replied, "stay after class tomorrow afternoon."

Without question, she turned and left the room quickly, never looking back.

Snape left the classroom and entered his living quarters some time later. He started to get the feeling that this mission he was on had more to do with just rectifying a disturbance, and he had the feeling that a certain Headmaster had everything to do with this. He couldn't believe he didn't realize when it first happened; of course he thought he was here for an entirely different reason. The old smugger, he thought bitterly. He immediately sent a message to said smugger, and poured him self a drink, a strong drink.

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A/N: If things are still unclear, I promise they will make sense in a few chapters. Snape was sent for a very specific reason, and there is a perfectly good explanation for it soon. I've started to revise my old chapters, since I am nearing the end of this story. I plan on redoing each chapter, little clean ups and such, just to make it more straightforward. As of now I have only cleaned up this first chapter, so forgive me for the untidiness of the next few, they were my very first attempts at fan fiction. I'm getting the hang of it now, ha! I really do hope you give it a shot, Toodles!