There once was a girl named Cabarette, okay, maybe once isn't the correct term, as she's still alive. I'd know because, well...she's me. This is the story of my life...or should I say this is the story from when I first started to feel alive.

It was years ago, when my parents died. Their love is a bittersweet story. My mother, young, beautiful, and very foolish, looked past the flaws of a certain man with a rather charming smile. The sort of smile that, when directed at you, made you forget your name. This man was Tom Riddle, and he thought himself better than every other person.

My mother certainly seemed to see something in him, but she was, as I've said, young, full of innocence, not aware of how cruel the world was. She fell in love. With a man who had, long ago, died inside; every, loving word, kind gesture was a lie. He was master of using people and he wanted an heir. As soon as she was with child, mission accomplished, he moved on to his next wicked plan, leaving her confused, afraid and very alone.

Locked up in her room, she brewed many aborting potions. She was never able to take them, of course, she couldn't find it in herself to destroy anything that had to do with Tom, especially his baby, so I lived.

It was a dark, stormy night that I was born. My mother didn't even get to hold me. Tom showed up and killed her, let me take you back to that night with a memory that I have acquired over the years.

July 13th 1980

"Sprite...SPRITE!" Severus Snape's voice was urgent; Sprite was pale and unconscious on the bed. She'd barley had enough strength to make it through the delivery. The healer he'd called when Sprite had gone into labor was with the baby. It was still breathing, but it hadn't cried yet. "Sprite..." He placed his hand on her forehead, she was burning up, "Sprite, open your eyes... Don't you want to see your baby? It's a girl. Look at her, she's beautiful." Her eyes cracked open. She looked at Severus,

"Sev...S..." Her voice was weak and he had to strain to hear her, "Sev..."

"Yes, Sprite, I'm here." She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. There was a blinding flash of green light and Sprite Saffron never spoke again.

Voldemort was cackling madly, nearly beside himself, staring at his new baby girl. Severus glanced at the door. The healer, eyes glazed over, unseeing. He watched as Voldemort walked over and picked up the infant. The baby girl opened her eyes; seeing the man holding her, her little bottom lip began to tremble and she let out a high pitched wail.

A look of revolution immediately spread across Voldemort's face. He held the baby in outstretched arms and looked around,

"Ah, Snape. Take it." Severus obeyed, taking the little girl gently. She stopped crying and with curious eyes she looked up at the new man. Her tiny lips were parted and Severus could hear her breathing. She reached up and grabbed at Severus' rather large nose. She seemed to enjoy it because she began to giggle delightedly.

That was the last time I was near my dad. He'd given Severus Snape orders to raise me until I became old enough to become a Death Eater. A year after that finds me with Severus once more, but this time, he was a different man.

They were in Hogsmeade, walking up to the school. Tears silently leaking from his eyes,

"Cabby...not now." Severus looked at the baby bundled in his robes, she was giggling, reaching for his nose. She had turned out to be a child who rarely cried, it was the laughing he had trouble with, she never seemed to stop. But she stopped now and just stared up at him.

He was halfway across the grassy slopes when he saw Albus Dumbledore.

"Severus. What a surprise to see you here again." Snape gave a great sniff and fell to the Headmaster's feet.

"He... he's going to go after Lily. For her son. Please...protect her. I'll do anything." Dumbledore let out a heavy sigh and, eying the baby, whose nose had gone pink from breathing in the cold night air, put a hand on Snape's shaking shoulder.

"Come inside. We will talk."

And talk they did, apparently, because from that night on, Hogwarts was my home. During the summer every few weeks a different teacher would come and stay in the castle to watch over me. Professor Dumbledore was usually always there but rarely showed himself. And during school time, well the older kids just got used to having a little kid running all around the castle.

From the moment I could walk, I was always sneaking into classrooms. I loved to learn. When I wasn't doing that I was following Hagrid around the grounds as he did his gamekeeper duties. When I was able to talk I was constantly begging him to take me into the Forbidden Forest. It was so dark and full of mystery, secrets that I wanted to discover. He always said no, muttering stuff like 'too young', 'too dangerous'.

Anyway, that's how I came to be where I am now, which is in my fourth year at Hogwarts.