– Chapter One –

The Visitor

Francesca Zubia was not your normal eleven year old girl. She never knew her father or her mother. Her father never knew of her. Her parents had a...'fling' the summer after graduation. Her mother raised her until her sudden death when Francesca was just a year old. After that she was sent to an orphanage. She had been with too-many-to-count foster parents, all of which had sent her back. Well not so much 'sent her back' as she ran away from every home and returned to the orphanage. The orphanage was the only place she would stay. No one knew why, not even Francesca herself understood why she wouldn't accept a loving family and a place to truly call home. But to Francesca, the orphanage was home to her.

Francesca also enjoyed strange things, anything out of the ordinary Francesca thought was spectacular. She loved the walks around town Ms Jean would take the older kids on, only to see things she had never seen before. She also found digging in the orphanage yards quite amusing, although Ms Jean did not. Francesca would always find little things buried in the earth that she would analyze in her room for days at a time, only coming out for meals. She loved to explain her treasures and adventures to the boy who lived next door.

But apart from all of Francesca's abnormality, one thing set her apart much greater than her strange behavior – Francesca was a witch.

The clock had just turned twelve o'clock in the afternoon, on April the twenty-third, when a tall man dressed all in black, with greasy black hair that hung in curtains around his bitter-looking face walked into the orphanage.

Today also happened to be little Francesca Zubia's eleventh birthday, and although she did not know it yet, but that was exactly the reason the man was here.

Francesca was shut up in her room, not daring to open the rusty-hinged door and down to, where she knew, Ms Jean was waiting with the other children, and a table full of snacks, cake and stupid pictures, and other art contraptions made by the younger kids to pass off as gifts. Francesca did not like the other kids, nor Ms Jean. She wasn't really fond of anything in the orphanage. Yet, she stayed.

The man downstairs walked up to Ms Jean. The children looked at him, some stared in awe while others ran into other rooms, away from the intimidating man.

"Oh hello." Ms Jean said, as a small boy ran behind her as he saw the man. "C-can I help you with anything sir?"

"My name is Professor Severus Snape." he introduced. "May I have a word?"

"Y-yes, of course." Ms Jean answered. She began to lead him to her office, leaving the little boy frightened with nothing to shield him.

Once sat down in Ms Jean's office, they began.

"I am here on behalf of Hogwarts School." Snape stated. "One of your children has been on the list to attend Hogwarts since birth. She possesses something very special that makes her worthy of attending such a school. It is her birth right."

Ms Jean looked bewildered. She had never heard of such a school.

"W-who?" she asked.

"Francesca Zubia."

"Francesca? Well she..." Ms Jean didn't know what to say. The thought of Francesca being different than the rest of the children seemed right. She was different.

"The school will take her in. Care for her. The only time she will have to return is during summer holidays." Snape explained further.

"Wait wait, we'll need more explanation before we just send her off!" Ms Jean protested.

"Someone will assist her buying school supplies and I will explain to her further. The Hogwarts Express leaves at Kings Cross on September the first at eleven o'clock sharp." he said.

"I've never even heard of the place! What do they do there and why is it so special?" she asked.

"Francesca is talented, in a way that singles her from the other children at the orphanage. She must attend. May I speak to her?"

It was barely an argument but Ms Jean knew she had lost. There was no way of stopping this man, and there was sure as hell no way of stopping Francesca.

"Yes." Ms Jean said, defeated. Ms Jean then led Professor Snape out of the office, just as a long-haired young boy that couldn't be any older than eleven ran up to Ms Jean.

"Ms Jean, where's Francesca?" he asked. "I have something to give her!" he said. He held a small dark green and black box in his hands.

"Why hello, Stephan! Francesca's up in her room, you can go up and see here!" she said. "Oh hey! Stephan, this is Professor Severus Snape from Hogswash, he's here to see Francesca too, how about you show him up to Francesca's room?" Ms Jean didn't want to be around Professor Snape any longer.

The boy glared at Snape, but nodded. He turned around and began towards the staircase. Snape followed.

Francesca had met Stephan out in the orphanage's backyard one day. He lives right next to the orphanage. Stephan was the closest thing to a friend Francesca had ever had. They knew everything about each other – they had no secrets.

Snape watched the boy with interest. He had never seen a Muggle like him before. He was intense. He was...different.

Stephan knocked on Francesca's bedroom door. Her room was on the third floor, last door to the right. Stephan knew every step to get there by heart. "It's Stephan!" he said. The door creaked open, and a small girl peaked out. She looked up at the man and her eyes went big.

"I brought you a gift." Stephan said. "Happy birthday!" he smiled and handed her the gift.

"Thank-you." Francesca gave a small smile.

"Open it later." he said and she nodded. He glared at Snape while he said it.

"Who are you?" she asked the man.

"May I speak to you alone?" he asked.

"Whatever you have to say to me you can say in front of Stephan." she sneered.

"Well I'm afraid this can not." he said. "He will have to leave."

"No." Francesca said.

"He will have to. It is not up to me." Snape said. Him and Francesca stared each other down for a moment.

"Steph, go." she said, finally. Stephan glared at Snape, but walked away reluctantly.

"May I step in?" Snape said. Francesca opened the door wider and let him in. The room was a boring shade of grey, and the details were plain. Snape fit in perfectly.

He now had a better view of Francesca. She was small for an eleven year old. Her black hair was straight and down her back, with straight bangs all the way across. She had brilliant blue eyes that stuck out against her pale face. Her heart-shaped face from her mother was not lost amongst her hair.

"I am Professor Severus Snape of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." he introduced, being straight-forward.

"What?" Francesca asked.

"Witchcraft and wizardry. The act of magic, Miss Zubia."

"Magic?" Francesca asked.

"Yes. Hogwarts is a school to teach and train young witches and wizards, to give them knowledge of the wizarding world." Snape explained.

Francesca did not move nor speak.

"Do you believe in magic, Miss Zubia?" Snape questioned. "Have you ever experienced things that you could not explain, not the extraordinary?"

Francesca did not answer. The look on her face showed interest, excitement, fear.

"You're mother was a witch and your father, a wizard." he said. "And you, Francesca Zubia." Snape said. "are a witch."

Francesca looked appalled, like no one had ever insulted her more.

"You," she began. "are a disgusting man!" she said, trying to sound more intimidating.

"It is the truth." he said. "Hogwarts is here to teach young witches and wizards how to use their abilities. It will be your home." Snape said.

Snape continued to explain to Francesca about the wizarding world. It all seemed to intrigue her. She was excited. Francesca was finally able to be different from everyone else, and not singled out because she liked to runaway.

She was fine with the whole idea of magic and Hogwarts. Until...

"September the first?" she asked. "I can't just leave!"

"From what I have heard, I thought you despised the orphanage, and did not enjoy living here?" Snape said.

"But..but Stephan! I can't leave him!" she protested.

"You will make more friends. You will have more opportunities, Miss Zubia." he said.

"I won't!" she said, standing up.

"Hogwarts has over a thousand students, each and every one with their own interests and dislikes, and the ones who fit together always find each other, Miss Zubia. Trust me."

Francesca didn't say anything back. They stared at each other for a while, Francesca considering. After a few minutes, Francesca had her answer. She did not speak, but merely nodded her head.

"July the thirty-first." Snape said. "Someone will come to bring you to buy your supplies." he said. "Do not tell anyone. Anyone." he finished. Francesca nodded. Without another word, Professor Snape stood up, and walked out of the room, leaving little Francesca dumbstruck. Her...a witch? But Francesca knew it was so so right.