"Winnie! Wake up dear."

The girl rolled over and covered her head with the blankets, as the old nurse opened the tapestries. "Your mother and father are waiting dear", pleaded Helga.

Helga Walnut had worked for Winnie's family her entire life. She had raised Winnie's mother and now Winnie. Helga's family had worked for her family since the time of Godric Gryffindor. The girl in the bed was Godwina Mason. Godwina, whom everyone called Winnie, and her mother are the most direct descendants of Godric Gryffindor. Winnie's family was the equivalent of the royal family in the Wizarding World.

Winnie quickly sat up in her bed, but it was not the pleas of her nurse, it was the blood curdling scream from downstairs. "Mother," yelled Winnie as she raced out of her room. Helga helplessly tried to stop her, but she was too far ahead. At the bottom of the stairs, she came to a sudden stop. The front doors had been blown apart and the body of their butler, Jarvis, was at her feet.

She moved slowly around his body, dreading what she would find in the dinning room. She jumped when Helga, discovering the butler, screamed. Slowly pushing open the door, her heart sank. Her parent's bodies slumped over the table, her father wand in hand, and the house elves dead on the floor. She went over to her mother's body and began to cry.

The next few days were a blur as hundreds of wizards and witches came to pay their respects. Reporters, Aurors, and ministry officials asked questions about her parent's murder. She remembered Albus Dumbledore, one of her father's friends and the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, putting his arm around her and trying to comfort her.

On top of losing her parents, this was the summer before she was to start at Hogwarts. Her 11th birthday had been a few weeks before. Her father would tell her stories of the mischief he and his friends would get into.

Then her mother would get upset saying, "Don't put those ideas in her head, she is the heir of Gryffindor. She cannot do such things."

To which her father would reply, "But you did, dear." Then there would be hugging and laughter, but no more.

In her parent's will it was decided that Winnie would be cared for by her aunt Persephone, until she was of age. Persephone Wimberwood was actually a family friend, not a blood relative. Persephone was also the owner and former CEW (Chief Executive Witch) of the VoomBroom Company.

Winnie and her parents loved her and considered her one of the family. Unfortunately, the will named her uncle Geoffrey Hartford as the keeper of her trust and the estate. Winnie's parents were kind souls and trusted Geoffrey. Winnie never did, even as an infant she would cry whenever he came near.

Godwina Hartford and Perseus Mason met when they were students at Hogwarts. They married after Perseus started working for the Ministry. They were liked and admired by all that knew them, except Geoffrey. He lived in the shadow of his sister, and resented her for it. He was the odd one of the family, having sorted in to Slytherin while at Hogwarts. This was unbelievable considering his family was recognized as the most direct descendants of Godric Gryffindor. Godwina being the oldest assumed the duties and responsibilities of being the heir. Along with it came money, the estate, and fame.

They decided that she would live at her aunt's house when she was not in school. Only once she was 17 could she reclaim her estate. The day after her parents were laid to rest, she had to say goodbye to the only home she had ever known. They used her aunt's VoomBroom V2 w/ side handle. She looked behind her and watched Godric's Hollow get smaller and smaller.

It was different living with her aunt. She was accustomed to house elves, a butler, and a nanny. Here it was just Winnie and Persephone. Even though she was rich enough to have those things, she chose to live a simple life. Normal size house, no house elves, and do things herself. The other big change was that she lived surrounded by Muggles. Winnie grew up in Godric's Hollow surrounded by lots of other Wizarding families. There were some Muggles that lived there, but there were also lots of wizards.

At first she felt alone until one day she overheard two children in the park talking about magic. The girl looked like a normal Muggle child, but the boy was wearing what his parents felt were Muggle clothes. Wizards and Witches always have a hard time dressing like Muggles. It actually makes them stick out more than if they wore their robes. She started listening to their conversation, trying to find a good place to introduce herself, yet before she could another Muggle child came up to them. She was the first girl's older sister and seemed quite upset. As the older girl was yelling, a branch fell from the tree, and the angry girl ran away followed by her sister.

The boy looked frustrated as he sat back down.

"Did you make that branch fall?" asked Winnie.

Surprisingly he was not alarmed at her sudden presence. "I think so… I don't know things happen when I get mad," replied the boy.

Winnie sat down beside him. "She deserved it," declared Winnie, "She was being a bitch."

The boy seemed to relax and introduced himself, "Severus Snape. I'm a Wizard or at least I will be once I get to Hogwarts. I thought the only two non-Muggles were me and Lily," said Severus.

"I just moved here from Godric's Hollow," replied Winnie. "I had to move here to live with my aunt, after my parents died."

"Are you Godwina Mason?" asked Severus. "I saw you in the Daily Prophet."

"One call me Winnie, and two please don't ask me about what happened," Winnie snapped.

The next day Severus introduced Winnie to Lily Evans. Lily was a Muggle-born witch. That meant both of her parents were non-magical. Severus was a half blood, his mother a witch and his father a Muggle. Both Severus and Winnie could tell that Lily would be a very powerful witch. She also had the misfortune of meeting Lily's sister Petunia or "Tuney" for short. She was a sour girl who Lily promised really did smile.

Severus and Winnie spent the whole summer teaching Lily things about the Wizarding World. There was even one time when Winnie snuck one of her aunt's brooms out so that they could try flying. Lily begged Winnie to let Petunia try it. Winnie warned her it wouldn't work. Petunia frustrated she could not use it, slammed the broom against a tree. The broom shattered in to pieces.

Lily asked Petunia to apologize, but she said "It's a piece of junk," and walked away.

"What am I going to do Lily?" cried Winnie.

"We will think of something," said Lily, "Won't we Severus?"

Winnie just sat there trying to make the pieces go back together.

"We will both go with you to explain what happened," said Lily.

"We will?" stammered Severus.

"Yes we will!" as Lily glared at Severus.

Lily and Severus helped Winnie collect the pieces of the broom and headed to her house. Persephone was in her garden and they presented her the destroyed broom. All three of them started talking at once, until Persephone raised her hand.

"Was anyone hurt?" she asked.

"No," they replied.

"Were you seen by any other Muggles, except her sister?"

"No."

"Well then this will make good fertilizer for the nightshade." The children looked at each other in disbelief.

"You're not going to punish us?" asked Severus.

"I think you've learned your lesson, and you were truthful about what you did," replied Persephone. "And don't worry Severus I won't tell your parents."

The rest of the summer was uneventful.