For the first time during her stay, Yvanna finds Percy studying in the kitchen instead of his room. The third Weasley brother is tall and thin, not unlike his father and Bill. He is the only brother wearing glasses. According to Bill and Charlie he doesn't have any hobbies outside of reading and takes great pride in doing better in school than the rest of them. Yvanna hesitates in the doorway from the living room. She has no idea how to start a conversation with him. "Do you need something?" Percy asks when he notices her.

"Eh, no, not really. I'm kind of bored actually. Do you have any schoolbooks I could borrow?"

His normally blank face suddenly shows some enthusiasm. "Off course." He points to the chair across of his. "Please, sit down."

She smiles at him and walks around the table, while he starts to browse through the stack of thick books. "Mind you, these are all from the fourth year. I don't have fifth year books yet. But I suppose you still have to start your first year. Do you know what subjects they teach at Hogwarts?"

He stops browsing to look at her. "Not all subjects. But I expect they teach potions, charms and transfiguration?"

"Yes, and for the first year muggle studies, defense against the dark arts, astronomy, herbology, history of magic and flying. Muggle studies is not given in the second year. But in the third year you can choose extra classes. Muggle studies, arithmancy, divination, ancient runes and care of magical creatures."

"Oh no," Fred calls out while walking into the kitchen. "He's talking about school."
He stops on her left and George comes to a halt on her right, saying, "He will never stop talking now."
Fred, "Next you'll hear all about his favorite classes."
George, "And then he'll tell you he's a prefect."
Fred, "Which is a huge responsibility."
George, "Not to forget he needs to take is O.W.L. exams this year."
Fred, "And before you know it the day is gone."

Yvanna notices Percy's frown getting deeper while the twins are talking in their usual cheerful tone of voice. She only understood half the terms they used. She quickly replies before Percy can get angry. "I asked about school. I'd like to know what to expect seeing as I'm going there for the first time this year. What exactly is a prefect?"

Fred and George let out a simultaneous sigh and say, "Shouldn't have asked that."

They walk into the garden together, leaving the door open. Percy looks at her with some suspicion. "Do you really want to know what a prefect is?"

"Yes, I do. I've never heard of a prefect before."

"It takes a bit more explaining about Hogwarts. Do you know there are four houses in which the students are divided?"

"I do. Your mother gave me 'Hogwarts: a history' to read."

"Right. Every house has a Headteacher. But they don't manage all the students all the time. Prefects are chosen in their fifth year and will continue to be prefects in sixth and seventh year. There's always a boy and a girl. We get extra responsibilities, such as showing the first year students around and making sure all the students leave the train on time."

"Right. So you'll be my guide in Hogwarts this year?"

"If you are sorted into Gryffindor, yes."

That seems highly unlikely, come to think of it. Being the daughter of Voldemort she'll probably be sorted in Slytherin. Meaning she'll have to put up with the children of former death eaters. She's fairly certain the son of Lucius Malfoy will start Hogwarts this year. Suddenly going to wizarding school doesn't sound like a good idea. "You still in there?" Percy asks.

She realizes she's been staring. "Yes, sorry. I was just, eh, wondering what house I would be sorted into."

"It doesn't matter really. Everyone gets the same classes and each house has its own qualities. Although family members usually…"

He stops midsentence when his little sister yells in the garden. They both turn their attention to the kitchen door. Ginny runs inside about the same time Mrs. Weasley comes in from the living room. The girl cries out to her mother, holding up a bleeding finger. "Mommy, it bit me."

"What bit you dear?"

She hugs her crying daughter but doesn't seem to be very worried. "The gnome under the Dittany bush!"

"Gnomes in the garden again," Mrs. Weasley exclaims rather annoyed. "Percy dear, would you round up your brothers and de-gnome garden. Before your father gets home. He never gets rid of them properly."

"Yes, mum."

"Can I help?" Yvanna asks when he gets up, curious to find out how you can get rid of gnomes.

"Sure, follow me."

Shortly after walking outside she finds herself in the company of Charlie, Fred, George and Percy. The twins explain to her how to get the gnomes, talking in turns as usual. "Always pick them up at their feet," George starts.
"If you get them anywhere else, they will bite you."
"Then give them a couple of swirls to make them dizzy."
"If they're not dizzy enough they will keep their sense of direction and just walk right back into the garden."
"And then toss them over the hedge as far as you can."
"Like this."

Fred plumages into the dittany bush, a leafy plant with a mostly brown color that grows about waist-height for her. After some fiddling he comes up with a gnome. The creature looks somewhat like a large potato with short arms and legs. The potato part being it's head. It yells something that sounds a bit like 'Gerroff me' when Fred starts to swirl it in circles. He finally lets go at the height of the circle. She can hear the gnome yelling as it flies over the hedge.

"There's the rest of them coming to see what the noise was about," Charlie says, pointing to a small hole a little up ahead. "They are stupid like that. The more noise their friends make, the more curious they get. Makes it easy to catch them. Want to try?"

"Okay…"

She tries to sneak up on one of the gnomes that just came out of its hole, but it notices her and starts to run all through the garden. The gnome even seems to have fun being chased. It takes all five of them to finally corner it. She mimics Fred's earlier actions but doesn't quite manage to get it over the hedge. It falls to the ground and remains sitting there, dizzy from the swinging. The other gnomes are actually laughing loudly, forgetting to run away from the twins when they lunge at them. Percy disposes of the dizzy gnome before it recovers itself.

A half hour later they are disposing of the last gnomes. The brothers have turned it into a contest who can sling the gnomes farthest. Off course Charlie can easily win, being the only one with a physically demanding job. Yvanna just starts to swing a gnome around when there's an audible pop on the other side of the hedge. All heads turn towards there. Some footsteps can be heard going towards the garden gate. A thin man with pale skin, dressed in long, black robes appears at the entrance. He has shoulder-length, greasy black hair and a very distinct hooked nose. Yvanna notices the brothers relax when they see him and can't quite escape the impression that she's seen him before. Not in the camp she grew up in, she's sure of that. She couldn't possibly have met him. "Professor Snape," Charlie greets the man. "Please come in. Can we help you?"

The professors dark, penetrating eyes focus on Yvanna when he spots her standing between the twins. He continues to stare at her for a few second before he answers Charlie. When he speaks his voice is soft and very controlled, free of emotions. "Headmaster Dumbledore was called away to the Ministry. He asked me to come and see miss Riddle in his absence. I understand he was expected here?"

Yvanna lets out a surprised yelp when a sharp pain shoots up her hand. The gnome wiggles free and dives into his hole a little distance away from her. She forgot she was still holding it. She checks her hand, but the bite doesn't seem deep. There's only a few drops of blood. She wipes it off indifferently. Meanwhile Mrs. Weasley has appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, inviting professor Snape into the house. Charlie looks at her. "Is your hand okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I guess I should go inside."

He nods. "Professor Snape seems a little creepy at first, but I don't think he means it like that. He teaches potions at Hogwarts."

"Okay. Thanks."

Inside Mrs. Weasley invites the teacher into the living room. Yvanna follows them and glances at him nervously. After Mrs. Weasley leaves to make them some tea, professor Snape holds out his hand to her. "I am Severus Snape. Or professor Snape as I'm called in school."

"Yvanna Riddle."

They take a seat, professor Snape on the armchair next to the fireplace and Yvanna on a corner of the saggy couch. She can't help staring at him. At the same time he doesn't seem to want to look at her, although she finds it very hard to judge what he's thinking. Finally he straightens up. "Professor Dumbledore was going to meet you here himself, but unfortunately he was called away for an urgent matter. He asked me to speak to you in his absence and answer any questions you may have about staying at Hogwarts."

Not what she expected. She was counting on an interrogation. "Right, well. I don't know really. I was thinking I'd be just like any other student, apart from not leaving the school during holidays."

He's staring at her again with those penetrating eyes. She shifts on the couch a bit uncomfortable but for some reason can't get herself to look away. "I'm sorry professor, but have we met before? It's just that, you look familiar to me and I heart one of the Hogwarts teachers recognized my name."

For a moment she can see surprise on his face, but he quickly composes himself. He looks around to make sure there is nobody listening before he answers in a soft voice. "We have met before, but the last time I saw you, you were barely three years old. I did not think you would remember."

For a moment she feels happy about meeting someone she knows. Then she realizes where she was when she was three and a twinge of fear hits her. "Three? That was… When I was still living in a house?"

"You were born in the Riddle mansion, yes. I was a frequent guest at the mansion then."

He stares back at her for a while. This conversation is not going quite as he had hoped. He just wanted to talk to her about school, maybe get a sense of how powerful she is and how much control she has over her magic. Dumbledore specifically asked him to find out the latter, because one of the things most prominent about her father was the amazing amount of control he had at her age. He never considered the possibility she would recognize him. He was going to tell her everything about how he knows her name, but not before discussing school and trying to ease her mind. The flicker of doubt in her eyes makes him hesitant. How much can he tell her without knowing anything about her? "I was there the night that you were born." Severus is not known for making quick decisions. Everything he does is calculated, thought trough into great detail. He never cared for many people in his life, but the girl sitting across off him is an exception. He wants her to know that, more than he fears for his safety. "They told me you died of a childhood disease when you were three. I saw your body."

His voice momentarily loses its composure. She picks up on that immediately and gives him a small smile. "I don't think it was my body. Seeing as I'm still breathing and all."

"Obviously. I should've guessed. I would've…"

What? What would he have done? They hid her from the Ministry all this time. He wouldn't have been able to find her even if he had known she was still alive. "Did you know my mother?" she asks, bringing him back to the present.

"I did, though not very long and not very well. I only knew her for the time she spend with the Dark Lord."

"What was she like? I heard she was a famous witch."

"Irena was famous for her power of foresight, she was a true seer. In your family that power is passed on through the female line."

"You mean I'm a seer as well."

"Most likely, yes. But that is an ability that is usually dormant until the seer is about 15 years old. So we'll have to wait to say for sure."

"Right. I don't think I want to know the future…"

"We will worry about that when the time comes. Your mother, when I got to know her, only seemed to have one concern. She was at the end of her child baring age, and she did not yet have a daughter that would inherit her foresight. She was 52 years old when she had you. Before she came to your father, she was married to an East-European wizard. She had two sons with him, but they were unable to have another child. There was no love between her and the Dark Lord. I believe she came to your father, because she foresaw that she would have you."

"Why would he agree to that?"

"I'm not going to pretend that I know the motivations of the Dark Lord. But most likely, he saw the chance to produce a powerful heir with the ability to see and influence the future in his favor."

She looks down at her hands for a moment, almost able to feel his penetrating gaze. "Right. You said she has two sons?"

"Your half-brothers. If my memory serves me correctly, the youngest is 17 years older than you, and the oldest 20 years. They both went into hiding when your mother aligned herself with the Dark Lord, not wanting any part in that. I'm afraid I can't tell you where they are now."

"Are you a death eater?"

This question has been burning on her tongue since he mentioned he was present at her birth. He has been waiting for it. Mrs. Weasley walks in with two steaming mugs of tea. "Don't mind me. I already know the answer to that one," she says, giving him a smile that doesn't look remotely friendly before she leaves the room again.

Severus looks back at Yvanna and sighs. "I was a death eater, at the start of the First Wizarding War. But I changed my allegiance at the height of the war and became a spy for the people who opposed the Dark Lord."

"The Order of the Phoenix? I heard some stories about them. If you became a spy, didn't my mother know that? Being able to see the future I mean."

"Probably, but like I said, her only concern was having a daughter. She didn't bother with the fight, much to the frustration of your father. I don't think she ever really supported him. Their union was one of convenience for both of them."

"Why did you switch sides?"

There is a pause in which Severus tries to keep his indifferent composure. "Because he became a threat to the few things that were dear to me. I started to see things from the side of his victims."

Yvanna can think of a hundred more questions she wants to ask him, but where to start? And how much can she really ask someone she only just met a few minutes ago? During the short silence he seems to catch up on her inner conflict somehow. "We will have seven years at Hogwarts to talk about where you came from. And I will be happy to answer any questions you have. But perhaps this is not the time or place. I was asked to come here to talk about your future, not your past. To make sure you would have somewhere safe you could feel at home."

She nods. Seven years should be enough to figure out how much she really wants to know. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

He can't suppress a smile when he hears her apologize. For a moment he seems ten years younger. But that moment passes quickly. He's about to start talking about Hogwarts when the door between the hallway and living room opens. Bill seems a bit surprised when he walks in. "Good afternoon professor Snape. I hope I didn't interrupt."

Severus notices the smile that instantly appears on Yvanna's face when the eldest of the Weasley brothers walks in. It occurs to him she might be more comfortable with someone in the room she knows, or at least has been around a bit longer. "Off course not. We were just going to discuss the housing situation at Hogwarts. You are welcome to join us."

Bill hesitates and briefly looks at the large parchment envelope in his hand before sitting down next to Yvanna. She looks at him curiously. "I, eh, found a vault in your name. Apparently your mother opened three vaults at Gringott's. But I wasn't able to check what's inside. It requires a blood proof for the first opening."

"Blood proof?" she asks warily.

"It's not a big deal really. Just a finger prick to determine you are related to her. Some vaults are secured like that on special request. The funny part is the fault was opened in 1972, eight years before you were born. The other two as well, but those are assigned to Ivan and Piotr Osinov."

Severus snaps his head up. "Osinov? So they changed their names. That would explain how your half-brothers hid themselves."

Bill pulls up his eyebrows, hearing this for the first time. "I'll tell you later," Yvanna promises. "So I need to come to the vault with you?"

"Yes. I was thinking we should go tomorrow, because I need to go back to Egypt on Monday. We can get your school supplies after, assuming there is money in the vault."

"There should be money in the vault," Severus notes. "The Zacharov family was quite wealthy. They lived in a castle in Transylvania somewhere. It is rumored it was hidden for anyone but family and people who were explicitly told the location."

"Transylvania? I thought that was a myth?" she says surprised.

"Only to muggles," Bill answers. "I've been there twice. It's not a very large country and it's completely hidden for the non-magical population. But it has a very rich magical history. Lots of vampires too. That's where the muggle stories like Dracula come from."

"I suppose Charlie doesn't work to far from the border with Transylvania," Severus notes, with a questioning look at Bill. "You need a lot of space to hide dragons from muggles."

"But we are drifting off subject again," Yvanna says. "You were going to tell me about Hogwarts."

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any registered trademarks from the Harry Potter franchise.