A/N: Well real life is keeping me busy. But here I am. Hope you enjoy.

" " speaking ' ' thoughts

Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling said if I didn't say this playground was hers I'd have to leave but I want to play so it's hers.(pout)

Harry Potter and the Speaker of Truth

Chapter 12 Dinner & a Conversation with Professor Snape

When Yuki got back to her quarters she shed her running clothes and cast a quick scourgify and put on her apprentice robes. She noticed that they now had the Hogwarts coat of arms on them. She checked the time and decided she had time to pull out Hogwarts: A History and find out a few things about apprentices before dinner. She found out there was a difference between an Apprentice of the Four and a regular apprentice. A regular apprentice was someone who came to study under a particular master at the school for classes beyond the NEWT level. She was the second Apprentice of the Four in the schools history. The founders had not even had one they had merely theorized the possibility and planned accordingly. She checked the time again and decided she better head for dinner, and wait to find the answers to the rest of her questions later.

Yuki found her way to the Great Hall and was instantly impressed. She looked at the head table for her aunt and found her but didn't see a place to sit next to her; so she assumed she was to sit among the students. But which table, she got cold calculating looks for the table where green and silver dominated so not there. She was getting condescending looks from the table of blue and bronze. That left the red and gold with looks of rampant curiosity and yellow and black with open friendliness, yellow and black it is. She sat down next to some girls that she thought were close to her age.

Just as she sat Professor Dumbledore entered the hall. When he got to his place he paused and said,"I know that you are all hungry so I'll merely ask you to stay in your seats following dinner for an important announcement. Let's eat."

Yuki helped herself to a hearty dinner of roast beef, potatoes, and numerous vegetables then ate an apple and a piece of cheese for dessert. She used her eyes and ears during dinner only sharing her name and small talk with her dinner companions. She realized that she was a main topic of student conversation as was her aunt, but there were two others as well the Quidditch World Cup and a tournament of some kind. Her table companions were dying to question her throughly but were to polite to do so bluntly. She was just unkind enough and private enough not to cooperate. Besides she reasoned, she wanted to hear the official version first.

After he finished Professor Dumbledore stood up. "We live in a privileged time. Not only will you get to observe the Triwizard Tournament but for only the second time in Hogwarts history there is an Apprentice of the Hogwarts Four. Miss Carson will you please stand so your fellow students can see you. Thank you. You may sit back down. Miss Carson has already attained her potions mastery and will be taking over Professor Snape's first year classes. She will be taking most of the rest of her classes with the fourth years. Because this will require some adjustments to the schedules classes tomorrow are canceled and new schedules will issued the day after. In her class room she is a professor treat her accordingly outside the class room she is equal to a perfect so be sure to grant her respect. Good Night."

The people around her looked at her dumbfounded. Finally Hannah Abbot asked "You've got your potions mastery? You're our age, how did you do that?"

"My mom started teaching me potions from the time I was big enough to stand on a stool and peek over the edge of a cauldron."Yuki deliberately yawned. "It's been a long day. I still have some unpacking to do. Goodnight." She left the Great Hall before anyone could corner her and headed back to her room.

She was almost there when a slightly menacing voice said,"Miss Carson, a word."

Yuki stopped, turned towards the voice, and injecting as much friendliness and optimism possible into her voice said, "Professor Snape I presume" fearlessly meeting his eyes.

Yuki felt a probe towards her mind when her eyes met the black eyes of the hook nosed man in front of her. She knew he would find a thick black layer of softness reminiscent of black velvet curtains. But when he reached her secondary layer of a thick black obsidian wall she sent a message to his probe. 'You will find nothing and go no farther Professor. How about you stop, and we'll go to my quarters and have a nice grown up discussion and you can help me get ready to teach the first years.' Her mental tone while polite was laced with an under layer of pure titanium.

The surprised look on his face almost made her want to giggle. "Satisfied Professor? I assume the legilimens was to check the Hat's findings about my masteries and make sure I'm entitled to my title?"

"I..."

"Don't worry Professor Snape in your shoes I would be just as skeptical. Most people can't access their magical cores much until around eleven. I've had access to mine since I was a baby. And as an empath...well let's just say it was learn control, or go insane.

"I was lucky my mom's best friend was a mind healer. Aunt Lorien identified me as an empath early, from the time I was twenty=two months old until I was six, I knew six people, my parents, my grandparents, and Aunt Lorien. Aunt Lorien taught me Occlumency to teach me what was me and legilimency to teach me when I was reaching beyond myself. It took a while, but now what she taught me is considered the treatment for early identified empaths in the U.S.

"You look surprised. Don't be angry. I can read your emotional state, that's why my mind shields have two layers the first lets me use some of my abilities but the second prevents...well let's just say the nastier side of what I am. I really think I've said enough about that.

"Potions classes?"

Professor Snape mentally shook himself. It had surprised him that she was so open to saying something so personal, when she remarked on it he felt a flash of anger that she had read him. But he had felt the two layers of defense in her mind, so when she explained their purpose he realized it was more his fault than hers. She had offered a change of subject and didn't seem to be holding onto any anger, which struck him as odd. If it were him he'd be furious. "Lead the way Miss Carson, and we will discuss it." he said deciding if she was this mature perhaps she could handle the first years.

They continued a short ways down the fourth floor corridor. Then she stopped in front of a painting. Professor Snape took four strides away to give her privacy for her password. She said something softly and the painting swung open two minutes later they were in her quarters.

Snape decided he would begin. "I am convinced of your mental training, however I have yet to be convinced of your abilities as a potions mistress."

"What would it take to convince you?"

"I will set four potions for you to brew. All will be NEWT standard. I will not tell you the names you must recognize them by their ingredients. Two can be made in a few hours the other two take longer...If you do all the initial steps correctly I will show you what I have done with the first years and their abysmal results. I will also discuss grading scales and the like. Acceptable?"

"Yes. I have one small question though."

"Ask it."

"Are you always this snarky?" Yuki could feel the corners of her lips twitching madly to control her grin at the look of incredulous shock on Professor Snape's face. "You look as if you never have genuinely smiled Professor. Smirked probably but smiled never. I'm sorry for whatever pain has happened in your life, but hanging onto it really has not been good for you. I'm probably being incredibly intrusive right now but I have trouble when I see others in pain. I try to fix it.

"You can't fix other people."

"I can't alone that's true. But if they want to be fixed I've found I'm pretty good at helping."

"Sometimes they don't deserve to be fixed."

"I don't think the world is really about getting what you deserve. I think it's about being open; open to change, open to hope, open to truth, open to love, open to making the world a better place."

"I disagree, Miss Carson. Tomorrow morning in the dungeon after breakfast."

Yuki could feel Professor Snape's emotions as he bolted for the door. He practically pulsed with confusion, guilt, and pain as he made for the portrait hole his cloak billowing behind him like bat wings. She hadn't planned any of that, the talking about her early life, the teasing, the trying to get him to let her help. Her damnable gifts working in tandem getting her to speak truths sometimes better left unsaid.

Yuki took a deep cleansing breath. Yvaine came over to her purring. Yuki scratched her ears."I hope I didn't just botch things. Where are the dogs? I need to take them out for nighttime potty before curfew."

As if called the three dogs came up to her, Tristan crashing into furniture as he came. Yuki headed for the portrait hole.