Regulus took the letter with him down the stairs from the highest tower of his mansion and walked into the kitchen. Tom Riddle Sr. was sitting slightly tensely in a dining chair, repeatedly glancing over at Pozey the house elf. For the time being, Riddle would stay with him. It was strange but also entertaining to watch the man's reactions to very common magical occurrences. It was obvious that Riddle somewhat distrusted magic, but was at the same time fascinated by it. Regulus knew the story by now, about what had happened to little Tom's father and why he had hated magic for such a long time. He pitied Tom Riddle Sr.

"Next week," Regulus muttered, reading the parchment that a big tawny owl had just delivered. He ran his fingers through his hair, staring down at the parchment. He was nervous, he wouldn't deny that. Dumbledore was one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, wizards alive and Regulus had never done anything to gain his approval or support. It was a mark of how gracious the man was that he had written back and said that he would come meet Zia and little Tom. Especially since it would be such a short time until he visited them.

Dumbledore had sent the letter back only one week after Regulus' original letter posted. He suspected that the quick response was due to curiosity. Zia's seemingly instinctive use of Legilimancy was something he at least had never heard of, which meant that it was probably rare. An intelligent person like Dumbledore would naturally be drawn to a woman like her, driven by the desire to know how and why her Legilimancy was so effortless. Regulus admitted to himself that he was also curious about Zia's ability, and was looking forward to finding out what Dumbledore would discover about her.

"Pozey," Regulus said. The elf looked up at him with her large eyes, attention drawn away from a cup of milk that she'd been slowly drinking through.

"Yes master Regulus?" she squeaked. Regulus held the parchment out to her, and she took it from him.

"Can you take this to Zia? It's Dumbledore's reply," he explained. Pozey bowed once, curled her fingers around the roll of parchment, then disappeared with a loud crack. Regulus looked up and held back a chuckle at the expression on Riddle's face. The man most likely never seen a house elf before, and apparently had never seen apparition of any kind before either.

"Here it is mistress. Pozey is thinking that it was a quick reply, miss," the house elf raised up her small hand and transferred the letter into Zia's outstretched one. Zia took it and quickly unrolled it, reading through it several times, taking in the words and the look of the handwritten script. Dumbledore's words. Dumbledore's handwriting. This was a letter from Albus Dumbledore. And she was going to meet him next week.

She sat down heavily on the kitchen chair, still staring at the parchment. Tom ran into the room and poked her leg. She looked down at him and smiled.

"You look nervous," he said. Zia set the letter down onto the table and leaned down to pick him up and set him on her lap.

"I am a bit nervous. We're going to have an important guest visiting us next week," she told him. His head snapped up and his eyes stared into hers. Sometimes she forgot just how young he was, but when he sat on her lap like this, legs dangling a long way from the ground, still small and with all his baby fat, she was reminded that he was just a little child.

As she thought this, an idea popped into her head.

"Important guest?" Tom asked her, interrupting her thoughts. His face was eager, and his voice slightly impatient.

"Yes, a man who is going to help me understand magic better," she told him. "He teaches at the school you'll go to when you're older." Tom's eyes lit up.

"A magic teacher? At a magic school?" he pushed for more details.

"Yes, to both questions," Zia answered with a chuckle, and ruffled his hair. He smiled widely, and shifted back and forth energetically on the balls of his feet.

"Wow. He must be reeeeeally good at magic. You'd have to be in order to teach it I'm sure," he commented. Zia nodded. "I should make him a thank-you card for when he comes. I know we have paper and crayons here somewhere…" Tom said brightly, and with that he skittered off into another room.

"Pozey, could you get Regulus for me? I have a question I need to ask him," Zia said, addressing the elf. She felt bad using Pozey as a go between for her and Regulus, but she just couldn't let Tom meet his father yet, and the man couldn't be left alone for long periods of time in a wizard's house either. Moments later, Regulus appeared with a crack.

"Do you need something?" he asked her, smiling an easy, relaxed smile.

"I need to ask you a question, and depending on what you answer possibly a favor," she replied.

Tom Riddle Senior stared around him at the strangeness. He had wondered why Regulus Black had forced him to wear what he had assumed was a fancy bathrobe before they left the mansion. He was grateful that they hadn't traveled to this shop-lined street by walking through the streets of London, it would have been embarrassing. Now, however, he understood.

First, he was wearing wizard robes. Second, he was wearing them so that he wouldn't stand out in the crowds of wizards and witches overflowing what Regulus had told him was called "Diagon Alley." He followed Regulus as they weaved through different clumps of people, unsure of where exactly they were heading. Finally, they stopped in front of a large and spacious looking shop. His eyebrows flew up when he saw what they were selling inside.

"Well you muggles get some things right," Regulus said, laughing at the look on his face. Tom forced his eyebrows back down and returned his face to a more composed expression. Regulus continued. "Anyways, this is where we're going. I was surprised when you said you were going to pay, you know. It seems that both of us come from families with money, you had quite a bit of muggle money with you to exchange."

"Zia doesn't have much, does she?" Tom muttered quietly. "I know you paid for the place she's living in now." Regulus sighed.

"She doesn't," he replied, looking forward through the shop window. "She works to support the two of them, and she tries to save what she can."

"She's a strong woman," Tom said.

"So…why are you paying for this?" Regulus asked, finally turning to look at him.

"It's about time I got a present for my son," Tom replied. "And the woman who has been raising him."

"Then let's go. I'll help you pick out the best ones."

Zia watched as Regulus placed the two long thin packages on the table. Little Tom was staring at them with huge eyes, already understanding that this present wasn't like magical gifts he'd received before. She was also excited, she had always wanted to know what it was like. Her son reached forward and carefully unwrapped the package. He looked up at Zia.

"I'm going to learn to fly?" he whispered, eyes back on the broomstick.

"We both are."