Disclaimer: I own none of J.K Rowling's characters what-so-ever! I own the characters that you don't recognize.

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews, so happy to hear people like my story!

"Severus Snape!"

"Yes! Is there a problem with that?"

"Hell yeah! Do you know who he is?"

"I don't think it matters at all."

Dawn sighed as she stared down her two friends. It seemed Alisa was more on her side then Marcy. After coming home from her meeting with Mrs. Rosefield, Marcy and Alisa asked her question after question on how it went, what was going on, and so on and so forth. After spending less then a half an hour of explaining her meeting and answering all their questions, she finally told them who her employer, was if she agreed to the job of course.

"Severus Snape of all people!" exclaimed Marcy, yet again.

"What is your deal, Marcy? What is so wrong with him that makes you try to break my ear drums?" asked Dawn

"Severus Snape is the worst kind of guy there is! He is cold, with greasy hair, he's a big bat of the dungeons, an idiot if you ask me." replied Marcy.

"Marcy, where did you get this information from?" asked Alisa

"From my boss, Lavender Brown, of course. She told me how horrible he was to the students, expect the Slytherins, a former Death-Eater, a jackass, and a vampire wanna be." she said.

"Since when do we listen to her? Wasn't she the one who told me that Steven Crane liked Dawn, when he really liked...guys?" asked Alisa, almost whispering the last part.

"Whatever, let's not make a big deal about it, ok? I haven't even accepted the job yet, so what's the problem? I'm going to go up there and see if the job is the one I want. And you," Dawn pointed at Marcy, "were the one who wanted me to do this. Put my ad in the paper and making that damn bet with the hair dyes! It's my decision, not yours!" she yelled before storming off to her room.

"What is the deal with the hair dyes?" she heard Alisa ask Marcy.

"Well...you see..."Marcy began to explain.

Dawn locked her door and flopped herself on the bed, face first. What was the deal with this Severus Snape fellow? She knew she read something about him, but couldn't recall where and what it was about. Marcy was making a big fuss about it, yelling and complaining, just stuff Marcy does, nothing new. And when did she listen to Lavender Brown in the first place? She was just a big gossip spreader. Dawn was a former sucker to her tricks when she found out that Steven Crane liked her, but got her heart broken when she found he didn't.

Mrs. Rosefield invited Dawn to Snape Manor for a couple of days. She found out that Snape Manor was near a small village named Lowood in Scotland. Lowood was one of the few towns in Britain that held both wizards and muggles alike. Dawn was going up there to see if she liked the place and see if the job was really right for her. Martha explained the details to Dawn; that she would be living there as she taught Emily, until she was ready to go to Hogwarts. All she had to do was teach Emily basic studies, both muggle and wizard alike. A carriage would arrive on Tuesday to take her up to Lowood and then stay at the local inn to stay the night and then go up to the Manor the next morning. Easy as that. And if Dawn liked the place and took the job, she would move in straight way. It seemed simple, right? Only the Fates would know.

---------

Monday itself seem to pass faster then it should. Everyone was allowed to take the day off for the celebration of the anniversary of the end of the Finale Battle. But, as her friends went out, Dawn was stuck at home, getting ready for her trip the next day. Marcy finally gave in and told Dawn that she could go, and so she was not stopping her. She had a feeling that Marcy really wanted to dye her hair. That gave her shivers just thinking of what awful color she would pick.

The following day, was a slow day. Marcy was at the kitchen counter, holding an ice pack to her head and nursing home made soup Alisa had given. She was out drinking and got home drunk, carried in by Alisa, around three in the morning. Alisa was giving her hang-over potion every hour, trying to stop her from complaining all the time. It was a fact that if you put a bottle of Firewhiskey in front of Marcy, you get a drunken loon even after the first bottle. It was good thing that Marcy wasn't a drinker who told would spill out secrets. She one who would probably spend the next day throwing up.

Dawn was eagerly waiting for the carriage to arrive. Mrs. Rosefield said it would arrive around two or three; it was five to two already. She was pacing back forth, her bags at the door, wringing her hands, nervously.

"Will you stop pacing, woman? You're making feel sick just by watching you." complained Marcy from the kitchen table

"I can't help it! I'm excited and nervous!" Dawn yelled.

"Just sit down and wait, damn it!" her friend yelled.

"Easy there, girl, nothing to get worked up about. Our little Dawnie is doing just what anyone would do." said Alisa, rubbing Marcy's back, in a motherly fashion.

"Feh,"

"Oh, hush you," she hit her friend softly.

After a hour of waiting and pacing(for Dawn), a knock was heard. Alisa answered it and she talked briefly to the person at the other end.

"Dawn!" she yelled, "The carriage is here!"

"Finally!" she mumbled before walking up to the door

There stood a young man with long brown hair tied in the back, diamond blue eyes, and high cheek bones. He wore dark navy cloths, with a hint of black to it. He was truly handsome; he could be a model for sure.

"Good day, madam. I'm Edward Rosefield, your driver to Snape Manor. You just be Miss Phoenix, am I correct?" he asked.

"Yes, but you can call her Dawn if you like." Alisa answer for her, smirking at Dawn.

"May I help you with your bags?" Edward asked.

"Yes, that would be nice." Dawn replied.

Edward smiled brightly at Dawn before taking one of the bigger suitcases and Dawn grabbed the other smaller one. There was black carriage packed outside the house with two black horses in the front. Edward lifted the suitcases on top and fastened them tight. He opened the door for Dawn and helped her in and shut the door. He climbed on the carriage to the driver seat and took hold of the reins. Dawn waved at Alisa from the window as the carriage took off.

"How long until we get there, Edward?" Dawn asked.

"About eight hours or so. We will lodge at the inn for the night, don't really want to fall off from a lack of sleep, Miss." he answered.

Dawn nodded and made herself comfortable in the plush green cushions. It was going to be a long ride.

--------------------------------------------

Dawn couldn't fall asleep during the ride, no matter how hard she tried. It wasn't for the fact that the road was bumpy or that the seats were uncomfortable, it was Edward Rosefield's doing. He kept on trying to make small talk, asking her stuff that came to his mind. From the talk, she learned that Edward was the son of Martha Rosefield (anyone could have guessed that!), his favorite color was blue, his favorite Quidditch team was Montrose Magpies, and so on and so forth.

It was around midnight or so, Dawn was on the edge of just collapsing in the lack of sleep. When she could finally find rest, the carriage stopped suddenly, making her fall down on the floor of the carriage.

"Are you ok, Miss?" asked Edward from the open doorway.

"Just peachy, just a bit clumsy today." she replied, picking herself up off the floor.

"Well, we are at 'The Mystic Wand' we are going have to stay the night it seems." he said, added with a sigh.

Dawn nodded and got out of the carriage and let her eyes adjust to the dark. They were parked in front of a huge tavern, the sign had a dragon with a wand in it's mouth with 'The Mystic Wand' underneath. After Edward brought down the luggage, they walked inside. It was an old fashion tavern with a large fireplace in the back, a bar, tables and chairs here and there, and portraits hanging on the walls. There were only two or three people (besides the bartender) in there, mostly flat out drunk and sleeping on the tables or nursing a bottle of whiskey at the bar. It seemed that when they came in, they caught the attention of the bartender. He was short little man with gray hair with wrinkles on his face. He smiled and walked around the bar and headed towards them.

"Good evening or should I say morning, Mister Rosefield. What brings you by this late?" he asked.

"We need a room for the night, Mr. Castle," Edward said.

"Oh!" the bartender eye's brightened before grinning at them, "Love birds, I see. We have a lovely suite upstairs-"

"No, no," interrupted Edward, "I'm just taking Dawn here to Snape Manor. She is taking the job of governess for Miss Snape."

"Well, welcome to Lowood, Miss..."

"Phoenix, Dawn Phoenix." Dawn finished for him, smiling.

Mr. Castle's eyes nearly popped out his sockets before looking Dawn up and down.

"No...it can't be..."he whispered

"Excuse me?" Dawn asked

"Never mind me, Miss Phoenix. I will go get you two a room, let me carry up your bags." Mr. Castle suggested

"No, no, let me." Edwaed insisted.

"You are a guest here." he replied.

He took out his wand and waved it and the bags were lifted in the air. Edward and Dawn both followed Mr. Castle upstairs. He assigned them rooms across from each other before heading back downstairs.

As Dawn got dress for bed, she couldn't help but wonder what made Mr. Castle act like that when she said her name. Was something wrong with it? It was an okay name, at least for her. Maybe Phoenix was a common last name in the wizarding world, but she never crossed anyone with that name. She was too tired to think about it, all just silly nonsense really. She yawned and got into the bed and snuggled underneath the quilt and fell asleep instantly.

-------

The next morning, Dawn awoke to a sound of a rooster outside. She was having a strange dream last night about being chased down by an army of giant snakes and woke up just as one jumped at her to bite her. Dawn quickly changed and cleaned herself up. She took her bags and walked downstairs and into the bar area. It was early morning, she hoped they served breakfast, she was starving! She put the bags next to her as she sat down at a table. Five minutes later, Edward came down the steps, hair tussled up. He saw Dawn and smiled before sitting across from her.

"Were you waiting long?" he asked

"No, not really. Is there any breakfast around here?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure, let me get Mr. Castle to make us something. Be right back." Edward said before getting up again, he went to talk to Mr. Castle at the bar.

Dawn played with a piece of her hair as she waited. After a few minutes later, Edward came back with two plates full of eggs, bacon, toast, and a side of jelly. He set one in front of her and himself. Instantly two glasses of both orange juice and coffee appeared in front of them. They both began to dig in.

"So, how long until we get to Snape Manor?" asked Dawn a few minutes later

"Ahombutonefour." he said through a mouthful of food

"Excuses me?"

Edward swallowed his food and took a sip of coffee before speaking.

"About an hour. Master Snape really likes his privacy."

"When do you get to meet him, then?" she asked.

"Oh! He went on a two week trip to Africa to get some herbs for his potion making,"

"He makes potions?"

"Yeah, one of the best Potions Master in Britain! He helped me when I needed some healing potion after Daisy, one of our horese, kicked me in the gut one day. Talk about kicked in the stomach." he said with a shiver

Dawn giggled as she imaged Edward brought down by a horse.

"Think my pain is funny?" he asked, rudely

"No, no, just never mind! Just thinking." she said softly.

"Well," Edward said as he looked as his watch, "We should get going before mama yells at me again."

Dawn nodded and picked up her bags and they both walked out the tavern, after saying 'good-bye' to Mr. Castle. They loaded up the bags on the carriage and they took off. It seemed a bit quick as they rode to Snape Manor. They went on a plain dirt road with grass fields around them before they entered a huge forested area. Dawn smiled as she saw many animals running in the woods. In a few minutes, Edward pulled into a driveway and jumped off from the driver's seat and opened the door for Dawn. Dawn couldn't help but gasp as she saw the large house in front of her. In the front was a grand fountain with a statue of a woman carrying a vase with water coming out of it. There were many flowers in the front, she could see a shed to the side. But, the house itself was gorgeous! It must have had four or five floors to it, gray bricks made the house, many windows and a few balconies, and two towers off to the side.

"Welcome to Snape Manor, Miss Phoenix!" Edward said, confidently.

He smiled at her before grabbing the bags from the carriage as two workers came from the shed and took the horses and carriage to the back. Edward led Dawn through the tall double doors. Even the inside was gorgeous! In an enormous foyer a grand sweeping staircase sat in the middle of the room, statues gracing each side of it. Portraits of people hanging up on the walls. There were two hallways on either side of them, leading down corridors that seemed to last forever. Before Dawn could really take a good look at the place, she felt a tap on the shoulder and saw Edward there.

"We should head toward your room so you can get more settled in this place," he said.

"Alright," Dawn said, nodding.

Edward took hold of the bags and walked up the marble steps until they reached the landing. They turn right and walked down the hall way there before going up a flight of stairs again. Dawn didn't know how long it took to get up, but finally they reached the last level, that she could tell, where there were not many doors or portraits here. Lights hung against the rich green wallpaper, a few still portraits stood against the wall. They finally reached the last door at the end of the hall and Edward set out the bags at the door. He smiled as he reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a silver key and unlocked the maple door and pushed it open.

Dawn gasped at the size of the room! It could fit half of her flat inside! There were carpeted floors, a grand fireplace, a couple of bookcases, and in the center was a king-sized four post bed that could fit five people. It had dark blue velvet hangings and sheets with white pillows to give it a brighter color to it.

"This is your room. If you need anything, just use some floo powder by the mantel and get the kitchen, the cooks will happily serve you. I'll leave you to get yourself unpacked. Good day, madam." Edward smiled as he did a small bow and turn to leave.

Dawn smiled and walked over to the bed and ran a hand against the rich, velvet sheets. It was soft to the touch and could easily fall asleep in a instant. She flopped backwards on the bed and looked at the ceiling with a happy grin on her face. She was beginning to like this place!

-----------------

Dawn was busy putting away her cloths when she heard her door being opened. She looked around and spotted a small figure peering into the room. She shut the drawer and walked over. The figure stepped back suddenly.

"Wait, I'm not going to hurt you," Dawn said as she reached the door.

She opened the door wider and looked down to see a small girl of five looking back at her with dark navy eyes that looked almost black along with braided black hair going down her back. Fear and confusion was written in her eyes. Dawn dropped down to her eye level and smiled.

"Hello, I'm Dawn, may I ask who you are?" she asked

The girl remained silent for a moment or two before speaking. "Em-Emily Snape. Why are you in my house, miss?" she asked with a soft voice.

"Oh, you're Emily. Well, Miss Snape, I'm your new governess, is that alright with you?" she asked.

"Are you going to be mean to me; like the others?" Emily asked as she gripped tighter on the door handle.

Others...?

"Uh..I...No, I promise I will not be mean and nasty to you." Dawn swore.

Emily let go of the handle and walked up to Dawn.

"May I...see your hand?"

"Certainly," Dawn held her right hand out, palm up.

Emily grabbed it and traced the lines of her hand for a few minutes before smiling and letting her hand go.

"Ok, I believe you. Pleasure to meet you, Dawn," she curtsied.

"The same to you, Miss Snape." Dawn bowed the best she could on her knees.

Emily grabbed her hand as she stood up from the floor.

"I would like to show you around my house, Emily Snape style!" she said, happily.

Dawn smiled and nodded as Emily pulled her outside and along the many hallways.

Yes, she was beginning to like this place.