Maria Hanuschak: I slept for fourteen hours, and when I awoke, Draco was sitting beside me. He was holding a cool cloth to my forehead.
"Your fever was normal, it happens for everyone," he said.
"You've been taking care of me then?" I asked him.
"Yes," he replied. Then Uncle Tom came into the room.
"Good to see you awake, Maria," he smiled at me, then continued, "I'm afraid Lucius and I must be leaving. I'm sorry we can't stay longer. Josef is here, as is Deirdre, and Draco will be staying as well. I will call you in three days. Apparate with the thought of the Mark and it will lead you to me."
He handed a potion to me. "Take this every four hours for today until it is gone, it will automatically regulate how much to take. It will quell the fever and heal you faster. Farewell, Maria." Then he left. I spent those three days recovering my strength. I did not realize how much energy it took from you to take the Mark. I was decently well, though when my Mark first burned, the entire outline of it prickled with heat, and then began to burn. One learns quickly to Apparate at first prickling rather than to wait. I Apparated to a field where Uncle Tom, Onco, and several others had gathered.
"Maria," Uncle Tom said to me, "I have someone I want you to meet." With that, a tall man stepped forward from the group.
"This is Severus Snape, Potions Master. He teaches at Hogwarts. I have some projects I will want you to work on with him once you have finished your apprenticeship. For now though, get to know him well, his expertise is equal if not greater than your master's." Then he addressed everyone, "This is Maria Hanuschak, daughter of Antonin Hanuschak and Deirdre Malfoy. You will respect her as you respect me." I did not understand the full gravity of his last statement until a bit later, but you see the high standing I was placed in from the beginning.
Uncle Tom moved on with the meeting then; that's all it was, a general meeting. Mostly it was my introduction to the higher members, Bella, Rodolphus, Avery, the main group that Uncle kept with him. Towards the end, Severus pulled me aside. He had not taken off his mask until then and when he did, I knew he was the man who had played piano for me all those years ago.
"I believe," he said, "we are to acquaint ourselves."
"How do you want to go about it?" I asked.
"Usually, questions would work best, though I could slip Veritaserum to you and you might cooperate easier." He flinched then. "Forgive me, that was trite."
"I found it amusing actually. I'm not going to throw the Cruciatus at you for that."
"Good. The Dark Lord shows you much favor and I wouldn't want to incite his wrath for disrespecting you," he stated, almost warily.
"Am I that favored? I don't know really."
Severus looked at me then, astonished. "You don't know if you are favored? He said to respect you as we do him! He has never said that of anyone." We paused then, not knowing how to continue. Severus spoke first.
"How long have you known the Dark Lord?"
"Since I was five. He has always been Uncle Tom to me. And you?"
"From my sixth year at Hogwarts I knew of him. I did not meet him until after I had graduated." Another lengthy pause ensued. Neither of us were good conversers.
"You graduated from Durmstrang?" he said finally.
"Yes, with honors."
"You are apprenticing for Potions Mastery?"
"Yes, three years into it. This will be last year before my certification."
"Who is your master?"
"Sergei Kasonovitch. He is the professor at Durmstrang as well."
"He is an excellent Potions Master. You did well to have him as your master."
"You are a Potions Master as well, though."
"Yes," he said a bit gravely.
"I'm sorry I do not yet know your merits or perhaps I would have looked upon you as a possible master."
"It is probably better that you don't and didn't. My merits you will learn soon enough."
Nothing more was spoken between us that night. Uncle Tom left after instructing me on my first task for him, to read through the entire library at my family's estate and to finish my apprenticeship.