victoria cullen34: I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the plans I have for the story. I want to keep everything as close to the original story as possible while filling in some gaps and answering some questions I have with the original. I also want to keep all the characters as close to their real personality as possible as well.
andpleasedontcry: Yep :) Hogwarts here we come!
Outofthisworldgal: Yeah, I think anyone with Severus for a father and the Malfoys as close family friends would be very smart indeed lol. Olivia has not only good genes, but good resources and a good learning environment. Since Draco was second to Hermione in grades, I figured Olivia would be right up there, too, since she and Draco would've had the same teachings.
X Blue Eyed Demon X: Thanks! :)
LittleReader-Chan: Hope you enjoy it!
July 1992 – September 1992 (First Year)
Dear Miss Snape,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry...
Olivia held the post in her hand as the ran through the house, taking the stairs down towards the basement. She waited impatiently as he finished his intricate stirring. When he set the hourglass and glanced at her excited face, he simply smirked and held out his hand for the letter.
"Can we go today?" she asked as she bounced on her toes, excited about the thought of getting her wand.
Glancing over the list, he spoke, "Seems that all the books are the same save for one. Pomona has updated to the newest edition and you'll need the books for the new Defense teacher." Severus rolled his eyes as he noticed that the "professor" was teaching from his own books, which were a lot of bollocks if you asked him. "I suppose we could get it done today. I have some things to get anyways so go change while I finish this up." As she ran up the stairs with a squeal, he chuckled a bit before turning the burner off and setting the cauldron to the side to cool.
They apparated into Diagon Alley and Olivia decided to go ahead and get her robes done first since it was the most boring task of them all. They continued down the alley, purchasing her basic supplies, quills and ink and parchment. Ollivander's was next, which she had been looking forward to for years.
Opening the door, there was a bell that rang, alerting Mr. Ollivander to their entrance. He rounded a corner at the back, peaking out from the shelves. "Ah, Professor Snape, how are you?"
"I'm well; and yourself?" he asked politely.
"Very well," he said before glancing to Olivia. "Getting your things already?" he noted with slight surprise. "And what might your name be, Miss?"
"Olivia Snape, Sir," she replied happily.
"A pleasure, Miss Snape," he nodded to her. Mr. Ollivander turned to his shelves, thinking for a moment before plucking one from a stack. "Let's try this one for start." He took the wand from the box and handed it to her. The wood was remarkably light, both in color and in weight.
Olivia grasped the wand and flicked it towards a part of the room. The ladder that was leaning against the wall shot away, slamming into the shelves. Her eyes widened and she bit her lip in an attempt not to laugh before handing the wand back to him.
"Nope!" He exclaimed. "Hmm..." Rounding the counter, he went towards the back and pulled another box from the shelf. "How about a blackthorn, just to see," he handed the wand to her.
She noticed the wand was black in color and fairly heavy. She waved it at the the vase of flowers on the counter, which immediately burst into flames and scattered into ash. Fanning the ash away from her face, she placed the wand on the counter with disappointment.
"Getting there, but not quite," he noted. "Perhaps something not so dark." Mr. Ollivander held up a finger as his face showed some note of sudden realization. Towards the back, in a small stack of dark boxes, he slid one out and brought it forward. He handed her the wand, it's color the same as the previous, the weight seemed similar, too. The handle was carved into an elegant Nordic-like raven. Olivia smiled at the artwork.
Wrapping her slender fingers around the handle, she felt a gust of cool air. Specks of moisture began to fall on her head and she looked up to see tiny snow flakes falling from nowhere. Her smile grew into a grin as she held out her hand to feel the flakes.
Mr. Ollivander smiled at the sight. It was always unique, the way a witch or wizards magic manifested. "Ebony, dragon heartstring, twelve inches, unbending," he noted. "It's a very fine wood, very strong. It isn't quite as dark in tendency as some like the blackthorn. It's very rare, those woods, but it seems that the apple does not fall quite so far from the tree," he muttered with a wink. "You must be a very unique and proud young lady," he praised. "It's even more rare that I sell an unbending wand. That is impressive."
"Thank you, Mr. Ollivander," she said gratefully.
Severus paid for the wand and they headed to the owl emporium. Seeing a bat hanging from a sign outside, she rubbed her finger underneath it's chin before walking inside. She marveled at the many different owls: barn owls, tawny, great horned, grey, snowy, and screech owls. There were hawks and kites and even a vulture. There was a section of toads and cats to accommodate the needs of first years who didn't want an owl.
"Daddy? Can first years only have an owl, cat, or toad?" she asked out of curiosity.
"Those are the three listed, but I have seen the rule slide for rats and snakes, non-venomous, of course."
Olivia thought on the idea of something other than an owl. She walked through the store, keeping an eye out for something to strike her fancy. When she saw the large black birds perched on a branch towards the back, one completely black and one with a white section on its neck, she remembered the carving on her wand. "A raven?" she asked, walking up to the bird.
"May I assist you in finding anything in particular?" chirped an elder witch as she found them. "Ah, I see you have found the ravens."
"How are ravens in the company of many owls?" Severus asked, thinking of the castle's owlery.
"Ravens are some of the most intelligent birds. They are very easily happy among other intelligent creatures like owls. They can mimic speech and other animals in order to draw their prey near. However, they aren't the most popular so I tend to not keep many," she explained, seeming disappointed that there wasn't more demand for such beautiful birds. She did smile at Olivia spoiling one of them with her petting and slight ruffling of its feathers.
She held out her arm for the completely black bird and he stepped onto the outstretched limb gently before leaning in to nudge her cheek. Olivia giggled at the bird's affection. "Daddy, can I?" she asked. He nodded without much thought. She was obviously drawn to the bird and he couldn't deny it after seeing both the appearance of her wand and the interaction between the two. When they reached the counter, the witch prepared a cage and packed many treats into a bag.
"What will you call him?" she asked Olivia who was still holding her arm out, the raven perched happily there.
"Muninn," she smiled.
"Olivia, what-Oh! Cool!" came Draco's voice from behind her.
"Severus, I didn't know you would be coming today," said Narcissa as she saw them finishing up the sale. "We just came to get more owl treats while we were here getting Draco's books."
"We're nearly finished. I just need to go to the apothecary," he said to her. "Olivia just needs the new books."
"She could come with us; we were just heading there ourselves."
"Can I, Daddy?" Olivia asked.
He minimized the cage and treats and slipped them into his pocket with the rest of the packages. "I can come get her this evening."
"That sounds fine, Severus," Narcissa smiled. "She's always welcome with us."
Olivia said a quick goodbye to her dad as he left for Knockturn Alley. Draco was petting Muninn while Narcissa bought the treats they needed. "Where's Uncle Lucius?" Olivia asked.
"He's at Gringott's getting...something," Draco said before giving her a look that he'd tell her later.
"Alright, you two," Narcissa started, "ready? Olivia, you can let him fly while we finish up. He can find you later." Muninn ruffled when she said the word 'fly.' Olivia nodded and they turned to head out of the emporium. She lifted her arm a bit and watched as Muninn extended his wings and bounded from her arm.
Draco pulled her towards Florish & Blott's, which had a odd number of people lined up outside. They slipped through the crowd and she followed him up the stairs towards the books that were categorized as Dark. Draco sneered at the man who was drawing all the attention.
"That's our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He's a bloody imbecile, if you ask me," he said to her.
"He looks like he would much rather be in a hair salon than defeating anything," she said, agreeing.
They watched as Narcissa pushed through the crowd to the counter, giving the man a list. "There's the Weasleys." Draco pointed out a swarm of red hair and then to a girl who came in with a dark haired boy behind her. "And that is Granger and Potter," he finished as if spitting out something bitter. "Come on, I need to find something."
Turning back to the books, she browsed while he looked for whatever it was he was looking intensely for. She was engrossed in a book on very advanced potions when she heard her uncle's voice. Draco had already went downstairs and was standing to the side as his father spoke to Harry Potter and some of the Weasley family. Olivia put the book back and took the stairs slowly, not wanting to interrupt their conversation.
"Voldemort killed my parents," she heard the Potter boy say. "He was nothing more than a murderer." Olivia tensed at the name he said without even hesitating.
"You must be very brave, to mention his name," said Lucius, looking slightly nervous to her, "or very foolish."
"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself." A curly haired girl, Granger she suspected, spoke up.
"And you must be...Miss Granger," he said and Draco nodded at his father's correct assumption. Olivia could tell that Draco was tense, but she didn't really know why. "Yes, Draco's told me all about you and your parents. Muggles, aren't they?" Lucius turned his attention to the red-headed children, "Well, let me see, red hair, vacant expression," he plucked a book from one of the girl's cauldron. Olivia noticed the girl was her age as Lucius continued, "tatty second-hand book. You must be the Weasleys."
A very gentile looking man approached, apparently the children's father, but the way he eyed Lucius didn't sit well with Olivia. "Children, it's mad in here; let's go outside."
"Well, well, Weasley Sr."
"Lucius," the wizard lulled as if the man hadn't been noticed at all.
"Busy time at the Ministry, Arthur," Lucius spoke to him, trying to be civil whilst also accusing, "all those extra raids. I do hope they pay you overtime, but judging by the state of this, I'd say not." Olivia thought it was a bit low to talk opening about someone's financial situation, but she knew there must be some underlying reason for it, some other alternate point he wanted to make. "What's the use in being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"
"We have a very different idea about what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy."
"Clearly. Associating with muggles," he noted Narcissa was finishing up the purchase of books. Taking a step towards the elder Weasley and dropping the second-hand book back into the cauldron, "And I thought your family could sink no lower." The two shared glances that spoke volumes of their despise of one another. "I'll see you at work," Lucius said before turning and leaving with Narcissa.
Draco moved to face Potter, giving him a glare that matched his father's. "See you at school." Olivia followed him out of the book store after getting a good look at the group herself.
Once they were all outside, Draco and Olivia followed after his parents. She wanted to ask so much, but she knew that Draco would tell her later. Something had happened. She knew that there was more said silently in that conversation in the book store than was spoken aloud. Olivia wanted to know what.
They apparated back to the Manor. Narcissa told them they could go play as she followed Lucius into his study. The entire feeling in her home-away-from-home had completely changed and she didn't like it at all.
"Come on," Draco said as he went upstairs towards his room. When they reached his room, she went inside and sat on the bed and ran her hand over the black fur blanket draped across the corner as Draco shut the door.
"What is going on?" she asked him once the door was shut.
Taking his cloak off, he tossed it over a chair in the corner. "The Ministry raided our house last week," he said grimly. Her eyes widened significantly.
"Why?! Are you alright? What happened?" she asked, trying hard to keep her voice down. Draco was obviously shaken by the thought.
"Yeah, we're fine. Mother was on the patio and I was flying when they came. Father told me to come inside and we had to stay in the sitting room with an Auror while they went through the house. Father was so angry." He sighed and took a seat next to her on the bed.
"Oh, Draco, I'm so sorry," Olivia said, putting a hand on his. "Why would they target your family?"
"Did your dad tell you what happened at Hogwarts last year?"
"He only said that the Defense professor was possessed and tried to steal something the headmaster was holding in the castle under heavy protection. You can't get more information out of Daddy than he's willing to give," she joked.
"Well, that's partially true, but Professor Quirrell was the victim of You-Know-Who. He'd attached himself to the man and was corrupting him. The object he tried to steal was the Sorceror's Stone. Potter and his friends stopped him." He seemed almost disgusted as he said the last part.
"How do you know all this?"
"I listen and watch very carefully," he said with a smirk that made her laugh. "Mr. Weasley knew all about it because his youngest son is Potter's friend and helped. Father thinks that he and Dumbledore had some pull in the Ministry to start these raids on private homes with only as much as suggestion of doubt in the families."
Olivia seemed to fume with the information. "So, because they don't like your father they put enough against his name in the Ministry to cause a raid?"
"Apparently so. Father has a certain reputation. He had a lot of pull in the Ministry and because of that, he's made a few enemies, Mr. Weasley being one of them. Father can't stand him and the feeling is mutual."
"I could tell." Olivia processed all that she was told. "Well, obviously they didn't find anything, which is good."
"Luckily. I heard Mother and Father talking that night. Father has some items that would be questionable locked away in a safe in the elves' quarters. He took them to Borgin & Burke's today. There was one item, though," Draco paused, seeming a bit nervous about discussing it. "You know our fathers were followers before You-Know-Who's downfall, right?"
Olivia nodded. "I had the thought they might be. People make comments about Daddy's loyalty in public and, the scar across his arm and the other families like the Mulcibers and Averys, I took a guess."
"Well, there's something that You-Know-Who gave to Father years ago, to keep safe. Apparently it is very valuable to him because he told him that, under no circumstance, was it to fall into the wrong hands. Father couldn't just take it and sell it; that would be bad."
"But he needs to be rid of it. What is he going to do?"
"He wants it destroyed, I think, but he can't just go to the Ministry or to Dumbledore and give it to them. They'd lock him up for even being in possession of it. Mother wanted him to just throw it away and hope for the best, but Father wants it done for sure. He wants it at Hogwarts so that Dumbledore can find it and destroy it without putting it to the Malfoy name."
"How is he going to do that?"
"Today, at Florish & Blott's, you saw him taking that book from the Weasley girl's cauldron?" She nodded, remembering it clearly. "Did you see him put it back? He dropped it in there with it."
"What is it? What is it supposed to do?"
"It's a book, but I don't know what it does exactly. I overheard Father say that You-Know-Who said it was from his school days and that, when the time came, he was going to use it to finish the job he started."
"Well, that's not much to go on," she said with a disappointed tone.
"Father did a little digging after his fall. You-Know-Who went to Hogwarts about fifty years ago. Something Father found out was that, one year, while he was at school, a girl died...a muggleborn girl. Also, that was the same year Hagrid was expelled."
"Hagrid was expelled?!" Olivia seemed shocked at the idea. "That does explain why he's not allowed to do magic, though," she noted finally.
"Father said that it had to do with the Chamber of Secrets being opened. There's something at Hogwarts that is being kept in there, a monster of some kind, something only You-Know-Who could deal with."
"Again, not much help," she groaned.
Draco lifted his eyebrow and smirked, smug with his knowledge. "Did you know that You-Know-Who was descended from Salazar Slytherin?" Olivia gave him a questioning look, telling him to continue. "What's a talent only Slytherin had?"
Olivia thought hard for a moment. "Well, he was very gifted with potions, but so is a lot of other people. He was a parselmouth," she whispered, dawning her realization. "A snake?"
"Not just any snake," Draco said, taking a page from his pocket. "A big one, that can kill. It had to be something great, not just any old snake. It had to be something that could live a really long time, too, because Slytherin was way before You-Know-Who's time." He opened the page, handing it to her.
"A basilisk?!"
"It makes sense. What I don't know is how a book is supposed to 'finish the job,' and where the chamber is and how it's opened."
"So, what's the plan?" Olivia asked, knowing Draco had some strategy already set.
"Father told me that, he was sure it wouldn't harm anyone other than muggleborns, but he said that I wasn't to be wandering around this year, to stay in my house and keep to my studies. I think he wants to talk to your dad tonight, maybe about getting some hints to Dumbledore if things start happening, anything that won't connect his name to the bloody thing." Draco took the page and folded it up before getting up to stick it in with his school things on one side of the room. "We have to figure out where the chamber is and find a way to seal it for good."
Olivia gave him a look, "Yeah, because that should be easy enough."
"Now, Draco, you remember what we talked about?" Lucius asked, giving his son a warning glare.
"Yes, Father," Draco answered as his mother smoothed his hair down. "Come on, Olivia, let's go get a good seat."
"Alright, just a minute," Olivia replied. She had wore her favorite green dress for boarding the train for her first time. Severus had accompanied them to the train early so that he could apparate to the castle at a reasonable time and get settled before the students arrived. Olivia smiled at him, "I'll see you at the sorting ceremony, Daddy."
"That you will," he drawled in his usual tone. "Remember, at school, it's-"
"Professor," she said, interrupting him. "I know. I'm not at school yet, though, Daddy," she noted. They had a discussion a few days prior. Olivia knew she couldn't very well call him 'Daddy' in the classroom, which would be highly inappropriate. She wasn't thrilled, to say the least, but she did understand. However, she wouldn't treat him as her professor until they were at Hogwarts, she swore to herself. He was still her dad.
They said their goodbye's and Draco and Olivia boarded the train, their trunks and Muninn in tow. Draco found a compartment and they settled in. Crabbe and Goyle came later. Olivia didn't much care for their lack of intelligence, but they weren't horrible to deal with. She waved at Theo, Magnus, and Hayden as they passed the compartment.
Right before the train was supposed to leave, Theo opened the door to their compartment. "Potter and Weasley didn't make it," he laughed. "The Weasleys came, but they're still looking for him and Potter. I heard they were right behind them; they just never came through the barrier."
Draco laughed at the information. "Maybe they decided to skip this year," he scoffed. "I don't think we can be so lucky, however."