A/N: Words in italics indicate a flashback.
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Finishing the current chapter of her Charms text, Maggie began scratching notes to summarize the chapter. She found it easier to review if she wrote her own summaries after she read.
The previous day had been very quiet. She had shared lunch with Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Weasley was home for dinner. The rest of that day had been spent studying textbooks.
Footsteps racing up the stairs grabbed her attention. Muffled voices soon reached her ears and she realized that the two Weasley children had arrived home from Hogwarts. She decided to ignore the distraction for the moment and she returned to her studies.
A knock on her door ten minutes later had her pushing her books aside. "Yes?"
The door opened and Mrs. Weasley stood there, smiling tentatively. "I'm sorry to bother you, Samantha dear, but I thought it would be good if you came downstairs and met Ginny and Ron."
Nodding, Maggie rose. 'I have to start thinking of myself as Samantha,' she thought as she followed Mrs. Weasley down the stairs and into the living room. 'If I don't, I'll never be able to pull this off!' The two red-headed children were sitting on the couch, glancing curiously at her.
"Ron, Ginny, I'd like you to meet Samantha Johnston. She's going to be staying with us for the summer and she'll be entering Hogwarts in the fall. Samantha, this is my daughter Ginny. Ginny's going into her fifth year. And this is my son Ron; he's in your year. They're both in Gryffindor House," Mrs. Weasley said, the pride evident in her voice.
"It's nice to meet you both," Samantha said quietly.
"Are you going to be sorted with the first years?" Ron asked.
Samantha hesitated slightly and Mrs. Weasley answered for her, "She's already been sorted, haven't you dear?" Before Samantha could answer, Mrs. Weasley said, "She's been sorted into Slytherin."
Both of the Weasley children spoke, their protests overlapping in a jumble of words. Finally, Ginny took a breath and Ron took advantage of her silence to throw out a clear objection. "No way, mum! A Slytherin living under our roof! What were you thinking?"
"Ronald Bilius Weasley! You will stop that this instant! That goes for you too, Ginerva Molly Weasley! I am ashamed of you both! Samantha is a guest and I expect you both to treat her like one!" She took a deep, hopefully calming breath and continued, "Now, Samantha is a bit behind in her studies, so she will be having tutors here everyday. She will also be spending most of her time outside the lessons studying and I expect you both to leave her be."
"But mum, why is she going to be living here? Doesn't she have family she could spend her summer with?" Ginny whined.
"The poor child had nowhere else to go. She lost her parents to the war and I'll thank you not to ask her anymore about that," Mrs. Weasley said sternly in a voice that allowed no arguments. "Samantha, why don't you head back upstairs? I know I interrupted your studies to bring you down here."
Samantha nodded, "Ok, thank you, Mrs. Weasley." She quietly made her way back upstairs, sighing as she heard Mrs. Weasley berating her children for their behavior. 'This could be a long summer…'
-- --
Katrina did her best to ignore the hand carding through her hair as she knelt beside Voldemort in his study. They had recently finished lunch and now Voldemort was reading.
Closing her eyes, she cast her mind back to the day she considered the beginning of her relationship with Severus Snape.
-- --
Having been chased out of Gryffindor tower by the noise of her housemates, Kat headed directly for the quiet corner of the library which she had only just discovered the previous day. The spot was perfect; hidden from sight, far enough back to be quiet, and in an area that no one bothered with.
Rounding the bookshelf hiding it from sight, she came to a sudden halt as she registered the fact that the spot wasn't empty. She recognized him immediately, even though his face was hidden in a curtain of greasy-looking black hair.
Severus Snape, a Slytherin and often the target of the attentions of James Potter and Sirius Black. He was in her year and in many of her classes, and yet, they had never spoken before.
He was studiously bent over a table covered in books and scrolls and she didn't wish to disturb him, but she also didn't want him to look up and be startled by her presence. Speaking softly, she apologized to him for intruding.
The obsidian eyes which met hers instantly filled with anger and mistrust. She understood why it was there, after all, house rivalries weren't easily forgotten, and yet it somehow saddened her to think she'd caused it. He glanced away and began gathering his things and she realized he was about to leave.
"Wait, please," she said softly. She covered his hand with one of her own, forestalling his movement. "I didn't mean to chase you out of here."
He yanked his hand out from under hers and she wasn't surprised when he snapped at her. She quickly apologized and then, for reasons she didn't even comprehend at the time, asked if she could call him by his given name.
Long moments passed before he defensively asked why she would want to use his name. Once she had responded in a manner he was obviously accustomed to, he had finally consented.
The rest of their conversation was mostly-forgotten to her now. What she did remember vividly was silently stealing glances at Severus as they had both done their studies. While he would never be considered classically beautiful, she found that there was something compelling about the pale coloring of his skin contrasting with the utter darkness of his hair and eyes. She remembered noting the length and slenderness of those fingers as he slowly filled a parchment with his graceful cursive.
-- --
Words spoken above and to the side of her brought Katrina's thoughts snapping back to the present.
"Tonight you will be bonded to your new massster, my pet. It isss a pity that my return to a corporeal form isss not quite complete, or I would keep you for myssself."
'Thank Merlin for small miracles,' Katrina thought.
"Go back to my room and bathe yourssself. Your clothing hasss already been placcced in the bathroom. You are to dressss only in what you find there, underssstood?"
"Yes, my Lord," she responded automatically.
"Go," he said dismissively, withdrawing his hand from her hair.
She hastened to obey, glad to both stretch her back and to spend time outside of his presence.