AN- UPDATE! I have changed this chapter as i realised who the potion teacher would have been at this time. Sorry everyone, if anyone does realise iv made anymore mistakes please tell me as i have no Beta.

The shack

Like she had known Anya knew what the look would be on her brother's face before it even appeared upon his face as she told him about her discoveries. The expression was scheming but also buried underneath was a sense of disappointment and envy for the powers offered to her. Anya smirked when she noticed that, he actually envied her but she said nothing else it would not do to anger her brother especially at such a crucial development like this.

Looking out the window of the library Anya noticed snow was beginning to fall, it was nearly time for the Christmas holidays and Anya was busy trying to finish up the last of her homework for her teachers. Glancing back at the work she heard the clocks bell chime 7 o clock "damit" she thought quickly gathering her books together off the table and putting them into her school bag, she needed to get to the potions room, she was studying some more complex potions and had extra classes with her potions teacher. She walked down the corridors on her way to the potions class, in the dungeons, when she walked past the bathroom, Anya glanced back but decided against going in she would go back to the chamber when she returned from her father's after the holidays, she couldn't be seen to be hanging around there too much or acting suspicious.

Entering the class room she noticed Prof. Slughorn already checking on her potion. He was a rather large teacher and both Tom and Anya had found him incredibly easy to manipulate, always knowing what type of bribe was most efficient, and a box of crystallised pineapple.

"Sorry I'm late sir, didn't realise the time." She said to him causing him to look back at her, he smiled at her in his usual way before moving round so she could check the potion herself.

"That's quite all right, the potion is doing well, and you really do know how to put together some amazing potions Miss Riddle." Slughorn told her beaming, she was his star pupil, she and her brother were amazing students and he knew of no one who would say a word against them.

"Well I have a great teacher sir. It should be ready soon enough, it's been a month." She glanced at the potion stewing in her new cauldron set that Naria had brought her; it was the right shade of blue and was emitting bubbles that flew downwards. The "Houdini" potion allowed the maker to change their appearance daily, altering their bodies so that they were totally different and no one could notice a change, and the potion had to be brewed to perfection lest the person not change back when they administrate the antidote.

"Yes it seems to be, we should try it out" he replied to her, stirring the potion once more before moving over and bringing out a toad that was in a tank beside him. He dropped some of the potion on the toad and watched how the toad became a rat before their eyes.

"It's perfect; you would never tell the difference." Anya exclaimed pleased with the result, she had mastered yet another potion something her class mates couldn't dream to be doing.

"You know Miss Riddle; if you keep going as you are…you will be an amazing benefit to this world"

Anya merely beamed as she watched the "rat" hop about hopelessly emitting either a "croak" or a "squeak."

It was the first day of the Christmas holidays and Anya made the familiar journey to her home, Jones came to pick her up and to bring her to the manor which she knew so well. The car however could not be expected to drive up the hill along the main road as the snow and ice was so thick therefore they took the longer route coming along a little used road that even Anya had not seen before. The car was warm a strict contrast to the bitter elements outside and Anya peered out of the window to see the village lane and what lay along it. There wasn't much to see mostly trees and shrubs that seemed to be very overgrown, many even seemed dead, it wasn't until she saw a hole in the endless stretch of weeds that Anya noticed a small building that resembled a shed, the "garden" from what she could see was more overgrown than the surroundings and she presumed the place to be empty until she noticed the light from a candle that burned dimly in the "shacks" only window.

Anya turned her head towards Jones in the front seat. "Who lives there?" she asked him indicating towards the building they had just passed slowly by.

"That is the old caretakers building, as far as everyone is concerned it's empty, it homes an old nutcase who is never seen in the village. As you can see it does not belong to us or your father would have had it removed long ago."

Anya was intrigued, she had never heard of any nutters in the village, she was the weird one going off to some foreign school and only returning for holidays.

"It does need some cleaning up; however leaves there must be rather poor for the house to be in such a state."

Jones merely nodded and continued to drive the car not taking his eyes of the road that they could barely see before them. Anya could have solved the problem with magic but that was forbidden and was not worth all the questions and arguments that would follow such a simple gesture.

Her father and stepmother were at the door to greet her once they had finally made their way to the manor, ushering her inside as quickly as they could out of the cold air. Once the pleasantries had been exchanged they all returned to the warm sitting room where a large pine tree was extravagantly decorated, the fire was roaring emitting so much heat that Anya had to sit a little way away to stop from getting to hot.

"So how was your…year?" her stepmother asked delicately. Anya sensed her discomfort to talk about pretty much anything with her step daughter.

"It was amazing as always, I have learnt a lot…mostly theory" she added on seeing the horrified look on her parent's faces.

"And how is Mr. Knight?" her father asked trying to lighten the tense mood that have overcome them.

"Zarian is well, he wishes to know if I could spend a week with him near the end of the holidays, that way we can go back to…school…together and not have to worry about going all the way to London."

Her father and "mother" exchanged a look, before her father agreed that it would be a nice idea, but not without turning a very stern eye on her as though he was trying to read her mind or inflict a message into her brain.

Anya was extremely happy with this; she would get to spend an entire week with Zarian, away from her parents and their watchful gazes. After bidding her parents good night she walked back to her room where an owl was waiting for her to write a reply, the owl was grey and proud looking and Anya gave it an affectionate pat on the head before attaching her reply and putting it outside the window. As she lay in bed she couldn't help but feel content, she missed Hogwarts but being home was a nice change…as she fell asleep though she suddenly thought of the old shack…wonder who lives there?