Chapter 1

It was a warm night in the country. Two farms sat in a valley. A tall old man seemed to appear from nowhere atop the hill. As he approached the valley he noticed one of the farms had a small bit of light creeping out. This old man was slim, with white-grey hair, and a beard that extended past his elbow. He wore a strange collection of robes, all of which were a deep emerald green. His half-moon spectacles were shinning in the moonlight. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore, and he had a very important task ahead of him. He approached the poorly lit farm house to the left and politely knocked on the door.

The man who answered was of a medium build. He had a caring face, but it showed many bruises and scars. His tatted clothes did nothing to enhance his appearance. His name was Remus Lupin and he played a large role in the first man's task.

"Hello Albus." Remus said as he welcomed the man into his home. "I was wondering how long it would be before you would be here."

"Yes well I felt it best to deal with this matter sooner rather than later." After chatting for a moment or two about nothing of consequence the two men decided to pay a visit to Remus' neighbor.

Severus Snape was the last person anyone would expect to be raising a child. Let alone a child as special as she was. Maybe that's why Albus Dumbledore had chosen him all those years ago. No Severus knew the truth, he knew he was chosen as her godfather because of Remus' "furry little problem." Severus Snape was a dark man with a dark past. He wore black pants and a black shirt. Nearly everything he owned was black. The only bit of light and cheer in his life came from this one girl. It was late that same summer night that Severus sat awake staring at the girl that he had raised for ten long years. He wondered if she would have been different, if she would have turned out the same had she been raised by her parents. He was certain she wouldn't have, but at least she would have grown up with a mother. The one thing Severus had never been able to give her. He heard a light knock at his door. Very few people knew where Severus lived and that was just the way he liked it. Glancing at the clock hanging on the wall he wondered who had come to bother him at this hour. Using his wand Severus altered the girl's appearance so she would not be recognized as herself, reluctantly he opened the door. He was slightly relieved to find Albus and Remus standing there rather than a group of Death Eaters. With a flick of his wand the enchantment was gone and the girl was back to her natural appearance.

"Hello Severus."

"I knew you would be coming soon enough Dumbledore, I just hadn't thought it would be this soon." Severus spoke through his teeth. Albus and Remus invited themselves in.

"Yes well I thought it best we get this all out of the way now. Think, if you were her would you not want to know as soon as possible?"

"I suppose. But please Dumbledore not tonight. Let the girl have one last night of restful sleep before we cloud her life with nightmares." Albus could see the pleading in the man's eyes. He was surprised by this, Severus had sworn he would never love another thing after he lost his one true love.

"Very well I suppose that is still your choice to make, but Remus and I will return in the morning. Early." Dumbledore said. And he turned and left.

"Goodnight Severus." Remus said as he shut the door behind him.

I yawned and scratched my head. Something about that day felt different from the first moment I woke up. I hopped off my bed and walked over to my full length mirror. My long red hair wasn't in its usual state of tangles and knots that occur during the night. Severus must have had a visitor last night. Whenever we have a…less friendly house guest, he had to use a special charm to enchant me, and make me appear less like myself. When it wears off my hair is always nice and clean and usually my skin too. I guess I was pretty enough. Though Severus told me frequently how much I looked like my mother. Except the eyes, I had my father's eyes. He always spoke of my father with bitterness, which made me wonder what role he had in my parent's premature death. Well I looked clean enough to go to breakfast. I hoped that Severus didn't mind that I would be wearing pajamas to Breakfast…again.

My bedroom was in the upstairs loft of our farmhouse. One wall could be folded up against a second wall so that I could see the whole house. The wall was currently extended fully blocking me from the steps. I pushed away the wall a bit and peeked around it to make sure the "coast was clear." Sitting at the table I saw my favorite uncle. I pushed away the wall and took the steps two at a time. When I reached the bottom step Severus was already Scolding me.

"Allison Lillian what have I told you about running down the stairs? And are those your night clothes? And at breakfast none the less…" he continued to lecture me, and I continued to ignore him.

"Morning to you too Sev." I said as I walked passed. I ran to my uncle and soon we were embracing. "Good morning Uncle Remus!" I smiled.

"Good morning Alice." I turned back to Severus who was rooted in his spot. While I turned I asked,

"What are we having for…oh Hello?" for the first time I noticed a tall elderly man sitting across from Remus at the table.

"Hello Allison. My name is Professor Dumbledore. I don't know how much Severus has told you about me but I am the Headmaster at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Oh that's the school Severus teaches at. That's the school my parents went to right Remus?"

"Your parents both graduated from Hogwarts, as did Severus and your Uncle Remus, and just seven short years you hopefully will as well."

"So does that mean that I get to go to Hogwarts this year?" I asked waiting for a rejection that I hoped wouldn't come.

"Yes, here is your letter." I was so excited I couldn't believe it. I started dancing around the room singing "I'm going to Hog-warts! I'm going to Hog-warts!" It was Severus who brought me back to reality. He swiftly grabbed me around the waist when I ran by and carried me back to my seat at the table. "Well now that my school business is out of the way, I have some personal business to attend to." Dumbledore began again. "But first I'd like you to tell me how much you know about your family and the wizarding world." I looked to Severus, unsure how much I should trust this seemingly kind old man.

"It's all right Alice. Professor Dumbledore knows everything. He just wants to know what I have told you." Severus said bitterly. Something about Professor Dumbledore upset him, but I knew Severus trusted him.

"I know my father had three best friends Uncle Remus, and a man names Sirius Black, and another named Peter Petegrew. I know Severus was my mother's best friend for a while but their friendship ended after a fight. When my parents were older there was a war that broke out between good wizards and evil. The dark wizards chose the name of Death Eaters and followed a man by the name of Voldemort. Most good wizards were part of a secret order, my parents were among them. Voldemort wanted my parents dead because of my mother, she was only half wizard blood. My parents went into hiding, but then Peter betrayed them and they were murdered. No one has seen Voldemort since."

"What else do you know about the wizard world?" The old man seemed so surprised at how much I knew. I was starting to think I knew more than I should, but really the only other things I knew about wizards were secrets I was supposed to keep. I wanted to tell Dumbledore because I wanted to impress him with my knowledge but I knew the secrets I kept, could not be told to just anyone. So I responded as politely as I could.

"Sir I know very little about the wizard world. What other things I know, are family secrets that I promised to never share with anyone."

"So Alice what you are saying is that secrets you keep are not yours, but you keep them to protect the ones you love?" I peeked at Severus and Remus out of the corner of my eyes. They were the only family I had and I would do anything to protect them, even if it meant not going to Hogwarts.

"Yes sir. That is what I'm saying." I thought I saw a twinkle in the old man's eyes.

"Then when I tell you my biggest secret you will understand that I have kept it a secret to protect you from harm, won't you?"

"Of coar…" But Severus cut across before I could finish.

"Albus enough of these games. The child has waited long enough to know. There is no excuse for not telling her. Please just get on with what you came here to tell her today."

"Now, now, Severus you need to have patience. We can't just expect me to spring something like this on her." I looked from the old man's clear demeanor to Severus' furious face. He was upset about whatever this man was going to say.

"Alice," Dumbledore began, "You have a brother."

"Sorry a what?"

"A brother. His name is Harry James Potter, and your full name is Allison Lillian Potter. You are the famous Potter twins who brought the defeat of the dark lord." I had of course heard the story of the Potter twins. I had grown up my whole life reading about them in the wizarding newspaper, The Daily Prophet. It's said that after that night no one ever knew the twins' whereabouts. I guess I knew why, no one expects a famous witch to be hiding on farm in the middle of nowhere. I felt ridiculous for never bothering to ask Severus and Remus what my last name was, then I remember one important detail.

"But Professor, don't the Potter twins have matching scars on their foreheads? I haven't got any scars at all."

"Ah, but you do." The man began to murmur an incantation and I felt a warming sensation in several places on my body. I looked at my arm, a scar had appeared that should have been there when I was eight and fell of a horse. I walked to the washroom and sure enough there was a lightning bolt shaped scar on my forehead.

"But I don't understand. Surly this is your doing; I've never had these scars before!" I exclaimed. The old man just smiled.

"Severus." Was all he said. I looked to the man who had been like a father to me.

"I have been magically concealing your scars for many years. If you found the scar, I knew you would as questions. Questions that I did not have permission to answer." Then he continued to glare at Dumbledore.

"You see it was I who forbid Severus from telling anyone who you truly were. I made him make the unbreakable vow that he would not to tell anyone, not even you, about your true identity until the time was right." The unbreakable vow. I had heard of this too. It's a magical promise made two wizards, it was impossible to break. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't be angry at a man who would go through such lengths to protect me. "Now in order to continue keeping you and your brother safe, I need to know everything you know about our world." I looked at Remus this time asking for permission. Remus looked at me with his kind eyes and said

"There is nothing you can tell Albus that he doesn't already know about us Alice. He just wants to know what we've told you." He gave a reassuring smile as he echoed Severus' words from earlier. I would start with his secret then.

"Well professor, I know that there are other kinds of magical creatures other than witches and wizards. For example Uncle Remus is a werewolf. That's why even though he's my guardian I can't live with him. It would be too dangerous. Instead I live with my godfather Severus." I looked to Remus hoping he was not putting his trust in the wrong man.

"Ah so you have told her about your furry problem!" Dumbledore said with a chuckle. "Yes I have known about that since Remus was a student at Hogwarts. What other creatures have you heard of?" I tried to think.

"Not many. The one that always seemed the most interesting to me was House Elves. Creatures that love to cook, clean and do house work. I wish Sev and I had one of those. The old man laughed at this. "I have also heard some wizards can transform into animals. My father was one, so were his friends Peter and Sirius." I shot a terrified look at Remus. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone I knew that. Not even Severus. My father and his friends had done this illegally without registering with the ministry. Remus had made me promise not to tell anyone when I was very small. "I-I-I'm sorry it just slipped out!" I exclaimed.

"It's alright Alice. Dumbledore knows about that as well. I told you there is nothing you can say that he doesn't already know about Severus and me." I relaxed after that. I tensed up again when I remembered Severus' secret. It would affect us more than Remus' secret if I told the wrong person.

"Alice, Albus is like a father to me. He knows where my true loyalties lay." Was all Severus said.

"Professor the last secret I have involves the war my parents died for. Shortly after Severus and my mother had the fight that ended their friendship, he joined to Death Eaters. While in Voldemort's service he did many terrible things. Though exactly what he has never told me. After the death of my mother he spoke to a man Alb..oh it was you! Professor Albus Dumbledore! I suppose I owe you a thank you. It was you who rescued me, and I guess Harry, from our destroyed house. To make up for all the awful things Sev had done as a Death Eater, he asked to raise me."

"Which side of the war does Severus fight for now?" I thought carefully about how I should answer this question.

"I suppose most people would say both. I know he must pretend to be loyal to Voldemort in order to be a spy for the good Wizards. But I know that in his heart is not truly evil. The terrible things he did before were because he was grieving for the loss of his best friend. So he is a good wizard as well. I know Severus would never harm me, because I've lived with him my whole life."

"I See." The old man said very seriously. "Alice, I'm afraid that now that I have given you so much good news, I must share some bad news with you."