"Miss Riddle," A man I had never seen before looked at me from in front of my swing set. "You have been accepted to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry." He wore a gentle smile on his face and a sparkle appeared in his eye. I couldn't see the fear that was also there. I hadn't even replied, but he kept talking. "If you choose to go you will arrive there by the Hogwarts Express. I will have an escort arrive here on September the first to take you shopping." The man spoke quickly.

I stared blankly at him. Witchcraft and wizardry? What was this looney talking about? Although I called him a looney, I felt warmth in me the minute he arrived which I had never felt before.

"You must have felt...unique? Tom...Er...Your father must have made it quite obvious." He raised his eyebrows at me.

"DADDY!" I screamed like any ten year old would as I jumped off my swing. I ran passed this weirdo and towards my house.

Dad was instantly on the back step. He wore a robe, but only for the company he worked for right? He waited for me to tell him what I wanted impatiently. Daddy always had long days at work.

I whirled around and pointed back at my swing set. My jaw dropped. The wiz...The man was gone! How did he get around all the steel gates?

"Daddy..." I said quietly. I didn't want him to think I was the lunatic out here. "Umm...I want you to push me on the swing." I explained innocently.

"Severus taught you to pump your legs, Maybaleen. Don't give me worry just because you want me to er...play out here with you." He said impatiently. "You're too old to play on that or anything. I should have it torn down already." He muttered as he turned to the door.

"Don't!" I said instantly. It was my swing set. Besides that it was the only thing I had to do other than sit in my bedroom.

"You have better manners than that. Do not order your mas...father around." He said then ordered me to follow him into our house.

I grudgingly followed him inside. Without looking at the dinner he cooked, I headed upstairs.

Other than a bed and my clothes, my bedroom had nothing in it. No posters, dolls, movies, NOTHING. I was uni...No! I couldn't be. I was Maybaleen Riddle. I was raised by my father. I was a typical ten year old girl, not a WITCH! My mother passed away. Daddy didn't talk much about that. All I knew was she died in a battle. Natural causes. I didn't know what type of battle she died from. Cancer was as good of an assumption as any other so that's what I convinced myself.

I had no friends. Severus came close, but he wasn't the same as a friend. He wasn't my age and he worked with Dad. I couldn't complain though. He gave me someone to talk to at the very least.

"I won't take it down, but by your eleventh birthday I want you doing more mature things." Dad said as he appeared in my open doorway.

"Like shopping?" I asked getting my hopes up. I was practically jumping on my feet.

"We don't have the money for that." He said quickly.

I looked around our house. We were better than well off. Daddy had money. Why couldn't I go anywhere? Did he have an enemy? I wish he would tell me if he was only trying to protect me. That was sweet if he was. I love him either way. Maybe the battle Mummy was in wasn't like cancer. I looked down at the thought of her. I so badly wished she was with us. I had no female role models, except for Narcissa and Bellatrix, who I really didn't like.

Daddy put a finger under my chin and lifted my face up to look at his snake like one. He was in a car accident and it completely destroyed his looks. That's why we really didn't go places. He didn't trust driving after that imbecile practically drove through his car.

"What are you thinking about precious?" He always called me that. It reassured me.

"Mummy." I answered quietly.

He rolled his eyes at that. "We've talked about that enough. I don't want her brought up again." He was determined to stay off that subject.

"I need to know exactly what happened. At least her name. Please? She's my mother! Was it cancer? A shooting? A...a wizard?" I said the last part extremely hesitantly.

Daddy felt his pocket. What was he feeling for? He clenched his teeth.

There was no such thing as wizards! They were in books. He was only mad, because I brought Mummy up right?

"Wizard?" He asked with a shaky voice.

"Ah...nothing. It was just a figure of...of...I'm sorry, Daddy." I was scared now. He was looking down at me with the coldest eyes I had ever seen.

He took a minute to speak to me. After the minute he cleared his throat and said, "dinner's on the table. I don't want to hear anymore about this. You're eleven years old next week. I must tell whoever's buying you those trashy books to stop." He said then nodded towards the door.

I didn't know what, but something was definitely not right here under any circumstances. I hoped that...wizard came back for me or sent someone for me. I suddenly could not wait until September the first.