Prologue

"We have Potions this morning," Ginny Weasley groaned. Her ears were still red from the howler her brother Ron had gotten that morning.

"What's wrong with that?" her friend, Valentina Corleone asked, pouring a sickening amount of syrup on her pancakes.

"Snape," Fred Weasley replied in a serious tone.

"And he hates Gryffindors," George Weasley, his twin, added in an equally serious tone.

"Oh, he can't be that bad," Valentina mumbled. She took a quick peek up at the staff table. He was there, reading the Daily Prophet, oblivious to the world. I wonder if he's missed me as much as I've missed him, Valentina sighed.

Six Years Ago

Severus Snape was bored. His long, pale fingers drummed a silent tune on Albus Dumbledore's large desk. The headmaster himself, who was now stroking the feathers of his great phoenix, had summoned him from the dungeons just as he was packing away his belongings for the summer. It had been six years since the Dark Lord had fallen. Six years since he lost her. Six years since any expression besides a scowl had graced his pale face.

"A dear friend of mine is in need of a private, live-in tutor for his child," said the great Albus Dumbledore as he finally turned to face him. "Just for the summer."

"And you need me to find a suitable candidate?" Severus replied distractedly, staring out the window towards the Great Lake. The year was coming to a close and Severus was anxious to return home. Though quiet and solidary his summer was, he thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.

"Actually, I was hoping that you would be able to." The Potions master looked up at the twinkling blue eyes of the Headmaster.

"I owe no favors to anyone besides you," Severus said softly, eyes narrowing. "And if you insist, I will not argue." Dumbledore smiled.

"If you would be willing. I would not want to force this upon you, but I think it would be quite an interesting task." Severus willed himself not to sneer; Dumbledore had an odd definition of 'interesting'.

"I will accept the... request," Severus said, standing up. "I shall send an owl immediately." He paused thoughtfully. "Who shall the letter be sent to?" Dumbledore folded his hands upon his desk and studied Severus before answering.

"Silvanus Corleone," the headmaster replied. Severus turned to head out the door before Dumbledore could see the surprise in his eyes.

"Good morning, Severus Snape," a man greeted as Severus stepped away from the lawn-gnome portkey. The man's accent was Spanish—not that he wasn't expecting that. "I am entirely grateful you accepted the position. I am Silvanus Corleone," Severus shook his hand; he had already known who the man was. Who wouldn't? The Corleone family has owned large companies in the wizarding world for as long as anyone could remember. They were among the richest pure-blooded wizarding families in the world. And it didn't hurt that most of the Corleones were blessed with aristocratic good-looks. Silvanus himself was a large, muscular, middle-aged man; his black hair had begun to turn silver at the sides, but it complemented his handsome, strong-jawed face. "My wife," he said, motioning to the beautiful blonde woman beside him. "Flavia Corleone." Severus took her hand and kissed it. She smiled and bowed her head graciously. "And your pupil," Silvanus stepped aside to reveal his daughter, an exceptionally cute girl no older than five or six. "Valentina Corleone." To Severus's surprise, the little girl looked at him distastefully, as if he were a disgusting bug, and immediately rolled her eyes.

"This is Master Snape, your new tutor," Silvanus said to his daughter. Valentina, with her arms folded, cleared her throat and began to speak, as if reciting from a blackboard.

"Good morning, Master Snape," she drawled in a very strong American accent. "My name is Valentina Comnena Corleone and I'm five years old. My previous tutor, Master DiManci, has taught me reading, writing, and the fundamentals of mathematics." She stumbled over 'fundamentals of mathematics' but went on. "With you, I'm hoping to learn Latin, magical herbs and ingredients, magical beasts, and Occlumency." Ah, Snape thought. This is why the Headmaster asked me to take this job. She continued. "I intend to be an aspiring pupil and I will do my best to learn as much as I can from you." She hadn't bothered to hide her sarcasm in the last sentence and Severus bit his tongue to keep from saying anything about it.

"We shall see how you do, then," Severus said softly, studying his pupil. Valentina was obviously trying to sum him up as well, but before either one could come up with anything substantial, Flavia snapped twice and two well-groomed house-elves appeared on either side of Severus.

"Please take our guest's belongings to his room," she said, also in a thick Spanish accent. The house-elves bowed deeply to their mistress, took Severus' bags, and disapparated.

"We shall have the utmost pleasure in giving you a grand tour of the Chateau De Leon, Severus," Silvanus said to him, leading the small group.

"Forgive him if he gets carried away with his lengthy family history," Flavia whispered to Severus with a wink.

The Chateau, though marginally smaller than the Malfoy mansion, was the epitome of exquisite. Everything from the hedge animals to the staircase was delicately and extremely well-made. The interior of the house was strangely larger than its appearance from the outside; Severus mentally applauded this spectacular example of architectural magic.

In the large library, Silvanus gestured to an old, metal shield. "The first English ornament bearing the official family coat-of-arms," he said proudly. He then began explaining the parts of it. "The supporter is the golden lion, of course. The cadency symbol in front of the chevron shield design is a golden file, symbolizing the duty of every firstborn. Only the main branch, or my part, of the Corleone family has the cadency symbol behind the capital C. Otherwise, it is just the C over the chevron design. It was forged here in England, given to my ancestor Christiano Ferdinand Corleone for his allegiance to the Queen during the Spanish Armada. The muggles think it was luck that the winds favored the English." Silvanus' laugh echoed in the large room.

"If I may ask," Severus began slowly. "Aren't the Corleones originally from Spain?"

"You're a sharp one, Master Snape," Silvanus grinned. "It was said that the Spanish king was getting a bit greedy with his gold, leaving his people close to poverty. Either my dear ancestor had a heart of gold, or he knew he would get an incredible amount of it if he switched sides." He paused. "I would hope it were the former than the latter." With that said, Silvanus continued his tour.

"My great-great grandfather acquired this piece—" He picked up a black wand with a red handle from a small pedestal and handed it to Severus. "—made for the firstborns of the main Corleone branch. A gift from Higalvo Rene, the Spanish wand-maker. I had stopped using it when Valentina was born." Severus inspected it, studying the Corleone coat-of-arms at the bottom of the handle. He waved it once, testing it. A brilliant shower of flames erupted from the end, falling like flower petals and assuming the form of a strange beast.

"A hair from the mane of a chimaera?" Severus asked thoughtfully. "How... Fitting." With a flick of his wrist, the flaming chimaera disappeared. He replaced the wand back on its stand.

"Higalvo was known for his interesting but effective creations," Silvanus said shortly. They continued through the house, stopping here and there to show Severus ancient heirlooms and such. Now and again, Severus would glance at the young Corleone. Valentina had inherited her father's thick, wavy black hair and intelligent brown eyes; from her mother, fair skin and delicate features. Had she been smiling, she might have been a sight to behold, but the scowl she wore seemed almost permanent. She had not said a word since that morning but looked positively bored as she followed her parents and tutor around the house.

"And here is your suite," Flavis announced, opening the grand doors to an empty suite. The lavish furniture were of cherry wood, complete with a great fireplace and a crystal chandelier. "Bedroom is the door to the left and if you need anything, just ring the bell for a house elf."

"Thank you for your most generous hospitality," Severus said.

"It is always a privilege to house a trusted friend of Dumbledore," Silvanus replied. "Lunch will be served at twelve. However," his eyes darted to his daughter for an instant, then back to Severus. "My wife and I shall not be attending. We are scheduled to return to Spain for a business meeting, sadly. Afterwards, I need to oversee building constructions and operations in America and Australia." His eyes again glanced at his daughter. Her scowl deepened, but she remained silent. "I reckon Flavia and I will not return until the end of July."

"That is unfortunate, though understandable," answered Severus. "I'm hoping to start lessons after lunch, if that is within reason, and by the time you and your wife return, Valentina will be quite educated in her studies."

"Splendid! All I ask is that Fridays are reserved for her piano lessons. Other than that, the schedule is up to you." He paused. "Well, we shall leave you to yourself until lunch," Silvanus shook his hand again, and the Corleones walked out, leaving Severus alone in his suite.

He found his suitcases already in his bedroom, looking slightly worn and out-of-place in the extravagant room. Sunlight was streaming out of the windows, filling the room with wondrous light. The four-poster canopy bed was grand, fit for a king. He took his wand out and muttered an incantation, conjuring a large bowl filled with a glowing, liquid-like substance. He placed the memory of that morning into it. Then the bowl—his pensieve—flew into a mirrored cabinet, which immediately shut itself. With a flick of his wand, he was soon unpacked and looking out the window. He watched Flavia and Silvanus bidding farewell to their daughter and disapparating. Valentina stared at the spot they had been standing and then turned, angrily stomping back into the house. Severus looked out towards the distance, towards the forest surrounding the Corleone estate.