Three Wishes

Chapter 1: Arrival

A/N: I've decided to post my very first Snape fanfic in a rewritten form, I hope I managed to make the story enjoyable! Happy reading everyone!

"I do hope this is merely a tasteless joke." Snape's eyebrow runs up in slight disbelief, although the great Potions teacher hid his emotions perfectly in any situation. However, now he got assigned a task he wasn't quite fond of. "One chosen child is more than enough to keep out of trouble—" the potioneer continues, but the headmaster cuts in, giving no space for Snape's objections.

"Severus, you should understand the most how delicate the situation is. I can't let Voldemort get to this power because-" Dumbledore's words halt as professor McGonagall hastily enters the office.

"I apologize for my tardiness, the Weasley twins exploded the toilets again." says Minerva with an annoyed pout, eliciting a short chuckle and a muttered 'children' from the headmaster.

"So, what seems to be the urgent matter?" asks the great witch taking a few steps closer towards them.

"Minerva, it seems we found a witch with extraordinary power. Power, what the girl in question is yet uncapable of controlling completely." explains the old wizard with a serious glint in his eyes.

"Oh? Who is the girl?"

"Flora Etrielle."

"Etrielle? The Etrielle family massacred only a few days ago by death eaters?" Minerva raises her eyebrows in astoundment.

"Exactly. Their child is the only survivor of the attack, it is still a mystery how she managed to escape, but we're lucky Alastor found her on one of his patrols. It seems Voldemort is greatly interested in her, presumably to use her powers to get closer to Harry. We must protect the young witch at all costs, otherwise, we will face ineffable consequences." illustrates the bearded man with a raspy whisper, then walks to his desk taking a seat, clasping his hands together.

"What do you suggest we do, Albus?" worry begins to wrinkle the witch's forehead, she had a hidden gut feeling things are going to get a bit difficult at Hogwarts.

"I already asked Severus for his help." Albus points towards the black-robed man with his eyes. "The only information we know about the girl's power is that it's related to legilimency. Naturally, I will assign the mentor role to the person most experienced in this domain." Dumbledore sends a half-smile towards Snape, who narrows his eyes in return. He hated the fact that his responsibilities piled up even more.

"Miss Etrielle is currently on her way to Hogwarts. Upon arrival, she will be placed in Slytherin, this way we can help Severus keep an eye on her." explains the headmaster.

"Directly into Slytherin? What about the Sorting Hat? Are we just going to skip over one of our most important traditions in Hogwarts? What if she is not cut out for Slytherin? Or she has her talents in a completely different place? These are the hidden aspects which the Sorting Hat can see, unlike us!" McGonagall exclaims slightly outraged.

"We have no choice in this matter, Minerva. Severus is the most capable of making sure Miss Etrielle is completely safe, and he is the only one who can find out most about her power. We need as much information as we can acquire if we want to avoid exposing ourselves to danger." says Dumbledore with a firm tone, laced with concern. A great sigh escapes the witch's chest.

"I understand." McGonagall lowers her hands to her side in defeat.

"Severus, I know the weight of responsibilities is already heavy on your shoulders, but please try to make peace with the situation. Can I trust you with this?" he raises his eyebrows towards the potion master, and Snape folds his arms together, gritting his teeth. He has no choice.