The inside part of the celebration, the ball, was finally over and everyone retreated outside to the courtyard where a massive fire was blazing; people were dancing to the music and food was on a very large table. Instantly, the people clapped when they saw Dahlia and then returned to celebrate as she walked down the steps. She saw Eva, her husband, William, and Lucia and immediately went to speak to them.

Two hours into the celebration outside, Dahlia had spoken to many people and eventually got persuaded to wear a flower crown and didn't care that the flowers covered up her tiara. She finally managed to speak to the children from the orphanages, but not many of the children came due to their ages and bedtime had already passed. She saw that the children from Alfheim, Nidavellir and Vanaheim were all together and as she walked over to them, she said, "well I'm happy to see you guys".

"Dahlia," they all said and she kneeled down in front of them and open her arms and instantly they all rushed towards her, almost knocking her over if it wasn't for the head of the Vanaheim orphanage shouting, "be careful".

They all pulled away and a little Alfheim girl asked, "Dahlia, is it true you're leaving?"

"Yes but-"

"We don't want you to leave," a Vanaheim boy said.

"YEAH," they all shouted, "STAY".

Dahlia shook her head sadly and said, "I can't. I've got to go back to Midgard, I have school. Remember, I told you all about Hogwarts?"

"Why do they get to keep you?" A Nidavellir girl asked with her lips pressed tightly together. "Who's going to show us magic? Who's going to tell us stories like Cinderella?"

"Or Snow White?"

"And Jack and the Beanstalk?"

"Hansel and Gretel and how they burn the evil witch".

"YEAH," the children said, listing off their favourites then agreeing.

"Listen to me," Dahlia said sternly then smiled, "I'm leaving but it's not forever. I am not the only person in this realm that knows those stories, besides, I've told the book maker to create physical copies of those stories and to send them to your orphanages. I'm sure if you ask one of the adults, they will read them to you".

The adults in the back nodded as the children looked to them. "But it's not the same," one of them said. "You do funny voices and use your magic, it makes it special". They all murmured in agreement.

"I promise, I will not be gone forever. I have to learn how to use my Midgardian power that I got from my mother before I can leave Hogwarts. You want me to be the best witch I can be, right?" They all nodded. "Well then there you go. I will be back and when I do, I'll have all of you come up to the palace and I'll read to you. How about that?" Nodding. "Now I know it's past some of your bedtimes and I don't want to inconvenience the adults any longer. Did you all have fun tonight?"

"Yes".

"Good. Now, am I going to get smiles out of all of you before you leave or am I going back to Midgard sad because you are?" She teased.

They all instantly smiled, not wanting her to be upset, then she opened her arms once again and they all ran into them, this time knocking her over and she laughed. The adults eventually pulled them off of her and helped her up as she was saying goodbye. Those around them, however, couldn't help but smile at her kind nature and knew what was said about the young Princess was true.

As she was saying goodbye, she noticed a middle-aged woman looking at her with a small smile. She saw, from what Dahlia could see, dark eyes, black hair and a sort of hooked nose, wearing a black cloak; the woman looked familiar but Dahlia didn't know where to place her. When the woman noticed her looking, she turned away from the pillar she was leaning on and began to walk against the pathway next to the courtyard. Dahlia immediately followed her, even had to jog a bit, and said loudly, "wait, I want to talk to you".

The woman stopped and slowly turned and said, "hello, Dahlia".

"Who are you? Have we met before?" She asked taking steps closer as she did.

"A long time ago, we did. My name's Eileen, I knew your mother".

Dahlia shrugged and said, "it seems as if a lot of people here did".

"I knew her when she was a child. Before she went to Hogwarts".

Dahlia stopped walking to her when she heard that as she wasn't that far away, only a few feet, and gasped, "what?" She had yet to meet anyone who was from Midgard who was alive when her mother was, other than her grandparents.

"Your mother was nine when I first met her," Eileen let off a small laugh "I had to explain to her what she was and explain it to her parents. My son told her when he realistically shouldn't have but they became close friends after that".

"Wait," Dahlia said thoughtfully, "I've heard this before...Snape!" She snapped in realisation.

"If you mean Severus, then yes. He's my son".

Dahlia opened and closed her mouth, not quite knowing what to say, now having a different impression of the woman in front of her. She decided to move on from the revelation, knowing she had nothing to say. "Why were you watching me?"

"Isn't everyone?" Eileen shrugged. She then looked down and pulled out a shoulder bag that was hidden in her cloak. She picked something out of it, a picture, and said, "I've been away for a few weeks, practising magic in the far north in a wizarding village, I only returned a few days ago. I was having tea with your grandmother yesterday and she mentioned that you didn't have any pictures of your mother from when she was a child. There's a brighter side of having magic, even here".

She held out the picture and Dahlia took a step closer and took it. She looked down to see two young children who she recognised as her mother and Snape. They were sat on a hill, a large tree in the background on a bright summer day. Her mother's hair bright red in waves wearing a flowery blue dress while Snape had shorter, less greasy hair while wearing ragged clothes that looked worn out. One thing that stood out was the way her mother's head was on his shoulder and the way they smiled as if there wasn't a care in the world. Dahlia smiled knowing that it was a time when Voldemort wasn't an issue, when people weren't living in a war.

Dahlia looked up and said, "can I...err".

"It's yours, keep it".

"Thank you, Mrs Snape," Dahlia said sincerely.

"It's Ms Prince. I changed my name after I died but please, call me Eileen".

Dahlia nodded but then asked "he's not a Death Eater, he's a spy, isn't he? I mean, someone can't go from being best friends with a Muggle-born to wanting them all dead and be so full of hate like Voldemort".

Eileen bit her lip for a moment, thinking about how to answer, "my son wasn't always good. After the incident with your mother in their fifth year it only continued to get worse. I died, his father wasn't a great man and I died because of that. Severus' heart grew so full of hate and it only continued to grow since he was being tormented at school by that Potter and Black, but my son participated in cursing them too so he wasn't completely innocent. I wish he didn't, I wish my son turned away but he became obsessed with the Dark Arts and was recruited by Voldemort. He went willingly, joined willingly. That was his own mistake, which he lives with every day. It was only after he found out your mother was in danger did he go to Dumbledore and beg for him to hide you, to protect you. It was then that he became a spy, took the Professor's job at the school and has been there ever since...I'm not trying to defend my son's actions but he does everything for a reason".

"What about picking on the students, don't see a reason for that?" Dahlia asked wanting to know what she thought, she just didn't mean for it to come out so crudely.

Sighing, Eileen answered, "I do not know the answer, but I like to think he does it to keep his cover. If he were kind to Muggle-born students, to any other house but Slytherin, or to you, even if he treated them even fairly, wouldn't that have grown suspicious to the Death Eater children and parents? He knew Voldemort would one day return, what would have Voldemort thought if he was told that he treated you with some respect?"

Dahlia closed her eyes for a moment and looked down, never considering that could be a reason.

"However, he may hold a slight bit of a grudge against you because he believes you're James Potter's daughter".

"But I'm also my mum's," Dahlia snapped her eyes open.

Eileen shrugged and replied, "she was his best friend and James Potter was his tormentor. He loved Lily and never wanted her to be with James and he still believes you're a product of that. He sees what he wants to see, he sees James in you so that he has a reason to dislike you but you must know he is protecting you".

Dahlia slowly nodded, "I know. In my first year, he saved me from falling off of my broom which was being jinxed...I've heard rumours of what Voldemort does to his followers, he's okay, isn't he?"

Eileen hesitantly went back into her bag and brought out a mirror. It was circular with a golden trim around it and was the size of a hand mirror but without the handle. Eileen said, "I assume you've seen one of these before".

Dahlia walked forward to stand beside Eileen as she said "yes. My grandparents showed me theirs and my sister told me about them. It's called a looking glass and everyone here has one. It not only shows your reflection but you can see people from the realm you originally came from, but not many people use theirs". Dahlia knew more than that, she knew that her grandparents didn't use theirs as often after they believed she died. The power of the looking glass was that it hacked into the person's being, their subconscious, and would allow them to see people they believed to be alive. With a doubt that Dahlia was dead, her grandparents and even Hela couldn't see where she was so they believed she had truly died.

Eileen nodded, "at the beginning, many would be obsessed with watching their loved ones but as time goes by, you begin to stop. Knowing that they'll be okay without you, many checking in from time to time. If not, you'll go mad with constant watching..." she looked to the mirror and said, "show me my son, show me Severus Snape".

The mirror began to swirl like the portal she entered not long ago, their reflection fading and turning into what they recognised as Snape's office at Hogwarts. He was sat at in desk in a stiff manner, bent over his desk as he took potion after potion which they realised was pain relief potion. Eileen quickly moved her hand over the mirror, not wanting Dahlia to see but Dahlia grabbed her hand and said, "don't". Eileen put her hand down, "what happened to him?"

"Severus," Professor Dumbledore came into picture, "what this time?"

"Nothing more than usual, Crucio," he answered groggily. "Like the last time, he's trying to find followers, to regain the numbers he once had".

"We'll talk about this later, Severus, drink your potions. Heal and recover, then we'll talk," Professor Snape nodded and took another potion.

Eileen then brushed her hand across the image, making it disappear. Dahlia immediately said, "Voldemort really does Crucio his followers".

"Take the intruder into the south of the palace," Dahlia heard her sister demand. She pulled away from Eileen and stepped out of the pathway and saw her sister and Falcon with several guards going towards the palace, holding a man who seemed to try to fit in with his clothing but his obvious lack of blue skin didn't help his cover and she assumed he thought his large hood on his cloak could cover his face.

"I'm sorry, Eileen, I should probably go," Dahlia said as she turned to say goodbye but Eileen was gone, not a trace that she was there.

Dahlia knew she had to follow her sister, she had to find out where the intruder came from, what his intentions were. She knew taking the front entrance would attract the guards who, now knowing there was one intruder on Niflheim, would insist on escorting her back to her room and keep watch. That was if her sister didn't have soldiers already out to find her.

She had to avoid quite a few guards on her way to the south wing but being there for three weeks had shown her shortcuts, and with a little help from magic, she managed to distract a few of the guards. When she got to the south wing, she was immediately greeted by the gates and fortunately for her they were left open slightly. Dahlia walked towards the gates but had the great feeling that she should leave, that she should follow her sister's only rule, but she needed to know the truth. So, she pushed the gate open so she could walk through then pushed it back so it didn't seem like she was there.

Dahlia didn't know where her sister would take the intruder; after all, she was banned from the south wing and it wasn't like they had any maps or signs that told her where to go. The wing was larger than she had expected, but when she saw a few windows she gathered hope that she was close to somewhere important. Refusing to look out of the windows, knowing what she would see as she walked past them, it was then she heard the scream, the piercing scream that sent shivers down her spine and she strongly considered turning back and going to her room. After all, there was a reason her sister didn't want her to see that part of herself. It was growing louder and louder until she saw the large doors to the south wing throne room.

She walked closer to the throne room and her eyes glanced outside the window for a single moment and she saw people chained, whipped, and it brought tears to her eyes that people were suffering so close.

"SEGJA MÉ VEL HVAT YOR KUNNA?" Falcon shouted in Norse (tell me what you know?).

Dahlia's attention was turned back and she looked through the doors which were open ajar. She saw the guards standing noble to the side of the room while Falcon and Hela were in the centre where the intruder was chained to a chain with knives in both thighs and wrists going through the skin, bones, and into the wood of the chair. It seemed like the entire conversation was being conducted in Norse.

Hela let off a cruel laugh as she leaned against a table full of equipment Dahlia had never seen but could guess what they were used for. She had never heard her sister laugh like that or smirk the way she was doing as she pushed against the table and began to walk towards the intruder. She grazed her fingertips against his neck and the intruder cried, "Líka, iak breyta eigi vita hvatvetna. Iak-Iak kam hí falr eittsvat brandr smíða hí. Iak vas mál minn kona ir ganga til andask nema hinn vǫlva almætr hon munu heill sinn nema þǫrf eittsvat brandr smíða hí sem ūt-gift". (please, I don't know anything. I-I came here for a blade forged here. I was told my wife is going to die but this sorceress said she could heal her but needed a blade forged here as payment)

"Æn er hinn vǫlva?" Hela questioned. (And who's this sorceress?)

"Tora," he said trembling, "Líka, láta mér fara. Iak búa til frelsa mál minn". (Tora. Please, let me go. I have to save my wife).

Hela turned to kneel in front of the man as she touched his cheek with her fingertips, she said, "Tora, vǫlva sá brottvaðning frān Asgard alla ævi aldr?" (Tora, the sorceress banished from Asgard centuries ago?)

"Já". (yes)

Hela laughed once again and stood, "þrótt-lauss...iak eigi þú est asgardian sō stǫðva iak eigi skjólfa hœgri nú. Iak bæði vita þeim Tora breyta eyða einnhverr mœta kurteisliga þér, hon awnd asgardians þar sinn var brottvaðning, æn hvat máttugr óttask sæla þér...hon eittsvat frændi æn kompān minn". (pity...I know you're Asgardian so stop your trembling right now. I also know that Tora didn't make any deal with you, she despises Asgardians since she was banished, and what might be shocking to you...she's a friend and ally of mine)

The intruder looked shocked, "hvat?" (What?)

Giggling, she answered. "Já. eittsvat nær frændi þeim hon spyrja fyrir eittsvat brandr, iak munu fylgja hennar á, vita spyrja munu ki styðja þat nauðigr minn alþyða. eigi margmenni liónar vita sem, einga sá iak hlíta... þér breyta búa heim telja min hví þú est hí, iak áðr vita. hvé margmenni skyggna ir Odin fara til minn vera fyrr hann efni iak breyta búa líkr alþyða skyggna non minn nor minn alþyða?". (yep. A close friend that if she asked for a blade, I would give her one, knowing she wouldn't use it against my people. Not many people know that, only those I trust...you don't have to tell me why you're here, I already know. How many spies is Odin going to send my way before he realises I don't like people spying on me or my people?)

His trembling immediately stopped and he took a turn Dahlia wasn't expecting. He smirked at Hela and stated, "þú est ekki æn eittsvat frú til sá hæl. þú eru hvergi nær ámáttugr at því er til sá ríkr konungr Odin". (you're nothing but a whore of the dead. You are nowhere near as powerful as the great King Odin)

Falcon immediately struck the man for calling the woman he loved a whore and everyone in the room, and Dahlia in the hallway, could hear the crack as Falcon broke his jaw. He only didn't strike him again because Hela grabbed his arm, stopping him. Hela then released his arm and walked towards the back of the intruder, giggling before she put her hands on his head and he began to scream. His skin turning pale and wrinkled.

Dahlia gasped, never witnessing this part of her sister's magic before. She knew what she could do but had never seen it and truthfully, it scared her a bit. Her gasp wasn't as quiet as she thought as her sister looked up from the man and said, "Dahlia".

All eyes were on her as Hela quickly let go of the intruder and walked towards the door. Dahlia, however, ran before her sister got to her, not in fear but in guilt knowing she broke one of her sister's only rules by being in the south wing and didn't want to face her.

Dahlia ran to her room, slamming the door behind her before she jumped on her bed. Burying her face into the pillows, she couldn't help the sobs that wrecked her body. Dahlia sobbed for a few minutes before she felt the mattress go down slightly and a hand touching her back, "sister," Hela said, feeling guilty, "I'm so sorry for what you saw. I never wanted you to see any of that".

Biting her lips to control her tears, Dahlia said, "I knew you could do that, you told me, you warned me about what happened in the south wing and I didn't listen. I didn't follow your rules and I went. I'm sorry".

"You have nothing to apologise for. Dahlia, please look at me," Dahlia slowly turned and went onto her side as Hela lied down next to her, both sisters facing each other. "I'm sorry. I should have made sure you were with someone before I left but when I found the intruder, I just flipped. Usually when Odin sends spies I find them instantly, but this time I didn't. I let him get close to the palace, close to you".

"Don't kill him," Dahlia instantly said.

"What? Dahlia, he saw your face, who knows what he heard being so close to the celebration. I can't have someone alive who knows information that could hurt you".

Dahlia shook her head, "then deal with him another way, silence him. Sister, I don't want no one to die because of me. Please, for me, don't kill him," she then reached out and held her hand.