Dassy arrived in the kitchen at Privat Drive and looked around the room. Observing that there were dirty dishes in the sink she quickly waved her hand causing one side of the sink to fill with soap bubbles and the sponge to begin to wash them. The other side of the sink filled with clear water and the dishes rinsed themselves, then allowed the dish towel to dry them. They then put themselves away neatly. While this was going on Dassy cleaned up all the signs of cooking and eating in the kitchen.  Soon, she was satisfied with the outcome of her labors and looked around with a smile.

Dassy walked over to the door of the kitchen and considered what she should do next. She could hear voices other than Master's through the door and didn't wish to cause him any problems. Since she didn't know if it was required of her to remain hidden, she decided to be cautious and knocked on the door using a pattern, which Master Severus had taught her, to identify herself to him.

Severus, hearing the familiar knock, gave a satisfied smirk. “It is alright, Dassy. There is none here that could cause issue. Come, tell me, did you find a house that will work?”

Dassy shyly slipped out the door and went over to her master. “I's found a really nice place. It's a little dated, but very private, and in good shape. It has a potion's lab, a garden with green space, and four bedrooms. I's thinks it perfect for your needs and those of the Little Master.”

Pleased by the description so far, Severus glanced at Arabella and asked her to leave the room so that she would not hear the location for safeties sake. She couldn't tell that which she didn't know. Arabella inclined her head in acquiescence and went out to the porch to take a breath of fresh air.

Once Arabella was safely out of hearing range, Severus turned back to his house elf and said, “Where is it located, Dassy?”

“It be in Scotland. I's not sure of exact location. Alls I's know is that it is one of the Prince estates and is west of Inverness. It is surrounded by forest and is fully warded.” Dassy was nervous, knowing that it was pretty close to Hogwarts and hoped that it wouldn't make it a bad choice.

“I don't recall owning a property there, but I trust you Dassy.” Severus went out to the porch and said, “Arabella, I am going to have Dassy take me to the house, so that I can see it for myself. Is that alright?”

Arabella smiled and said, “Of course. I hope that it will be a good fit. You need to get the child out of here before Albus arrives. Please hurry.”

“I will endeavor to be swift as the wind, Arabella.” He turned and went back to parlor. “Harry?”

“Yes, sir?,” the boy said, unable to take his eyes off the strange creature that Mr. Snape called Dassy. He was kind of scared, because he didn't know what it was.

Severus frowned slightly at the child's wide eyed reaction to his house elf. He would have to do something about it. For now, an introduction and explanation would have to suffice. “Harry, I want you to meet Dassy. She is a house elf and a member of our household. She is very gentle and sweet and would never dream of hurting you. She is my housekeeper and cook, and will also care and watch out for you when I cannot.” Severus said gently. He had to admit to himself that he, too, had been startled the first time he saw a house elf, and, thus, couldn't be too terribly surprised by Harry's reaction. “I am going to go with Dassy to see the house that she found for us. If it will suit, I will be back to collect and escort you to the house. Do you understand?”

Harry tore his eyes away from the house elf and turned toward nodded to Mr. Snape, saying, “Yes, sir. I understand.” Harry turned back to the Dassy, whom he suddenly noticed seemed to be a bit hurt by his fear. He decided that it would be best apologized to her. “I'm really sorry for being scared, Dassy. I've just never seen anyone like you before. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.”

Dassy nodded with understanding. “Is alright, Master Harry. I's understand. It will takes time for you to get used to me.” She couldn't help but be a little hurt, but knew that it was understandable if the child had never seen a house elf before. She, too, was startled the first time she saw a wizard and had been scared by their, to her, unusual appearance. She knew that all she had to do was be herself and all would be fine. The child would come to like her; she was sure of it.

Dassy looked to her master and asked, “Are you's ready, sir?” At her master's nod, she touched his arm lightly and popped them to the house.

Fawkes shook out his feathers in nervousness, fighting the urge to preen himself bald. He was trying to calm himself for what he was about to do. He had thought was the hard part would be talking to Salazar about it, but now he realized that it was actually the easy part. Now, he had to convince his choice of partner to bond with him and he was terrified that he would be turned away. He wasn't sure that he would survive the rejection. Much as he loved Salazar and always would, he felt that this bond mate was his true one, the one that all phoenixes longed for and few ever found.

He had been considering this decision for years, but had been unsure of how Salazar and, more particularly, his new bond mate would react. He was glad that he had finally worked up the courage to go to Salazar and ask. Salazar's reaction had been unexpected, though welcome. He should have known that Salazar would only wish him happiness. He had been an idiot for worrying so. Salazar was far too good and understanding a man to expect him to remain alone and unbonded when a worthy candidate was available. He now wondered if Salazar had always know that this would happen and was prepared for it.

His potential bond mate, however, was a different story. There was something about him that spoke to Fawkes and always had, though he had never acted on it. The more he saw, though, the more he wanted to be with him. No, needed to be with him. Fawkes knew that their hearts would make a perfect match. What worried him was the things that had happened over the years that could complicate the outcome of his request. His bond mate had reason not to trust him. Fawkes had witnessed the way Dumbledore treated him and neglected his needs, both emotional and physical. It was disturbing to say the least, but his fear had held him back. Was it too late? Would he be able to forgive Fawkes' lack of action for so many years? Would he accept the bond?

Severus had the oddest feeling of being welcomed when they arrived at the house. It was like a whispering in the corner of his mind, just beyond his shields. There was more to this house than met the eye. He listened to Dassy's chatter as she showed him around the outside of the house with half an ear, while attempting to understand his intuitive knowledge that this place was special in some way. Dassy led the way into the house through the kitchen entrance. He barely glanced around, because he knew that she was well able to tell if this area was appropriate.

“Master, the lab is through this door.” Dassy said, slightly nervous. She knew that the potion's lab could be a deciding factor in his decision. They descended the stairs and she showed him into the room.

Severus took a long hard look around. This was his element. He cast a careful spell at the walls to check the specialized wards and was startled when a flash of light burst at the first touch of his magic. He watched in breathless fascination and wonder as the lab began to update itself to the highest modern standards. Self-up-dating spells of this caliber were extremely hard to execute and thus, were almost unheard of. He was beyond satisfied with the standards to which this lab had been built. This was definitely the work of a true Potion's Master, as there was no expense spared in the quality. He glanced into the other rooms in the basement and was very happy with what he found. This would be the perfect work space for him.

They went back to the kitchen and Dassy asked. “Does you wish to see the bedrooms or formal rooms first, Master?”

“It would be best to see the condition of the bedrooms first, I think. If the formal rooms aren't perfect, it is no real issue. The bedrooms, however, must be in fairly decent condition and livable.” Severus said with a serious tone. Dassy led him to another doorway in the kitchen, which led to the servant's stair. When he saw where the stairs led he was happy to see that the closest bedroom to the stair was the master bedroom, which was very convenient for those times when his brewing ran late. He looked at all the bedrooms and, finding them to be in excellent condition and of generous size, was very pleased. Even the bathrooms were in impeccable shape.

He led the way down the grand staircase and began to look through the formal living spaces. When they reached the parlor, the portrait above the fireplace caught his eye immediately. A chill ran down his spine as he recognized one member of the family featured in the portrait. His voice shaking slightly, he queried, “Dassy, I thought you said that this was a Prince property?”

Dassy looked positively startled at his question and said, “I..it was on the list, Master, and the wards feel right. I..is there something wrong?”

“Look at the portrait above the fireplace, Dassy. Do you not recognize the man in it from my portrait guardian at Hogwarts? That is Salazar Slytherin. This property couldn't possibly belong to the Princes.” Severus was frightened by the implications that the portrait being in this house held. He was absolutely positive of his family's bloodlines; they had, after all, been hammered into him by his grandfather. “The Prince family's connection to the Founders is Ravenclaw, not Slytherin, and the lines never met. Please, let me see the list.”

Dassy shook slightly at her master's obviously fear, and taking the list out of her pocket, handed it to him. Severus looked at the list and quickly noticed something odd about the last entry, which was this residence. “Dassy, look,” he breathed with wonder and a touch of fear. “Not only is this not my handwriting, but the style of script is very old-fashioned, ancient even. I think...that someone or something made sure that we found this place.”

Severus pulled out his wand and began to feverishly test the document for spells and enchantments, but he could find none. It wasn't a self-up-dating document, so there was no reason for the entry to be there that wasn't supernatural or contrived. With that in mind, Severus checked to see who had touched the list other than him since he first wrote it, as he knew that he had never updated it himself. There had been no reason two. Only one name had appeared and that was Dassy's. There was just one more test he could perform. A spell that would reveal the name of the person that had written the entry, whether by spell or hand. It took a great deal of power, which was why it was rarely used. Fortunately, he was a powerful wizard with deep reserves. Far deeper than he would ever admit to, especially to those who would use him, such as Albus Dumbledore. With a precise wave of his wand, he focused his magic and demanded commandingly. "Subcriptio, ostendo sum vestri erus!"