The house that we went to, in fact I only remember going to it shortly after my mother died was our house in Knockturn Alley. We had a house elf named Gert who was fantastic. He taught me everything I needed to know. He taught me to read, write and always called me Lady Louisa even when I asked him not to. He was wonderful. The house is fairly secret and you must enter in secret. You have to walk through the wall that is only accessible to welcomed people, by which I mean people that are wanted. Gert was instructed to keep people in the “holding area” hidden from the outside world until permission from my uncle was given. There is an S on the outside of the wall which you put your hand on I always assumed it was in order to show that it was the SNAPE residence, I found out later, that was not the case. If you have read about the house in Cokeworth you will know that this house was meant to be given to my mother by my father. She of course was killed and never made it to the house. I found out that it had been my father’s house for some time, particularly whilst working at Borgin and Burkes, and had gifted it to her. Gert was in turn his house elf, and now was mine. I didn’t know this of course. I thought that it was my uncle’s house.

The layout is interesting. It has a long kitchen and a study, that was often used as a Death Eater guest room later on. I think it is where he held meetings or other things. I was never allowed in as a child, unless asked to take in a drink or collect a book. Downstairs is a basement that my uncle set up as a potion’s laboratory. It was the best place. He put up some posters on the wall to give it a more homely feel and everything was ordered. The first floor had two bedrooms and a bathroom but by bedroom was located in the attic. There is an attic window that looked out over the shops, right into Borgin and Burkes, I used to watch people go past and up at the night sky. The other window looks out to the passage under the bridge. Nobody could see me because my uncle put a charm on the building so that nobody could see in. It was completely protected.

I spent a lot of time at Knockturn Alley, when people asked me where I lived I thought of lying, Sometimes I would say London but the truth was that I had only been to London twice and even though the house is in Knockturn Alley it is really just in-between Diagon and Knockturn Alley. I wasn’t ashamed. I liked the house. I knew I was a secret and I was happy to be one. I just didn’t realise at the time how much of a secret I was.

In later years the house was used for different things. When Voldemort came back my uncle also spent time there. It was as though the house chose me over my father. Perhaps because he gifted it, I’m not sure. I know he never came back and I’m glad he didn’t. It would never have been the same. I found many things at the house when I started looking, when I realised that it was HIS house, when I started asking the right questions you actually get interesting answers. It was Sirius Black that told me and without him I may not know many things about myself. Clues.