Harry sat on the couch in the bright clean living room, tapping his foot impatiently as was he watched his mum tie her shoes. Professor Snape was due to arrive any minute and he was extremely eager to enter the wizarding world. The door bell finally rang and Harry enthusiastically jumped up and answered it.

Severus Snape stared at the boy before him. Every time he looked at the boy, he found it hard to remember that this was not a ‘miniature James Potter’ staring back at him. This was a boy that he, as much as it pained him to admit, came to care for. This was the child he once thought was an intelligent muggle boy who was interested in potions. Now he came to find out that this boy wasn’t just a wizard, he was the bloody boy-who-lived. It was just his luck to learn that bit of information.

Severus entered the house at the prompt of the excited boy before him. His lips quirked upwards as the boy began reciting a list of questions about how to get to Diagon Alley, what was in it, and so forth.

The Potions Master held up his hand to halt the questions spilling from the boy’s mouth. “I believe that it would be unnecessary to answer your inquiries because we shall depart if you both are ready. Diagon Alley is a sight to see, not to hear about.”

Harry nodded. He was beyond ready to go! The whole morning had crept along slowly since he was so eager to leave. He glanced over at his mum and noticed she too was ready to go.

“If you would both place your arms on mine, then I will apparate us near the entrance. The sensation will feel unusual but it will be over swiftly.” The two did as instructed and then felt as if they were being squeezed in a tight tube. It only lasted a second before they landed unsteadily on the ground.

Harry looked around and recognized the general area they were standing in. “Diagon Alley is near here?”

Severus looked at the boy and nodded. “Before we depart, I would suggest that we alter your appearance.”

“Why?” Cathy asked. “Is it because people might recognize him as the ‘Boy-Who-Lived’?” she asked, bringing her fingers up to quote the term.

“Yes.” Severus looked a bit uncomfortable as he continued, “It could also put me in a… predicament… if others saw me walking around with the Boy-Who-Lived.”

“What do you mean?” Catherine asked confused.

The man just shook his head. “I apologize. I cannot say any further on the matter.”

She nodded acceptingly. “So what are you going to change? On Harry, I mean,” she added.

“We will alter his eye color, to one matching yours, since he is known to have Lily’s vibrant green eyes. I will also do a temporary eye correcting charm to remove the glasses. Potter, James that is, was known for his terrible eyesight which many expected to be passed down to his son. I believe that will be sufficient since others would not expect the boy to be with me.”

Catherine watched as the older man waved his wand at her adopted son. When Harry removed his glasses and looked up at her, she gasped. The boy’s eyes were a vibrant shade of blue, matching her own perfectly.

Harry smiled up at her. Even though it looked like Professor Snape had changed his appearance, he hadn’t really done anything. The man had fixed his sight temporarily but Harry made the change to his eye color himself. It felt good being able to look like his mum while they were in public together. The other most noticeable trait of the Boy-Who-Lived was the scar, which has been hidden for several years.

“Wow,” Cathy murmured. She smiled at the boy and looked up into the dark eyes belonging to Mr. Snape. She had never noticed until now just how dark those eyes were. The man quirked an eyebrow up as she stared, which caused her to blush and look away. “I apologize for staring. Err, shall we go now?” she suggested.

“Of course,” Severus replied. He led the way until they stopped in between of a big bookshop and a record store.

“What are we looking for?” Cathy asked. She didn’t see anything magical or out of the ordinary.

Severus grasped her hand and suddenly she could see the building that appeared in between the book and record store. The man released her hand but she could still see it. Now that she knew where it was located, she would be able to find it.

“Wow,” she mumbled for the hundredth time today. “How is it that I couldn’t see it before, but now I can?”

“You just had to know where to look,” the Potions Master replied. He opened the door for Cathy and gestured for her and Harry to enter.

Harry looked around the dark and dingy pub. It wasn’t exactly what he’d been expecting to see for the entrance to Diagon Alley.

“Hullo Perfessor Snape,” a really big man with a bushy beard greeted, slightly slurred, from his seat.

“Hagrid,” the man replied with a sharp nod.

“Wha’ brings yeh here today?” The large man, larger than anyone Harry or Cathy had ever seen, asked. “Oh, is that yeh son?” he asked, squinting to get a better look at the dark-haired boy who entered with Snape. “Didn’ know yeh had one.”

“No,” Severus replied sharply. A few other people in the pub had looked their way when Hagrid mentioned that, wanting to know if Hogwarts ‘evil potions professor’ might have a family. “We have business to attend to. Good day.”

The Potions Master swiftly led them through the crowded pub until they reached a small back alley. Harry and Catherine both looked around. What was supposed to be out here? Before either could actually ask that question, Severus had pulled out his wand and tapped a series of bricks.

The bricks he had tapped suddenly quivered in the middle; a small hole appeared and it grew wider and wider until an archway stood before them. They stepped through it onto a cobbled street where various stores, big and small, were located. Harry and Cathy both peeked behind to watch as the alley entrance reset itself into a standard brick wall. Then, the two turned their wide-eyed attention to the street before them.

The closest store to them advertised cauldrons – all sizes, Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver, self-stirring, collapsible, and more. Next to the Cauldron shop was the Apothecary, where Harry could see various potions ingredients advertised. On the other side, there was a small, darkish store which looked to be a quiet little bookstore, perhaps selling rare books.

Further down the street was a joke shop, which the young boy in the group of three would have loved to visit. His mum, of course, wouldn’t likely let him spend money on frivolous items such as prank material. Next to that was Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had many beautiful owls hooting in their cages. One particularly striking owl that caught Harry’s attention was a large Snowy owl with amber eyes.

As they moved on, Harry made a note to come back to that store later. As they walked further in the alley, they passed even more stores. Robe shops, book stores, Quidditch supplies and even an ice cream parlor. They even passed Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands Since 382BC, where Harry knew he’d be getting his very own wand.

After traversing through the crowded street, they finally reached Gringotts bank, which was the Wizarding world’s bank. Harry and Cathy both were surprised to hear that Harry’s parents had both left him a considerable amount of money. Severus paused long enough for the two to read the poem warning people not to try and steal from the bank. Cathy stared at the creatures in the building, wondering what they were.

As they stood in line, she leaned towards Severus and whispered, “What are they?”

“Goblins,” the man replied. “They are in charge of the bank.”

“Next,” the goblin called out. The three stepped up to the counter.

“We are here to make a withdrawal from Mr. Potter’s vault,” Severus stated.

“Do you have Mr. Potter’s key?”

“No, I do not. Mr. Potter will need a new key, for I do not know who was in charge of his key while he was underage.”

“Very well.” The goblin pulled out a form and scribbled on it for a moment before turning his attention back to them. “To verify your identity, Mr. Potter, I will need you to place a drop of blood here.”

The goblin handed the boy a small needle and he quickly poked his finger. He then squeezed a drop onto the indicated area and watched in fascination as the form emitted a bright blue glow before returning to normal.

“You identity has been verified. Here is your new key.” The goblin handed over the shiny new gold key and Harry clutched it tightly in his hand, not wanting to lose it. The goblin barked out a command in a rather funny language, Harry thought, which caused another goblin to come over. “Griphook will escort you to your vault.”

“Thank you,” Harry said politely. The goblin looked astounded for a moment before inclining his head.

As they followed Griphook, Harry whispered to Professor Snape, “Why was he shocked when I said thanks?”

“Goblins are not accustomed to receiving appreciation from wizards,” Severus explained. “Many tend to look down on them as inferior beings and don’t feel they are worth thanking or even acknowledging more than necessary.”

“Well that’s rude,” Catherine stated bluntly. “Everyone, no matter what skin color or species, should be treated equally. What do you think causes wars and such?”

Before they could discuss the matter further, they reached a small cart.

“What are we doing?” Cathy asked. It looked like they were going to ride a roller coaster or something.

“We are going to Mr. Potter’s vault,” the goblin stated simply.

“The cart will take us through the underground tunnels, where the vaults are located,” the potions professor explained. “It will be a short ride but it will seem like those muggle… ruler coasters?... as you call them.”

Harry giggled. “Roller coasters,” he corrected.

“Yes, yes,” the man said dismissively. He held open the cart door and motioned for Cathy to enter first. She did so and Harry quickly followed after her. Soon, the cart was off and Harry was laughing with the excitement of it. Who knew taking a trip to the bank would be so much fun?

The cart finally slowed and just moments ago, Harry could have sworn he saw a dragon. He shook it off as if imagination getting the best of him. But then again… this was a magical world with other species such as goblins. So were there dragons as well? And vampires? Werewolves? Unicorns? He’d have to ask Professor Snape when he got a chance.

“Vault six hundred and eighty-seven,” Griphook announced as they stopped fully.

“Wow! What a ride!” Harry exclaimed. “Can we go faster on the way back?”

“No!” Cathy and Severus replied at the same time. The two adults were both looking a tad sick from the fast ride.

Harry pouted. “You’re no fun,” he grumbled.

“Key please,” Griphook requested as he stood in front of the vault entrance. Harry handed over the key and watched as the goblin placed it in the lock. The vault door shook for a moment and slowly opened. Harry felt his jaw drop open as he stared at the mounds of gold before him. He suddenly felt the childish urge to jump in it and throw it around, but decided his mum and Professor Snape wouldn’t like that at all.

“Is this all his?” Catherine asked in astonishment. “I mean, his parents left him all this?”

“Yes,” Severus replied. “I believe there is also a family vault, which contains heirlooms.” He looked the goblin for confirmation and Griphook nodded.

“How much do I need?” Harry asked. “What are they called? Where can I place the coins?”

Severus took a moment to explain the proper names for wizarding money along with how many Knuts in a Sickle and how many Sickles to a Galleon. He also showed them where several small money bags were located inside the vault. After placing a generous amount in one of the little bags, the three left. They climbed back into the cart and sped away back to the bank lobby.

“Thanks for the ride Mister Griphook,” Harry said enthusiastically. That was fun! He couldn’t wait until they had to come back again for more money. Although, it looked like his mum would rather wait in the lobby next time while Harry made the trip down to his vault.

The goblin gave him a wryly grin before leaving to tend to other customers.

“So where are we going-” Harry began.

A loud slam came from the bank entrance. The hairs on the back of Harry’s neck stood up as an odd screeching alarm sounded from the vault tunnels. The once calm bright room was now filled with shouts coming from both wizards and goblins.

“What’s going on?” Harry’s voice shook slightly.

“Be quiet for a moment,” Severus instructed as he pulled out his wand. His eyes scanned the crowds furiously as he searched for the cause of the panic. There were no obvious signs of a problem, other than the sounds of an alarm coming from the tunnels they previously exited.

Harry was scared. This wasn’t exactly the best introduction to the wizarding world. The trip had been fine so far, up until the point where they became locked in a bank full of panicking people. The goblins looked furious, while the wizards and witches of all ages tried to get out of the bank. The doors were sealed and with the wards around the bank, there was no escaping until the goblins reopened the doors.

Harry raised his shaky hand and grasped Cathy’s for support. She clutched it tightly and gave a comforting squeeze. They remained where they were standing to avoid getting separated with all the people running around.

Finally, a goblin stood on one of the counters and called for attention. He was a short, wrinkly and old, but he still managed to gain everyone’s attention. The room quieted down fully after a few moments.

“Someone has broken into a vault.” Gasps were heard throughout the crowd of fifty or so wizards and witches. They immediately began whispering amongst each other but were quickly silenced by the old goblin. “You all will remain here until we have completed our investigation.”

“How long will that be?” One wizard called out from the back.

“We will be finished within the hour,” The goblin stated before getting down. He hissed out a few commands to other goblins and they rushed off to follow his orders. A few of them were in charge of getting the wizards and witches to sit down or at least to move away from the door.

Severus led them to the side, where Cathy and Harry could sit down. Severus insisted on standing, wand still out, as he surveyed the area. It was obvious there wasn’t an attack but the man was still paranoid something could happen. The person who broken into one of the vaults could easily be in the crowd.

After Harry had a chance to relax, he started pestering the potions master about other questions he’d been holding on to. He asked about dragons, and if there were some guarding the vaults. Once he got started on one magical creature, that led to questions on other creatures such as vampires, werewolves, and unicorns.

Severus, being the knowledgeable professor he was, answered all the boy’s questions thoroughly. Catherine listened intently too, imagining all the creatures that were described. Severus made a comment about Harry practically being a Ravenclaw with all his questions and his statement caused another round of questions to pop up. Harry didn’t know what a Ravenclaw was, so Severus had to explain each of the four houses. He mentioned Slytherin house with much pride and ensured Harry that despite the rumors, the entire house was not all bad. To prove his point, he brought up Sirius Black, a Gryffindor who went bad.

Before long, the doors opened, but it wasn’t to let the people out. Several Ministry employees with dark red robes entered the bank. Severus let out a soft sigh, causing his two companions to look at his questioningly.

“Who are they? The ones in red, I mean,” Catherine asked.

“They are Aurors,” Severus replied. At their blank looks he added, “Ministry law enforcement.”

“What d’you think they’re here for?” Harry wondered.

“Probably helping the goblins with their investigation,” the boy’s mum replied.

A particularly odd looking Auror headed their way. His entire face was covered with scars and he appeared to have a fake eye in. That was obvious by how it swiveled around in the socket, in ways which no normal eye could. The man also walked with a limp, and when his pant leg rode up, Harry could see why. He was just like one of those pirate characters with a wooden peg leg.

“Snape,” the man grunted. His magical eye swiveled around until it focused on Harry. The boy stared at him for a second before looking away.

“Moody,” the potions master replied tightly.

“Who’s this? Did you finally leave your dungeons and start a family?”

Severus clenched his fists tightly. “No,” he replied after regaining composure.

“Well then who’s the lad? Rumor up the alley is that you’ve got a son.” Moody’s eye swiveled to Cathy, who stared defiantly at the man. He couldn’t intimidate her the slightest.

Severus’ nostrils flared violently and his scowl deepened. Damn Hagrid and his big mouth. The man had a few drinks and now this ridiculous rumor spread around. When they finally manage to get out of this blasted bank, Hogwarts students will probably be staring, each trying to glimpse the potions master and his rumored family.

“This is Mrs. McKinney and her son. He will be attending Hogwarts this year.” Severus didn’t supply any further information. He scowled at Moody, who smirked at him before walking away. The man knew the rumor wasn’t true, but he still came over to taunt Severus over the ridiculous matter.

“Who was that weird guy and what happened to him?” Cathy asked.

“That was Alastor Moody, an old ministry Auror. All those scars were caused from battles he’s been in.”

“That eye of his… is it magical? Like does it do special things or something?” Harry asked.

“I believe it is capable of seeing through glamours and invisibility charms or cloaks,” the man replied.

“Does that mean he could see through mine?” the boy wondered.

Severus shook his head. “He can’t see through your particular disguise.”

Harry nodded. He understood that Severus meant his Metamorphmagus ability. As he sat there, he recognized a goblin that was walking by.

“Mr. Griphook,” Harry called out.

The goblin stopped and turned towards the boy with a slightly astonished expression on his face. Goblins all looked so similar, but yet this one polite child recognized him and remembered his name. That alone was a rare occurrence at Gringotts.

“Yes, Mr. Potter. What can I do for you?”

Severus searched around, with a paranoid look on his face as he ensured that no one was close enough to hear the name Potter. All the people were relatively calm now, unlike the madness from earlier, and all they needed was for someone to hear the name Potter.

“Are we going to be able to leave soon? I’ve got to get my supplies and all,” he replied enthusiastically.

“Yes, I believe we are all finished here,” Griphook replied.

“Did you catch the guy? The one that robbed you?” The boy asked, leaning in to hear the response.

The goblin shook his head. “We did not. However, the vault in question was not robbed for it had been emptied previously today.”

“Oh, well that’s good then. You know, that you didn’t actually get robbed. Just broken into I guess,” Harry said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Yes, we are fortunate for that,” the goblin replied. “I’m sure you will be released momentarily. Have a good day Mr. Potter.” Griphook inclined his head before walking off.

Not too much after Griphook said that, the doors were finally opened. Many of the wizards and witches rushed for the exit to escape the stuffy bank. Severus held Cathy and Harry back, not wanting to lose either in the crowd. Once it was safe, the three finally headed back into the alley where they had shopping to finish up.

Harry wasn’t too sure what to think of Mr. Ollivander. They had just visited the man’s shop to get a wand, which Harry was thrilled to finally get. The creepy thing about his Phoenix Feather wand was that it was apparently the brother to Voldemort, the man who killed his biological parents. He really didn’t know what to think about that. It was kind of weird too how Mr. Ollivander knew who he was, even with his disguise. The man didn’t even blink before he greeted him as Harry Potter.

The boy figured the man must have been expecting him and perhaps remembered what his parents looked like. If people looked hard enough, they would be able to tell he was James and Lily Potter’s son, but no one was looking for Harry Potter to be with Professor Snape. As it was, people, namely students, were occasionally glancing their way to see if their potions professor was out with his own kid. Cathy had strawberry-blond hair and since Harry’s was black, people assumed Snape was a likely candidate to be the boy’s father. It was rather amusing to Harry, who could barely hold back his laughter, whenever some student looked their way. Professor Snape would get this angry scowl on his face that made the boy want to laugh. It was if the man was plotting ways to give the students detention before the school year even started.

After the wand shop, Harry was fitted for his robes. He met a nice young boy, who was also starting Hogwarts this year, named Neville. Harry tried asking the boy questions about Hogwarts, but Neville was pretty shy and claimed he didn’t know much. What he did know though, he shared with Harry, who was only too eager to listen.

Once Harry received his robes, he followed his mum and Professor Snape to the apothecary store. It was dark and dingy in there, plus it smelled terrible. Harry quickly followed the potions professor through the store to purchase the required ingredients. After they escaped that store, they visited a few others for items such as quills, parchment and other things. Finally, they headed towards their last stop of the day, which happened to be the bookstore. They were tired and ready to head home, so they gathered the necessary books quickly before departing.

Before going home, they decided to stop at the Leaky Cauldron for dinner. Harry flipped though his book while he waited for his food. Professor Snape had excused himself a short while ago, and hadn’t returned yet. Harry was skimming through his History of Magic book when Professor Snape returned.

He coughed to gain Harry’s attention. The boy looked up and gasped. The man was carrying a cage with a stunning white owl in it, the same one he’d looked at earlier.

“She’s for you,” Severus explained. “Every child needs a familiar and owls are particularly useful creatures as well.”

“She’s beautiful,” Cathy commented as she looked at the amber eyes of the owl.

“Wow!” the boy exclaimed. “Thank you!”

Severus gave a sharp nod. “Consider her an early birthday gift.”

“Thank you so much!” Harry said again. He looked closely at the bird and smiled at her. She hooted softly at him.

“What are you going to call her?” the boy’s mum asked. Harry glanced down at his open History of Magic book.

“Hedwig,” he replied with a smile. “I’ll call her Hedwig.”