Severus knew he was taking a big chance showing off his son in Hogsmeade, so he stopped outside the doors to Hogwarts and leaned down to be face to face with Harry.

"Harry, we are going to go out for the day, but I cannot go looking like I do now." At the questioning look from his son Severus tried to simplify it. "We are going to play a game. I am going to make myself look different, and I bet no one will be able to guess who I am."

"Can I play, too, Daddy?"

Severus smiled at the enthusiasm, but he shook his head no. "You are just fine the way you are." But when he stood to place the glamour on himself, he saw the disappointment on Harry's face."How about we hide that scar of yours, and perhaps we could change the color of your eyes."

Harry was thrilled, and so was Severus that he was still young enough not to know the dangers of being Harry Potter. With a wave of his hand, Severus placed a glamour over his scar and changed his eye color to brown. It was almost disheartening to no longer see Lily's eyes staring back at him, but he was drawn from his momentary thought by the giggles from Harry.

"Daddy, you look different," came the reply from the toddler.

Severus had to admit that when anyone looked at his light brown hair and blue eyes they would never guess he was the snarky old Potions Master. Severus was almost relieved, for he did not have to put on the airs of being the Gryfinndor hater. For today he could just be himself, but Severus wondered who he was exactly. He had played his role for so long he did not know if he could act in any other way, but looking down into the eyes of his son, he knew if anything could change him, Harry could.

Their first stop was the apothecary, of course, as Severus needed many new ingredients. Harry clung to him, not wanting to go anywhere near the rows of dragon tongues or the frog eyes. Just the sight of them had made Harry almost lose his lunch. Severus finished his business quickly and left the store. He watched with amusement as Harry sucked in big gulps of air when he got outside the door.

"That place smells bad. I would never want to drink or eat anything from there."

Severus envisioned all the students at Hogwarts who had asked him on more than one occasion if he purposely made it taste horrific just to punish them. Wiping the smirk off his face, he grabbed Harry's hand and walked across the street.

Walking into the book store sent Harry's eyes wide. He had never seen so many books in all his life. Sure his dad had books, but there were books everywhere here. There were old ones sitting on pedestals, small ones with pictures of rabbits and dragons, and rows and rows stacked on top of each other. Harry let go of his father's hand and was soon found sitting amongst a stack of children's books, eagerly turning the pages.

Severus thought Harry would be quite safe there and stepped behind one of the rows of books to search for the needed Potions tome. Several minutes later he reappeared, a very dusty and very large book in hand. Once he laid it on the counter to be paid for he went to gather Harry from where he sat.

"Are there any books here that you would like to take home?"

"You mean I can have one of these?" Harry asked, his hands full.

"You may have one, but only one, so choose carefully."

Soon Harry and Severus were heading to the Three Broomsticks for a refreshment, Harry toting his new book about Draweyn the Dragon.

When they sat down, Severus ordered a pumpkin juice and some biscuits for Harry and himself a cup of tea. When he turned back to the table, he did not see Harry, he only saw the few sprigs of hair sticking up past the table. With a smile, Severus pulled his wand from his robes and soon Harry was placed on top of a booster seat.

"Daddy, when can I have one of those wands?"

"Not for many years, Harry. You shall receive your Hogwarts letter when you are of age, until then no touching my wand. Is that clear?"

Harry nodded his head in understanding and waited calmly in is seat. His ooh's and ahhh's over his new book were only interrupted by the witch bringing their drinks and snack to the table, and then Harry was littered with crumbs from his biscuit within minutes.

"Daddy, someone is looking at you?" Harry piped up, trying to get his father to stop trying to clean him up.

When Severus turned his head, a gasp spilt from his mouth. In the corner, staring back at him, was Lucius Malfoy. Severus turned as if the man meant nothing to him and resumed sipping his tea, but Lucius was not one to be ignored and walked over to their table.

"A good day to you, friend," Lucius said, his eyes falling to Severus' forearm.

Severus quietly chided himself, for in his rush to leave with Harry, he had forgotten to wear something to cover his dark mark completely. Acknowledging Lucius he turned back to straightening Harry's shirt.

"I do not believe we have been introduced. Are you new to the area?"

"We are indeed," Severus said, hoping Harry would not give away their secret. He was relieved to see Harry was once again more interested in making a mess with his biscuit than the two adults who were talking.

"Would you like to join my son and I for the day. Draco has no one to amuse him, and I must say he becomes bored easily."

"We were just on our way out to pick up a few things," Severus said, trying to think of anything to keep from spending the day with Malfoy.

"Draco and myself were going to shop for a wand." Lucius then leaned over and whispered close to Severus.

"Never to early to prepare them for joining the Dark Lord," Lucius whispered to Severus.

Severus himself wanted to gag even thinking about Harry, or even Draco, joining the rank of the Death Eaters. He knew he would die to prevent his son from ever experiencing that, but giving Lucius a nod in understanding he rose from the table, motioning for Harry to come along.

Lucius and Draco walked into the wand shop, but soon Lucius had left Draco and gone off to talk to the shop owner himself, pulling the man into the back room. Severus walked over to the opposite chair and sat down, wishing he had never stopped for a snack now.

"Hi, my name is Draco, what is yours?" the small blond boy asked Harry, who had returned to his book.

Harry looked up to his father before answering. "My name is Harry."

Severus' heart slowed down when Draco did not press the issue of last names and, for once, was glad the child had forgotten about the formalities Lucius liked to drill into him. Hoping Harry would not reveal anything more, he got up to hurry Lucius along in his finding, so that he and Harry could be rid of his presence.

Lucius was found speaking rather heatedly to the shop owner. "Do I look like I care that he is not of age for a wand. I want you to find one for him, cost is not an object."

Severus knew he would have to intervene or the shop owner would find himself at the wrong end of a wand very soon. Looking back at Harry, he saw wands being flung to the floor, left and right. Draco had picked one up, and Severus went to cringe, but nothing happened, no sparks, nothing.

"Do you see? That is not the right wand for him, nothing happened. Find another one!" Lucius yelled at the shop owner.

"Here you can have this one, it doesn't work," Draco said, handing Harry the wand.

Harry remembered his father saying not to touch his wand, but his childlike mind told him this wasn't his dad's wand and he picked it up, twirling it and giggling when the blue sparks shot out of it.

Looking down at his book, Harry tried the spell the dragon in it said. Not really grasping how to read, Harry's words were grabbled, but the fire that shot from the wand had Harry squealing with delight.

When the light projected off the rows of wands and sent them flying, Harry squealed even louder, bringing Lucius and Severus from the back room to see what all the commotion was about. When Severus saw Harry holding the wand and the bright blue and now red fire shooting from it, he was in shock. He knew if he yelled at Harry to drop the wand, he could very well look like a piece of bacon within seconds. Slowly he crept past the still gaping Lucius and eased his way over to the corner shelf.

"Harry, give Daddy the wand," he said, coaxing the child into handing it over.

"But Daddy it makes pretty lights, see?" Harry said, pointing it at Severus, but the Potions Master was quicker and slammed his body to the floor before the red jet of fire could hit him.

Severus was unused to being at the mercy of a three year old, but when he saw Lucius getting angry at being pinned down in a corner by one, he knew it would not go well.

"Can't you demand he drop it?" Lucius said, his anger barely restrained.

"Would you prefer to be the one who asks for it. I am sure his aim is not that good, and you can hope he does not hit any vital organs," Severus sneered from his position on the floor.

Draco on the other hand was sitting in the corner, arms crossed, a furious look on his face.

"Why did the wand work for him and not for me! I want a new wand, one that is not broken."

"Draco we have no time for your petty arguments right now," Lucius sneered, right before one of the jets of light zoomed right at his head, turning his usually lovely golden locks a nice shade of purple.

While Lucius was using many colorful words to match his hair, Severus eased over beside Harry and gently placed his hand over the wand, taking it from the now pouting boy.

"But Daddy, I made it do tricks," Harry whined.

Severus pulled Harry into his arms, and tousled his hair. "That you did Harry, that you did."

Turning to the new lavender haired Lucius, Severus had a sickening sweet smile. "We must be off now, but I wish you well in your endeavors to change your hair back."

Now waiting to hear Lucius' reply back Severus, and Harry headed out of the shop and back towards Hogwarts.