DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Harry Potter world or characters. J. K. Rowling does.

WARNING: There is mentions of abuse, don't like, don't read!

"Sto-op!" Dudley Dursley whined copying the small seven year old boy. Dudley and his friends always picked on Dudley's small cousin.

"Please Dudley, just leave me alone." The small boy begged as he looked up at his cousin, his brilliantly green eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"Poor little baby wants us to leave him alone? We don't listen to 'ittle bitty babies do we?" Dudley laughed as he punched his cousin in the face, breaking the boy's nose and glasses for the second time that week. The small group of boys were about to play their favorite game, Harry Hunting when they heard a voice.

"Leave him alone!" a very feminine voice shouted.

"If you want us to leave him alone, why don't you make us!" the boys shouted back. When the girl did nothing the boys turned back to Harry, planning on beating him up some more. The strange girl sighed and walked slowly towards the boys.

"Look, I don't want to hurt anyone, and I'm positive your parents would not be happy if you were injured when you went back home, so just leave him alone and you'll be fine." The girl said while approaching the group. Harry sat crouched on the ground hoping that Dudley and his gang would listen and leave, but not beat the girl up first. Dudley scoffed at the idea of leaving before he was finished with his game.

"I'll leave, as soon as you make me." Dudley said knowing that no one could make him do anything.

"Really didn't want to have to do this but I guess you won't learn otherwise." Said the strange girl. She walked closer to the group and stood between Harry and the group of bullies. She leaned down and said to Harry, "If I were you, I'd cover my ears and close my eyes, ok?" Harry nodded and did as she said. After a while Harry felt someone tapping on his shoulder. He opened one eye and saw his cousin and his friends waddling away screaming bloody murder.

"H-how did you do that?" Harry asked, astonished. "Oh, um, I just, uh, you know what, I'm going to take you to my house, OK?" The girl stuttered, shocked that the small boy asked that question.

"I can't go with you, I don't know you." Harry was never taught the concept of stranger danger but he had heard his aunt and uncle warn Dudley many times. The girl made a face at that statement. "I'm Sylvia Snape, I'm nine years old and I live with my Papa, Severus Snape. My mom died when I was three. She died protecting someone very special to Papa. Now, tell me about you." Sylvia sat down next to Harry so she could hear him.

"My n-name is H-harry Potter, and I'm seven. I live with my aunt and uncle. Both of my p-parents are dead. They died in a car crash w-when I was one." Harry stammered. As the boy was talking Sylvia was staring at Harry's glasses. "Um, w-what are you looking at?" Harry asked self-consciously.

"Your glasses, I can fix them you know." Sylvia said. "I'm really good with things like that." "Y-you can?" Harry asked nervously. What could a nine year old girl do to fix almost shattered glasses? "Yeah, but you can't watch, it's a secret." Sylvia said looking around like someone might be watching.

"Oh, ok then." Harry took his glasses off and handed them to Sylvia. She took them and walked away from Harry. Harry thought he heard a word that kind of sounded like reparo but he wasn't sure. When Sylvia gave Harry his glasses they were not broken. The bridge of the glasses was no longer taped together, and the glass wasn't shattered anymore. "Thank you." Harry said, too shocked to stutter.

"You're welcome, now you owe me so come on." Sylvia said, not taking no for an answer.

"Um, ok." Harry said taking her hand.

"I am going to call a bus, so stand back." Sylvia said to Harry. Harry stood there shocked as the girl, she had said her name was Sylvia, stuck her index finger out and whispered "Knight Bus". Harry jumped back when a bus appeared almost out of nowhere. Sylvia smiled as the door slid open and Stan Shunpike started reading from his card.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded wit-" Stan stopped when Sylvia interrupted him.

"Stan, it's been a while hasn't it?"

"My, my, little Sylvia Snape, it has been a very long time. I haven't seen you since-" Stan lost his train of thought when he saw the small boy standing next to her. "Well, who's this then?"

"This is Harry, Harry Wong." Sylvia lied through her teeth.

"Well, Mr. Wong, it is a pleasure to meet yah, however we can't exchange idle chit-chat forever. Ms. Sylvia, where are yah headed?"

"Snape's Potions Palace on 85th street." Sylvia answered.

"Wait, there's no Snape's Potions Palace on 85th street. I think I would remember an odd place like that." Harry said confusedly.

"That's, um, because it's hidden by another building." Sylvia answered nervously. Harry looked around the bus and saw a really old man driving the bus.

"Who is that?" Harry asked.

"That's Ernie, the Knight Bus driver. He's old, but good at his job." Stan said sounding amazed. "Someday I hope to take over for him and drive this bus myself." Harry didn't notice how fast the bus was really going; he was too busy looking at the inside of the bus.

He hadn't even noticed the bus stopped until Sylvia tapped his shoulder and said, "Are you done looking around so we can go?"

"Yeah, I'm curious about where you live. You said to go to Snape's Potions Palace, right?" Harry answered.

"Yeah, I did. We don't live in the shop though. I just have to ask Papa if I can take you to the house and show you around." Sylvia answered as they walked off the bus. Harry followed Sylvia to where she said the shop was and he saw it. If he had just been passing by on the street he wouldn't have noticed it but since Sylvia brought it to his attention he saw it. The small building had nothing entirely remarkable about it. A simple building with two plate-glass windows in front, the only odd thing about it was the huge simmering cauldron sign above the door. "Stay here until I come back, OK?" Sylvia said looking a little guilty like she would get in trouble for bringing him here.

"I-if you'll get punished, w-we could always go back to my Uncle's house." Harry suggested reluctantly. Harry was really curious to see where Sylvia lived.

"No, I won't get in trouble. You might be a little bit of a shock to Papa though, because I don't normally bring my friends home." Sylvia answered reassuringly. Harry followed Sylvia to the door and was surprised when she opened the door. Standing over a cauldron wearing a strange looking bathrobe was a tall, thin, and handsome man. "Papa, I brought a friend. I was wondering if he could come over to our house." Sylvia asked as she hung her hoodie on the hook by the door.

"As long as you think" Snape started and then he saw Harry and stopped. "What is he doing here?"

"He's a friend, Papa. I was hoping I could take him to our house for a play-date." Sylvia answered.

"No, no, no, the answer is most definitely no. Take him back to where he belongs." Snape answered gruffly.

"Papa, can I talk to you, alone?" Sylvia said looking toward a closed door.

"Fine, but he stays here." Snape replied, defeated.

"That's the purpose of alone." Sylvia answered cheekily as they walked toward the door. Harry heard the door click and he looked around the room for the first time. He saw the bubbling cauldron and wooden spoon he assumed was for stirring. He walked over to the cauldron and saw a list of strange ingredients. He read the list twice to make sure he read it right. He saw some of the ingredients checked off, but others had question marks after them. Harry read another list that had steps for making something called an Anti-Paralysis Potion. Harry looked at the checked off parts and saw there was only three steps left. Harry noticed that the last three steps needed to be completed soon. He saw that the last ingredient was just lying on the table. Harry looked around nervously hoping no one was watching. Harry took the spoon and finely crushed the strange herb into small pieces.

Harry took a small pinch, which was what the recipe called for and sprinkled it into the pot. He stirred three times clockwise and then one and a half turns counterclockwise. Harry then put a lid on the cauldron to keep it warm for when Sylvia and her father came out. Harry saw a door that was open. He walked through it and found himself in a dimly lit room that had bottles of strange colored liquids, herbs he had never seen before and a smaller cauldron that looked like it had never been used. "Harry?" He heard Sylvia call.

"I'm in here." Harry said as he ran his finger over the shiny black metal. Sylvia walked into the room and saw Harry staring at the cauldron like it was his last lifeline.

"Do you want the cauldron?" Sylvia asked. Harry looked at Sylvia with a look of disbelief on his face. "The cauldron does come with strings though." Sylvia said. Harry looked thoughtful at that.

"What kind of strings?" Harry asked.

"It has to stay either at my house or here, you can only make things you know how to make and you have to clean it after each use." Sylvia answered.

"That's all? I thought it would be I had to clean the whole shop or something." Harry answered. Snape walked in as Harry said that and looked at Sylvia.

"Sylvia, did you add the last ingredient to my Anti-Paralysis Potion?" Snape asked.

"No, you know I'm horrible at potions." Sylvia answered.

"Well, we're the only ones who know how to brew here and I didn't do it." Snape said confusedly.

Harry looked down as he said, "I put the last ingredient in and stirred it like the instructions said. Did I mess it up?" Harry flinched as Snape's hand went to his shoulder.

"Harry, you finished a potion that most eighteen year olds can't complete, and you did it correctly. I am astonished that a boy your age could complete that advanced of a potion." Snape looked at Harry and saw a small boy who looked frightened at the slightest noise, a boy who flinched when a hand came towards him, and who was brilliant at potions. Sylvia smiled as her Papa looked, really looked, at Harry for the first time. "I've changed my mind; he can come to our house. He just has to go home afterwards." Snape said as he stood. Sylvia squeaked with joy as she jumped up and down. Harry stood there, mouth agape, as he thought about what Snape had said.

"I-I'm okay with that." Harry answered quietly. Sylvia led Harry to the front room again where Harry saw a large fireplace. Harry watched as Sylvia grabbed a flower-pot off of the mantle and took some of the dirt from it. Sylvia looked at Harry's wary expression and smiled. Harry smiled back nervously. Sylvia took his hand and stepped into the fireplace, dragging Harry behind her.

"Close your eyes, Harry." Sylvia whispered. Harry quickly squeezed both of his eyes shut. He heard something like a fire starting but he didn't feel any burning. He heard Sylvia shout "Snape Manor!" loudly and he felt a rushing wind. Harry wanted to open his eyes but he was too frightened to. Harry felt like he was flying but his feet were still somewhere in the fireplace. Almost as quickly as it had begun the rushing wind stopped and he was being pulled out of the fireplace.

"You can open your eyes now Harry." Sylvia said as she dropped his hand. Harry opened his eyes expecting to see the potion shop but he was in a living room. Harry gasped as he looked around. Most of the things in this room were nicer than what he had seen at the Dursley's. Harry looked at Sylvia who kicked off her shoes and placed them on the hearth. Harry rushed to do the same.

Sylvia laughed as Harry gasped at the softness of the carpet. "It's a very plush carpet. Papa made it." Sylvia said as Harry ran his fingers through the thick carpet. Harry placed his shoes right beside Sylvia's and stood up. He was about to turn around when something on the mantle caught his eye. It was a stick, but it was placed in the center of the mantle as if it was the most important thing in the room. Harry felt drawn to it somehow. He reached his hand out to touch it when the scar on his forehead started to hurt. He instinctively brought his other hand up to it, and continued reaching for the stick.

Sylvia turned when she realized Harry wasn't following her. She saw the small boy's hand close around the wand that her Papa had told her never to touch. "Harry, no!" she cried as a bright light flashed through the living room and blinded her.

AN: Whoa cliffhanger! On my first chapter too! I totally rock at this. Review if you like. If it's a good chapter, GREAT! If not, tell me what to do to fix it. I don't have, or need a beta because I check all of my own writing so if I miss something, please remember, I'm only human. So virtual cookies to everyone…. I forgot I'm out of virtual cookies. Now I got to go to the store. *drives off menacingly*