After leaving the bank Harry followed Professor Snape to Madame Malkin's to get his uniform. They had entered and Harry was soon being fussed on by a rather plump old seamstress.
Another boy was being fitted as well, he had red hair and tons of freckles with blue eyes.
"Hi." He said.
"Hi." Harry replied back.
"I'm Ron, who're you?"
"Harry." Harry replied as Madame Malkin fitted the robes and adjusted them slightly.
"What House do you want to be in?" Ron asked.
"House?"
"There are four Houses. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. I want to be in Gryffindor, they say it's the best. You-know-who himself was in Slytherin, their lot is all dark wizards. What about you?" Ron asked.
"I don't know, I guess whichever one I'll fit into best is the one I want to be in." Harry said, shrugging.
"You're all done, dear. I gave your robes to Professor Snape so he can carry them for you." The kindly woman said.
"Thank you." Harry replied politely, hurrying towards his professor.
They walked towards the few shops left and bought most of his supplies until the only thing left on the list was a wand.
Harry was hurried into a place called Ollivander's and he saw row after row of wands. An old man came out from a side door and said,
"Mr. Potter, I wondered when I would be seeing you. And you are accompanied by Professor Snape, a fine wand his is. Ebony and Dragon Heartstring, very temperamental but it is absolutely perfect for dueling and other darker magic."
Harry's gaze flickered to the professor who mouthed not now to him and Harry let it drop.
Ollivander had Harry try out nearly every wand in the shop until he was handed one that was made of holly and a phoenix feather core. Harry flicked it, half-expecting it to be a failure, until green, silver, gold, and maroon sparks flew out, circling him in the form of a snake.
"Curious, very curious. I wonder how you could be destined for that wand, when its brother gave you that scar…"
"Yes, well we really must be going, Ollivander." Severus said, knowing where this conversation would lead.
"Seven galleons for the wand." Ollivander said, offhandedly as Harry fumbled with the money.
They were hurrying back through Diagon Alley until they got back to muggle London. Harry couldn't take it anymore and asked,
"What did he mean by my wand's brother gave me my scar?" Harry asked, completely puzzled.
"I am going to Apparate you to my Manor and then we will speak of the topic over dinner." Severus said, grabbing the boy's arm tightly and Disapparating.
Harry felt the tube sensation again but it didn't last as long this time and soon he was staring straight at an enormous house, a manor, with elaborate gates and apparently some nice gardens.
There was no room for argument, as he was rushed inside and led to the dining room. Severus ordered the boy to stay put and went off to call a house-elf so they could have a meal from Hogwarts.
Meanwhile, Harry looked at his surroundings in awe. The professor must have been very rich to have such ornate things. There were paintings that his Aunt had exclaimed over when she had seen them on the telly.
The table was large enough to seat at least fifteen and the chandelier that hung from the ceiling was glittering, the candles all perfectly contrasting with the crystal shards.
"My grandparents' manor." Severus commented, seeing how the boy was gawking at everything. "They left it to my mother when they passed away and she left it to me." Severus added, noticing how the boy's head turned to look at him.
"Will you tell me about my parents, sir? Did they die in a car crash or did Ollivander tell the truth? Is it true that they were murdered and that is where I got my scar from?" Harry asked, his irritation growing.
"There was a very dark wizard, most called him the Dark Lord, and he murdered muggle-borns and half-bloods for pleasure. The only thing the Dark Lord wanted was 'pure-bloods' dominating the Wizarding world. He wanted to do away with all muggles and recruited many that were like-minded. His followers were referred to as Death Eaters and they were his servants, his slaves. The Dark Lord came after you and your parents and your father died first. He was protecting you and Lily and tried to hold him off, your mother, however, she was given the chance to live if you were sacrificed but she sacrificed herself to save you. The Dark Lord's own killing curse rebounded on him and he is left a shadow, for I do not believe him truly finished." Severus explained, looking at the boy with calculating eyes.
"How do you know who is and isn't a follower of his?"
"They were all branded with his mark, the Dark Mark."
"What's his name?" Harry asked, curious as to what this monster's name was.
"I will only say it once and do not ask me to say it again, nor will you say it in my presence. His name is Voldemort."
"Why can't people say the name?"
"The Dark Lord inspired fear in everyone and they fear him enough to call him You-know-who or He-who-must-not-be-named. No one has ever called him by his name and lived to tell the tale except for Albus Dumbledore himself."
"I hate him. I hate him for killing my parents." Harry said, fury raging through him.
"Calm down, before you have a strike of accidental magic." Severus said sternly.
"Yes, sir. 'M sorry." Harry mumbled, eating from the food that had appeared on the table.
"This is really good, what is it?" Harry asked, savoring the taste of the wonderful meal.
"Pumpkin juice, turkey, chicken, mashed potatoes, and I believe there will be crème brulee for dessert." Severus said, finding it odd the child could not identify the foods.
Harry continued to eat until he could eat no more, it was all so good! His wounds from earlier were aching but he would take care of that later.
Severus Apparated Harry to Privet Drive again so he could pack his stuff in a trunk Severus had given him, and he had casually added that there was someone waiting for him.
Excited, Harry ran all the way to his room and found a beautiful black and white cat curled up on his bed. Harry was nearly shouting his thanks until it was clear that his professor was annoyed and he had stopped immediately.
Once Harry was all packed he Apparated them to the Manor again and motioned for Harry to sit down on an ornate beige sofa.
"What have you thought to name her, Potter?" Severus asked, feeling the strain from so many Apparitions.
"Austerus. It means strict or severe in Latin, but it sounds like a really good name for a cat."
"Might I suggest something like Auveria or Ausvera if you want it to mean the same thing?" Severus said, feeling uncomfortable that the name Austerus was so close to his own.
"I like Ausvera, it does sound better. What language is that from?"
"It is an ancient fae language. The language has been second nature to all those of my bloodline for centuries."
"Ausvera it is then." Harry said, picking her up and petting her soft fur.
"I will show you to your room for the night, Potter." Severus said, feeling worn out from the night's events.
Harry smiled slightly and followed the professor up the elegant staircase, with Ausvera in his arms.
"The room has an adjoining bathroom and sitting room as well as a playroom with plenty of things to amuse yourself and Ausvera with. I will have breakfast delivered to your rooms and come collect you at nine so we can get to King's Cross."
"Goodnight, sir."
"Goodnight, Po-Harry." Severus said, giving the boy a nod and leaving the room, not noticing the smile the boy gave him.
A/N:
I revised this chapter and thought it would be best like this. Thank you to Jules-foil for pointing out that the chapter was moving too fast. I hope you like the updated version.
This is so far the longest chapter so I hope you like it!
I chose the name Austerus because it means the same thing as Severus. I changed the name to Ausvera because it sounded more feminine and nicer.
