When Dumbledore returned from the ICW, he made a side trip to Ottery St. Catchpole before returning to Hogwarts. Walking up to the Burrow, he tapped on the door.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, welcome," Molly greeted him. "What brings you here today?"

He gave her his best grandfatherly twinkle. "Oh, just a reminder that your Ronald will be starting Hogwarts in less than a month, and that will give him the opportunity to befriend Harry Potter," he said. "While it seems his aunt remembered enough to bring the boy to Diagon Alley for his supplies, she is a muggle and so cannot bring him all the way to Platform 9-3/4. I would appreciate if you would bring your children to the platform by way of the muggle entrance, as I expect young Harry might have trouble finding the portal."

"Oh, of course, of course!" Molly exclaimed. "Ronnie is so looking forward to becoming friends with Harry, and teaching him all about the wizarding world," she gushed. "My Ginny is also looking forward to meeting him. That poor boy, growing up with muggles all this time."

"Alas, it was for the best," Dumbledore said. "After all, his fame in the wizarding world could easily have gone to his head… and that assumes he was raised by a proper wizarding family and not by someone like Lucius Malfoy."

"Oh, surely the Malfoys would never have gotten custody of the Boy Who Lived!" Molly said.

Dumbledore shook his head. "Actually, they were among the most likely to gain custody, which is why I placed Harry with his aunt. She is his closest blood relative, after all. But the Malfoys, through Narcissa's lineage as a Black, were the lad's closest available family within the wizarding world at the time. And without a will available to determine with whom James and Lily wished him placed…"

Molly frowned. "Yes, the Malfoys would have gotten him, especially if Lucius offered some gold to the certain people. Still, the poor boy will be no better than a muggleborn, after growing up muggle."

"Which is why I'm counting on you and young Ronald, to guide him along the proper path," Dumbledore said with another twinkle. "I must be off, as there is much to do yet to prepare for the start of term, but it's been good speaking with you, my dear."

"It's been lovely as always, Headmaster Dumbledore," Molly fluttered. "We're all looking forward to the start of term."

Dumbledore smiled and nodded, stepping out to the garden before apparating away.

Once at Hogwarts, Dumbledore made his way up to his office and called for Professor McGonagall. "Ah, Minerva, my dear, is everything in order with regards to the new First Years?"

"Yes, Albus," she said, a trifle tartly. He'd asked the same thing before he left for the ICW, and she'd told him the same thing then. "Nothing has changed since the last time you asked. All muggleborns have responded positively, all the home visits are done, as have all but one of the Diagon Alley visits, and that one will take place on Saturday, for Mister Finch-Fletchley and Miss Perks."

"And there's been no further correspondence from young Harry Potter?" he asked.

"No, why would there be?" McGonagall asked. "He sent his acceptance, and presumably his aunt saw to his shopping. He'll be on the train just like everyone else. I do look forward to seeing James and Lily's boy after all these years," she added, a note of warmth creeping into her voice.

He gave a distracted nod, still troubled that he hadn't needed to send Hagrid or Snape to ensure the boy got his letter and escort him to Diagon Alley… while predisposing him to want to be in Gryffindor at the same time… and to drop the first hints about the Philosopher's Stone as well. Which reminded him… "How are those protections for that item I'm looking after coming along? Has everyone finished up their obstacles?"

"Nearly so," she replied. "Quirinus, Filius, and I are done. Pomona is nearly done, although she said she still wants to pot up a few more cuttings before calling it a done task, just in case anything fails to thrive after being transplanted. And Severus said something about changing up a formula to make it both less dangerous and more unpleasant for any dunderhead foolish enough to imbibe an unknown potion."

"Good, good. Well, I need to catch up on my own parchmentwork, so I should let you go," Dumbledore said. "Thank you for updating me, Minerva."

"You're welcome, Albus," she said, exiting his office.

Dumbledore slumped back in his chair, plucking a lemon drop from the dish on his desk and sucking it moodily. Perhaps he ought to send Severus to Little Whinging, just to check up on the boy? Come to think of it, why hadn't Severus already come up to report on his brewing like usual? Well, if he was in the middle of something time-sensitive, perhaps he simply wasn't able to leave his laboratory at this time. He'd give the young Potions Master an hour or so before going to see what, if anything, was going on with regards to his potions research. It wouldn't do to let Severus think he could experiment willy-nilly after all; as a reformed Death Eater, the young man needed to be guided in his research. It was for the Greater Good, after all.

After waiting that hour, Dumbledore made his way to the dungeon potions laboratory. To his surprise, the only cauldron in use appeared to be full of some sort of ointment which smelled of flowers. "Severus, my boy," Dumbledore said as the scowling potions master looked up from the parchment in his hands. "You seem quite involved in your research; I'd expected you in my office before now."

The younger man shrugged. "Actually, I'm not. I took a trip to Norway while you were away, as the April issue of Cauldrons and Contents had an article discussing the effectiveness of cloudberries over raspberries in certain stomach-soothers, and so I wanted to obtain some fresh." He set his parchment aside and stood up. "It's not exactly research, though, just me doing the same comparison as in the article so I could see the results for myself. I've already finished the stomach-soothers and delivered them to Poppy."

"I see," Dumbledore said. Something seemed off, but he couldn't put a finger on what. "What are you brewing, then?"

"That?" Severus shrugged again. "Just a skin cream that reduces scarring. Now that Lady Greengrass and Lady Parkinson are seeing the same muggle pregnancy specialist that Lady Malfoy did, they've requested the same skin cream that I made for Lady Malfoy to reduce if not completely prevent stretch marks."

Dumbledore looked fainly repulsed by that information. "I see," he said once more. "Is it at a stage where it can be left alone or put into stasis?" he asked. "I have an errand for you, that I would like done as soon as possible."

Severus nodded. "Almost," he said. "Two more minutes until it's time to take it off the flame. I trust your errand can wait that long?"

"Of course, my boy," Dumbledore said, using his 'indulgent grandfather' tone. "I just need you to check on young Harry Potter. He may need some guidance, after all, as he's been raised in the muggle world. While I must presume his aunt told him enough about the wizarding world to allow him to reply to his letter and do his school shopping, I would feel much better knowing he's met at least one of his teachers before he arrives, so that he'll have someone he's comfortable speaking with, should he have questions."

"And you expect me to become a mentor to the Potter spawn?" Severus sneered. "As if teaching the little dunderheads isn't painful enough. I'll check on the brat for you, but don't expect me to fawn all over him like his aunt undoubtedly does." His alarm spell sounded, and he doused the flame under the cauldron with a wave of his wand. "Well, where exactly am I supposed to be going? And will I need to dress muggle?"

"Yes to the second question," Dumbledore replied. "Harry Potter lives at Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. The squib Arabella Figg lives nearby, so you can floo to her house and walk from there, rather than try to apparate in and risk being seen."

"Very well. I'll return as soon as may be," Severus said. He strode into his private quarters, rummaging in his wardrobe for a suitably muggle outfit of khaki trousers and a black shirt. Returning to the lab, he raised a brow at Dumbledore, who had moved over to the cauldron to inspect the contents more closely.

"Really, Albus? I assure you, it really is a skin cream. And I doubt that either of the intended recipients will appreciate finding extremely long white facial hairs embedded within."

Dumbledore had the grace to look abashed as he stepped back from the cauldron. "Sorry, my boy, I was curious as to the fragrance, that's all. I don't recognise it.

"It's a blend of sweet stock and lavender," Severus said. "I find the ladies prefer such fragrances in their skin care products, so yes, I do perfume any that I make as gifts, as opposed to the unscented formula I use when I'm brewing this for the infirmary here. If you've no other questions, I'd like to close up the laboratory and get this visit to the Potter brat over and done with."

"Yes, yes, of course, Severus, my boy." Albus hastily exited the lab, inwardly exulting. After meeting Severus, Harry would surely turn against Slytherin House and hopefully also favour Gryffindor.

Severus watched the headmaster leave and frowned. He remembered Lucius commenting on the headmaster's habit of phrasing otherwise innocuous statements in ways designed to upset the listener and as he thought about Dumbledore's stated desire that the Potter spawn meet and be comfortable with at least one of his teachers before school started, while telling him to go check on the boy, he knew the old man had some unstated reason for choosing him as the boy's first contact with a wizard. He just wasn't sure what that reason could be.

Shrugging, he placed a floo call to the Figg woman, requesting and receiving permission to step through to her home so he could walk over to Privet Drive and check in on the Potter spawn as requested. As he strolled along Wisteria Walk and turned down Privet Drive, he inwardly sneered at the sameness of all the houses in the estate, even as he acknowledged that Little Whinging was a great improvement over Cokeworth where he and the Evans girls grew up.

As he approached Number 4, a car pulled up with two children in the back seat. A dark-haired boy hopped out with a gym bag over his shoulder, but he didn't have the bird's nest that Severus expected the Potter spawn to sport. Perhaps this was the cousin, Tuney's child? He slowed his pace to observe, staying far enough back that he couldn't hear the conversation.

"Thank you so much for the lift, Mrs. Bemis," Harry said to Lucy's mother.

"No, thank you for introducing us to your yoga school," Mrs. Bemis said. "Lucy's doctors think she's ready for regular exercises to rebuild her strength and yoga seems like the perfect way to start."

"And class was fun," Lucy chimed in. "Some of the poses look so funny!"

Harry laughed. "They do," he admitted. "We still planning to get together with Paul and Surya next week, our last chance to muck about together before we all scatter for school?"

"Definitely!" Lucy said. "Will Draco be able to come as well?"

"I don't know, I left a message for him, but he hasn't got back to me yet," Harry said. "I know his family had some trips planned, short ones because Aurora's only a year old, but I don't know when the trips were. He might just not be home right now."

"Well, let's hope he'll be able to come. Either way, I'll see you on Wednesday!" Lucy said.

"See you Wednesday," Harry said with a smile, shutting the car door and waving as it pulled away. He shifted the bag on his shoulder and headed for the house.

Severus approached. "Good afternoon," he said. "I'm looking for Harry Potter, do I have the correct address?"

Harry looked up at the stern-looking man and nodded. "You do, sir, and I'm Harry Potter."

Severus blinked. The child before him looked nothing like he'd expected, but his eyes behind his oblong wire-rimmed glasses were the same emerald green as Lily's had been. "Ah… I am Professor Snape, from Hogwarts," he said. "There was some concern that perhaps your aunt hadn't given you all of the information necessary, and I was asked to come and check up on you."

"Professor Snape," the boy said thoughtfully, then his eyes lit with recognition. "Oh! Severus Snape? Mum's old friend?" He smiled. "It's good to meet you, sir." Harry didn't bow as they were standing in the front garden in full view of the street, but he gave a deep nod that gave the impression of a bow. "Would you care for some tea?"

"Erm… thank you, yes," Severus said. This boy looked nothing like James Potter; his hair lay neatly with just a hint of wave, his face was narrower than the Marauder's had been, and more astonishing, his forehead was smooth and unmarked. He followed Harry into the house.

"Aunt Petunia?" Harry called. "Are you home?"

"Perky's a good birdie," a small and warbling voice announced. Severus raised a brow at seeing a colourful budgie hopping excitedly from perch to perch in a large cage. "Bye-bye, Tuney, bye-bye!"

Harry laughed. "Aunt Petunia must be out, either doing the shopping or perhaps applying for a job," he said. "Perky only ever says bye-bye when she's leaving or while she's gone." He filled the kettle and turned it on, then smiled at his unexpected guest. "Please have a seat, I need to put my bag upstairs so no one trips on it, but I'll be right back."

"By all means," Severus said, still trying to reconcile the boy in front of him with the image he'd had of a spoiled and arrogant James Potter clone.

Harry dashed upstairs and put his bag in his room, then hurried back downstairs to set out a handful of shortbreads on a serving plate and lay the table with serviettes, small plates, cups, saucers, and spoons. He rinsed the teapot with hot water before filling it from the kettle and spooning tea into the strainer. "Do you prefer sugar or honey, milk or lemon?" he asked.

"Sugar and just a bit of milk," the dazed professor answered.

Harry brought out the sugar bowl and a matching small tea-set pitcher of milk. Checking that the tea had steeped long enough, he poured Professor Snape's cup first and then his own. He surveyed the table to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything before taking his own seat. "If I remember correctly, sir, you're the potions professor? I've been particularly looking forward to your class."

Severus raised a sardonic brow. "Have you?" he asked. "How did you even know what to look forward to? I didn't think your aunt knew enough about the wizarding world to give you all that much information."

"She didn't tell me much," Harry said. "But I've done quite a bit of research since receiving my letter. I don't wish to step on any toes through misunderstandings, of course, so I made sure to get a few extras along with the books on my school list. I'll probably get a few more when I go back to Diagon Alley sometime next week. I do want a pet to take to school with me, but as I already have one pet, Aunt Petunia prefers I wait for the last moment before getting another."

"If you already have a pet, why not simply bring that one?" Severus asked.

Harry smiled. "Well, because Suliss isn't a toad, a cat, or an owl," he said. "While Hogwarts: A History does state that it's possible to ask for an exception to be made in order to bring a different pet as long as it isn't anything harmful, I don't want to ask for special treatment, especially as it could be seen either as arrogance on my part, or else as those in charge fawning over the Boy-Who-Lived." He shook his head. "Which is a silly title in any case. I'm sure it was something my mother did, and not anything I did, on that night. I wasn't much over a year old, after all. What could I have done, thrown a full nappy at the Dark Tosser?"

Severus nearly cracked a smile at that. "Indeed," he said. "I am… pleased… to see that your fame hasn't gone to your head, Mr. Potter." He sipped his tea and took a shortbread before asking, "What sort of animal is your current pet? And what plans do you have for its care while you're at Hogwarts?"

"A close family friend offered to care for her while I'm at school," Harry said. "She's a corn snake."

The Boy-Who-Lived had a snake for a pet? Wouldn't that set the kneazle among the snidgets if word got out! Severus thought. "How long have you had her?" he asked.

Harry reckoned up the time in his head. "A bit over a year and a half now," he said. "She was a Christmas gift from the same friend who's offered to care for her." Not entirely true, but close enough and a far safer story than the actual truth, especially since he was supposed to be mostly clueless about the wizarding world. He could hardly admit that his godfather's house elf would be the one caring for Suliss during the school year.

"Did you choose to get a snake yourself, or was she an unexpected gift?" Severus asked, genuinely curious now.

"Oh, I chose her. I'd had the chance to handle some snakes at the zoo a few months earlier, and I seem to have a knack for handling them, according to the keeper there," Harry said. "When my cousin Dudley and I were offered our choice of pets, Aunt Petunia only said we had to choose small animals that live in cages, to reduce any mess. Dudley got a pair of rats, but he decided they were too much trouble and gave them away after a couple of months."

"I feel I should warn you, snakes are not well-favoured by most wizards," Severus said carefully. "The snake is the emblem of Slytherin House at Hogwarts, and Slytherin itself has produced some of the more… infamous dark wizards, including He Who Must Not Be Named. As a result, many of the more dunderheaded members of society have come to equate Slytherin with both snakes and with evil. You might wish to be cautious about telling your friends about your pet snake, at least until you're certain you can trust them."

Harry smiled. "Thank you for the advice, sir," he said. "Is there anything else that would be good for me to know before I board the train for the first time?"

Severus looked into Lily's green eyes in the boy's face and nodded. "The whole wizarding world knows you're starting Hogwarts this year. I can only imagine how many of your yearmates will have orders from their families to befriend you, to their advantage but not to yours. While it helps that you somehow do not have the scar they expect you to have, you cannot count on remaining anonymous, at least not once you are Sorted into a House. Make friends, by all means, but be cautious. Be prepared to consider their motives for making friends with you, especially if they either offer favours or request them." He paused, then asked, "Have you something to write with and on?"

"Yes, sir, as long as you don't mind using a biro and paper," Harry said, getting both from the shelf by the refrigerator where Petunia kept them to be convenient for writing the grocery list. "Aunt Petunia doesn't want quills and ink in the kitchen, for fear of spills." He grinned a bit, adding, "Not that I blame her in the slightest! That ink stains almost everything."

"It does, and I don't mind," Severus said, allowing himself a small smile, remembering when Lily's mother had said something similar the summer before his and Lily's first year at Hogwarts. "You said you've done some research since receiving your letter, and I commend you on your initiative. I believe you will find these books helpful, if you haven't already gotten them for yourself." He wrote down three titles: an etiquette book and two potions books, then passed the paper over to Harry. "I trust your aunt knows how to get you to Platform 9-3/4?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, Professor," he said. It was true, after all. He just didn't bother mentioning that Petunia wouldn't be the one taking him there. Glancing at the list, he saw that the two potions books were the ones Stephen had gotten him two years prior, but the etiquette book wasn't one he'd read. "Thank you for this, sir," he added, holding up the paper.

Severus nodded. "In that case, Mr. Potter, I shall take my leave. Thank you for the tea, and I shall see you at the Sorting Feast." He stood and gave Harry a half-bow, raising a brow when the boy returned it.

"It's been a pleasure, sir, and I look forward to the start of school," Harry said, politely walking the Potions Master to the door.

Severus strode briskly back to the Figg woman's house and took the floo to his quarters. Changing back into his customary robes, he checked on the cooling skin cream and then made his way to the headmaster's office.

"Severus, my boy, how did your visit with young Harry go?" the old man asked. "I do hope you were able to avoid any harsh words with the boy, even if he is the son of James Potter."

"He seemed no different from any other little dunderhead of that age," Severus said with a snort. "Fully convinced of their own immortality and inclined to do stupid things in the name of impressing their friends. However, I believe I managed to avoid terrifying the child."

"Yes, yes, I'm sure," Dumbledore said with a nod. From the sound of things, Severus had been his usual acerbic self, which would, of course, subtly guide young Harry into Gryffindor and away from Slytherin. "What can you tell me of the boy?"

Severus shrugged. "He seemed polite enough, I suppose," he said. "Not that I encouraged conversation. He is a Potter, after all." He pretended not to notice the flash of… something… in the headmaster's eyes. "If you don't mind, headmaster, I would like to return to the skin cream I'm in the middle of brewing."

"Of course, my boy, of course," Dumbledore said, nodding. "Go on back to your work and I'll see you in the morning."

Severus nodded, keeping his expression impassive. "Until morning, then, headmaster," he said as he took his leave.

Dumbledore nodded and watched him go, a satisfied expression creeping over his face. Between the poor impression Severus would have given the boy, and then Mrs. Weasley guiding him to the platform and young Ronald becoming his friend, young Harry would soon be sorted into Gryffindor, from which he could be properly guided to his destiny.

In his quarters, Severus went over every nuance of his conversation with the headmaster, both before and after his visit to Harry Potter, and he didn't care for the conclusions he was beginning to reach. He needed to speak to someone outside of Dumbledore's immediate sphere of influence to gain an outsider's perspective. Tossing a pinch of floo powder into the hearth, he called out, "Malfoy Manor," and stuck his head into the flames when they turned green.

Narcissa heard the chime of an incoming floo call and hurried to respond. "Severus, this is a surprise," she said. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm not certain," he admitted. "May I come over this weekend? I find myself in need of some advice."