Chapter One: The Potions Master

There were several sharp wraps at the door, followed by hammering that rattled the door in its frame. Startled from sleep Dudley sat up and looked around blearily before asking, "Where's the cannon?"

Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room followed by Aunt Petunia. He clutched a shotgun in his hands, and now Harry knew what had been in the long thin package. His uncle pointed it at the door. "Who's there?" He shouted. "I warn you I'm armed."

There was a pause. Then…

BANG!

The door flew open, with an odd light, and hit the wall of the shack. A man stepped into the room wrapped in black like the night outside, curtains of black framed his face, and his dark eyes swept the room. They assessed the shotgun, his uncle and aunt, Dudley still seated on the couch, and finally Harry himself. The man had a scowl for the former, but when he met Harry's eyes something like recognition flickered in the dark depths; before the emotion was hidden.

"I demand that you leave at once, sir!" Uncle Vernon said. "You are breaking and entering."

The stranger held a long stick in front like a sword. His demeanor was such that it did not look comical as Harry would have expected. In fact, the way aunt Petunia's glare was fixed on it you would expect it to be the deadlier weapon in the room. The men waved it in a precise motion, and Uncle Vernon's gun soared out of his hand, and landed neatly in the far corner.

"Were my intention to harm you that would not have stopped me, Dursley. I hate to think that this is how you treat your guests Tuney." The man spat the last word, but It was clear who he was referring to, by Aunt Petunia's reaction.

"You!"

"Me," he snarled back. He stowed the stick in his cloak, "but perhaps we should not leave the others in the dark." He turned back to Harry, "my name is Severus Snape, I am the Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and I was your mother's friend."

"What?" Harry's mind was reeling. All of his childish dreams of someone coming to take him from his aunt and uncle flashed in his mind. It was all happening a bit later than he would have expected, but he wasn't about to complain.

Snape had been looking at Harry the whole time, and now a spark of anger lit in his eyes. He directed it at the couple still cowering by the door. "If I had known that you had been dumped on her doorstep I would have been here sooner." He reached into his cloak again and drew out and now familiar yellow envelope with green writing. "Now, I would like to get the official part of this visit completed. You should have read this days ago."

Uncle Vernon strode into the center of the room. "Stop right there! I did not drive halfway across the country; to avoid these blasted letters, for you to stroll in here and give it to him.!"

Snape ignored him, his glare directed at Petunia. "Tuney, surely you knew we would find a way to deliver this."

"Why… Why do you call her that?"

Snape's gaze turned back to Harry, "it was your mother's nickname for her muggle sister."

"Muggle?"

"It is our word for a non-magical person such as your aunt, uncle, and cousin. Your mother was a witch, and you are a wizard, Harry; like your father and myself."

"I'm a what?" Even as he asked Harry knew two things. First, the man in front of him was definitely a wizard. He proved that tonight. Second, he thought Harry was one too.

"A wizard, and I expect you are going to be very powerful. Your mother was quite gifted, and your father… had a talent for causing mischief." He held out the letter again, his eyes during the Dursely's to interrupt. "This will go a long way in explaining things. Once you read it feel free to ask the questions that will undoubtedly spring to your mind." The corners of Snape's mouth quirked, but he didn't truly smile.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?"

"An excellent question," Snape turned to the rain lashed window. "It is one of the ways wizards communicate; however, I know I did not appreciate flying through that storm."

Snape produced the stick again. He glanced at Harry and something silver and bright shot from the wood. Harry saw that it was an animal, before it darted through the wall, and out of sight.

For want of a better word Harry blurted, "what is that?"

Snape arched an eyebrow, "This is my wand. We will be purchasing yours tomorrow. The silver creature is a…"

The illusion that they were alone was broken as Uncle Vernon, we asserted himself.

"He's not going! We swore when we took him in, we'd put a stop to that rubbish, swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!"

Somehow Harry had not realized what Snape knowing his aunt would mean, "you knew?"

"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course, we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that-that school-and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was - a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"

She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.

"Then she met that Potter at school, and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as - as - abnormal - and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"

"Enough!" Snape moved between aunt and nephew. His wand level with her chest. "You have every right to resent whatever power gifted your sister but not yourself. However, you should never have blamed this boy. It is no more his fault than his mother's. You will not…"

Snape stopped speaking because Harry had finally found his voice, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!"

Snape spat in a voice of deadly calm, "What lies have you been filling the boy's head with?" with an effort he lowered his wand. He reached out as if to clasp Harry's shoulder but aborted the action. Instead, he turned to the grate and a moment later a fire filled the dank room with light and warmth. He beckoned Harry closer to the fire and glanced at the couch. "If you cannot manage to make room for your cousin, I suggest you relocate to the corner your parents occupy." Dudley did not seem to think the former was an option and scrambled over to hide behind his mother. The image evoked something in the wizard. He looked at petunia once again, "Lilly died protecting him and this is what you make of her sacrifice? He's skin and bones, and he's obviously wearing your son's castoffs."

Both uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia made angry noises at this, but Snape held up a hand to silence them. Harry's voice shook, "Protecting me? But why? From what?"

The wizard removed from yet another pocket of his cloak, a vial of strange liquid. "This is a calming draught. I would like you to take a small sip before we continue. It will take the edge off your shock." He uncorked it and handed it to Harry.

"I'm not weak," Harry blinked back the prickling in his eyes.

"No, you're not, but the truth is so different from what you know, and it is Not an easy tale."

Harry nodded and took a sip. The taste was bitter and strange, but not too bad. Almost immediately he felt his anxiety and even his hunger fade to the background of his mind. He handed the vile back, and after a moment's consideration the wizard drained half of what was left.

Snape walked toward the fire as if drawn to it. He folded his hands behind his back and stared into the dancing light. After a moment he turned back to face Harry and begin to speak.

"Twenty years ago, there was a wizard who sought out the dark and obscure things in our world; his aim was to reshape the magical world to his liking. He lured followers with promises of power, with an existing pure-blood ideology, and with a place to belong. He controlled through fear, and he was so successful in that regard, that wizards and witches still refuse to speak his name. Now they call him; He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, You-Know-Who, or the Dark Lord. I will say his name once for your benefit, but afterward I ask that you refer to him by one of those titles. He called himself Lord Voldemort" Snape's left hand clinched into a fist, and pain flitted across his features.

"Are you alright, sir?"

The wizard nodded and continued, "the Dark Lord gathered his followers, Death Eaters. They terrorized witches, wizards, and muggles. They tortured and murdered anyone who did not fit into their plans, or who stood against them. The headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, was one of the leaders of the opposition. He is said to be the one person the Dark Lord ever feared, and there is some truth to that because he did not try taking the school directly. Why should he? It was a fertile recruiting ground. In my days at Hogwarts there were two paths; students chose to join him or to fight him. Your parents were both brave and foolish enough to follow Dumbledore. It made them targets, and shortly after your birth they went into hiding.

"They trusted the wrong man, your father's best friend, with their whereabouts and he betrayed them to the Dark Lord. Your father fought him to give them time to run, and he died for his efforts. The Dark Lord caught up with your mother in your bedroom. She died shielding you from him. Finally, he turned his wand on you, but the curse backfired on him. The Killing Curse has never failed before or since, and so your survival is something of legend in our world. They call you The-Boy-Who-Lived."

Harry was grateful for the calming draught; as he was confronted with the clearest image of green light he'd ever remembered, and for the first time, a high cold laugh. Snape winced as if he shared Harry's pain, and the boy began to wonder if the man could read minds.

When he trusted himself to speak Harry asked, "but what about Voll... sorry You-Know-Who?"

"Some delude themselves into believing he is dead. Others believe he is merely biding his time to return, but he was at the height of his power the night he came for your family. I believe his power was broken but some part of him Continues to exist. It is not clear If he will be able to return to power, but it is more than likely he will try."

"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have gotten back his courage. He was glaring at Snape and his fists were clenched.

"Now, you listen here, boy," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured - and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdos, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion - asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types - just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end -"

Snape crossed the room in four quick strides. He kept his wand at his side as he faced Uncle Vernon, "you seem to be burdened with some misconceptions about how our world works, Dursley. James Potter was born into a long line of witches and wizards. He was one 'of those wizarding types' from birth. You're right, Lily had a choice, but what would you have had her do? Return to the Muggle world, at the first sign of trouble, and hope for the best? she was no coward! If you ever suggest raising a hand to her son again, I will show you that I do not need to touch you to harm you."

Uncle Vernon glanced down at the wand in Snape's hand; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.

Harry watched this exchange with wonder. He felt a warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with the fire. His mother's friend, Severus Snape, was protecting him from Uncle Vernon. As the dark man turned his back on the Dursley's something occurred to Harry. What if he wasn't a wizard? Would Snape leave him alone with them? Would he go back to Hogwarts and tell them there had been a mistake?

"Sir, what if I'm not a wizard?"

Snape closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed. "First of all, you may call me Severus in private, but around your classmates you should refer to me as Professor, Professor Snape, or sir. Let us consider your assertion that you are not a wizard. Have you ever made something happen inexplicably because you were scared or angry?"

Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it... every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry... chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach... dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back... and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him?

Harry looked up at Severus and smiled. Snape nodded and the corners of his mouth lifted.

But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.

"Haven't I told you he's not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High, and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish - spell books and wands and -"

Snape snapped, "fortunately the financial responsibility of his education does not rest with you."

"Why are you doing this Snape?" And Petunia stepped out from the shadows. "He's not your responsibility either. There's a reason our parents were surprised she wasn't marrying you! We all saw how you followed her around, telling her about magic and Hogwarts. The boy takes after his father, and that's clearly not you.

"Tell the boy the truth! You weren't her friend you were in love with her. I don't know what you did to her, but she cried about you, every night that summer. The way you were talking about that Dark Lord sounded like you respected him. What happened Snape? Did she reject you and you crawled to the first person who would have you!

"How did you know exactly where they died? Were you there that night? Why didn't you just take him then? Instead, he's left with us for ten years, just so you can swoop in at the right moment, and teach him about magic and Hogwarts?"

Snape had gone very still, his knuckles were white where he clutched his one, and sparks flew from the tip. Even Uncle Vernon and Dudley were staring at Aunt Petunia in shock.

"Are you quite finished?" When there was no response he continued, "You are lucky indeed that I chose to imbibe some of the calming draught I keep on my person. I intended to answer these questions over time, but now that you have asked, I will answer; because Harry has a right to know." He stepped back so he could watch Harry and the Dursely's.

"I will attempt to answer your questions as chronologically as possible. Do I love Lily Evans Potter? Yes, and at first it was romantic, but it changed when I realized that type of bond was out of reach. The summer you speak of was after our fifth year at Hogwarts I will not speak of it in detail but suffice it to say mistakes were made on both sides. Did I join the Dark Lord? For a time, I was his faithful servant."

Shocked gasps came from the other adults in the room. Harry listens with rapt attention. Snape paused and rolled up his left sleeve. On the inside of his forearm was a faded tattoo of a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth.

"This is His mark, the Dark Mark, each Death Eater was branded with it. The mark serves both as a way for us to identify one another, and for him to summon us to his side."

Aunt Petunia screeched, "if you're one of his men why aren't you in Azkaban?"

"The wizard prison," Snape answered Harry's bewildered look. "Because I changed sides when I realized he'd targeted Lily's family. I risked my life to get that information to Dumbledore so he could protect them. In exchange I became his spy in the Dark Lord's circle." His eyes glittered strangely, but Harry could not decipher the emotions there.

"Was I there the night Lily and James died? Not in time to make a difference. I went to the home of the man who concealed their location magically. He was not there so I went to investigate. I found them as I said, James was in the hall leading to the stairs, Lily was on the floor in front of the crib, and Harry…". Severus could not continue. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Harry is my responsibility because I am his godfather. Lily and I reconciled shortly after she knew she was pregnant. She wanted to ensure, no matter which way the war turned, that her son would be safe. Why did I not take him that night? I knew that with the Dark Lord's fall his followers would be out for vengeance. I did not trust that I could protect him, or if I would be able to avoid Azkaban. The man who betrayed Lily and James appeared, and I was about to confront him, when one of Dumbledore's most trusted allies arrived. He Hagrid convinced Black, the traitor, to give Harry over to him. That Dumbledore had a safe place arranged." He had spat the trader's name with such venom that Harry knew they were not on the same side.

"Incidentally, Hagrid was supposed to undertake this mission, to retrieve you, Harry. He is the groundskeeper, and those duties kept him from being here. Professor McGonagall asked me to go in his place. She is the one who finally told me where you'd been left."

There was a short click from the corner. For an instant Harry saw Uncle Vernon with the shotgun, and then Snape was standing between them.

"Vernon! What?"

"Petunia, take Dudley into the bedroom."

"Do what your husband says, Tuney. We don't need you or your son in danger. I would ask you to take Harry, but I don't know what the muggle will do to him as he passes."

"Vernon would never!" Petunia said as she dragged Dudley into the bedroom and slammed the door.

"Damn right I won't! Kept him, didn't we? Just like the note said. Harry is safe as long as he is with his blood relatives. What about the danger to us eh? What about a branded turncoat coward forcing us to the middle of nowhere so he can kill us all! Well, take him!" Uncle Vernon gestured to the door with the barrel of the gun. "Take him, and if I see any of your lot again, I'll use this thing!"

"Dumbledore should have never trusted you!" Snape roared. "I did not harm any of you, and I am here to help Harry! If you would not protect him from me, you certainly won't protect him from those who wish him harm." Snape never took his eyes from Uncle Vernon, "Harry I would like to take you from this place and these people. If you would rather someone else take you to get your supplies, I understand."

Harry stood up, careful to stay behind Severus' protection, "I'll go with you."

Snape shook his left sleeve back down, kept his eyes and wand on Uncle Vernon, and told Harry into his left side. Harry fumbled with the latch when they reached the door, and a preceded him outside. His clothes were instantly soaked by the rain and sea spray. Once Severus passed the threshold Uncle Vernon slammed the door in their faces.

Snape turned to his charge and winced. "I'm sorry Harry, I would have cast an Impervious Charm to keep the water off you, but I dare not take my wand off your uncle. I'm fairly certain he would have shot me."

Harry shivered, "but I thought you said the gun wouldn't stop you from hurting him."

Severus waved his wand around himself as he spoke. "Once he had ammunition in the firing chamber, I could not simply disarm him without fear of it going off. Any other recourse would have involved me harming him directly, and I wanted to avoid that. I thought my threat was sufficient to keep him away from the damn thing." he began to remove his cloak.

"Severus, what are?" Harry's question was answered as the dry warm fabric was wrapped around him.

"I applied the charm to my robes," he showed Harry the dry material also black. "Now, may I borrow your glasses? I will return them to you shortly."

Harry handed them over, Snape tapped them with his wand, and returned them. Harry put them back on and blinked in surprise. The water stopped just before it hit his lenses and fell away. Severus chuckled softly at the amazement on his godson's face.

"Harry, are you afraid of heights?" The boy shook his head and Snape added, "that will make our trip much easier." He stepped forward and lifted Harry into his arms.

Before Harry could ask what, he was doing Severus ran to the edge of the rock and jumped. Harry yelped in anticipation of the churning water, but it didn't come. He looked up at Severus to see him smiling, his teeth weren't the best, but he was happy. Then Harry looked down at the storm-tossed ocean below them. It was kind of nice to look at now that he was warm, and not bobbing around in it.

"Can you teach me how to do this?"

Snape chuckled, "why don't I teach you how to fly on a broom first?"

"Brooms fly?"

"We'll make a Quidditch player of you yet."

"What's Quint-edge?"

"Quidditch is a game with fourteen players on broomsticks, six hoops fifty feet in the air, and four balls; the rules of which I cannot explain if we hope to sleep before the shops open in London."

"It sounds wonderful!"

"Considering the Quidditch World Cup is the most popular event in the Wizarding World I would say the majority of our kind agree with you."

Worried Harry asked, "do you not like it?"

Severus sighed, "Harry I'm not going to take you back to them because we do not share the same interests. You are simply your father's son, and I am okay with that. Let's just see if you are like your mother with potions."

"If it's anything like cooking I should do fine."

"You can cook?

Not many can say the same at your age."

"Yes, I… helped… And Petunia in the kitchen."

Severus caught the hesitation in the boy's voice, but he didn't push for the time being. He tightened his arms around his godson. Severus Snape vowed that Dumbledore would take Harry back to the Dursley's over his lifeless corpse, and that he better have a damn good reason for leaving him there in the first place.

A/N: This is chapter 1 of a project that I intend to work on as I have time. It is a daunting task to rewrite the entire Harry Potter series in your own vision, but I am one of the people who are crazy enough to attempt it. Basically, it is a "guardian Snape" fanfic which will attempt to bring all four houses together in a unique way. Still, we are a long way from that eventuality. Harry has not even seen Diagon Alley yet, but that is shortly to come.

Disclaimer: Any recognizable text, scene, setting, characters, plots, etc. are the property of J.K. Rowling, and any others who have the happy power of intellectual rights to them. I'm simply exploring an alternate plotline for entertainment purposes and am making no money from it.

Update 09/20/22: I've done some edits and tweaks to this first chapter, and I'll be reposting a couple of the other early chapters with similar slight changes. I hope you all enjoy and thank you for all the support and sticking with this story.