Two Faced
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or his universe. That would be the work of the talented JK Rowling, whom I would someday love to meet, but for now will have to satisfy myself with dabbling in her creation...
Author's note: This is an Alternate Universe fanfic based on a question a friend and I posed and forced ourselves to ponder. We all know that in the Philosopher's Stone, Harry was convinced that Snape was the baddie. And I'd guess we all suspect that if Snape had been the baddie, Harry could have been much worse off. Well, here's the story based on this idea!
Prologue
The Leaky Cauldron, which a moment before had been filled with the bustle of typical pub activity, had now fallen silent. All eyes were focused on one figure as the result of a single name being spoken: Harry Potter.
The small, thin boy looked baffled by the sudden attention, especially when several witches and wizards began crowding around him just for the chance to shake his hand, or even touch him. He was, after all, the Boy who Lived. A celebrity because of something he couldn't even remember doing. But that small detail didn't seem to bother the crowd any.
Only one wizard in the inn seemed unimpressed by the boy. He was a tall, pale figure with glittering black eyes. He stood, seemingly unimportant, near the bar, wearing a hooded black cloak. As usual, the hood was up, casting shadow across much of his face. If it was to keep him unrecognizable, it failed, because in no time, the boy's huge companion, Rubeus Hagrid, steered Harry over to the cloaked man.
"Harry c'mere. This ere's one of your professors at Hogwarts. Professor Snape, sir, this is Harry Potter.
Severus Snape's lips twisted into what Harry assumed was supposed to be a smile. It looked more like a grimace.
Harry stretched out a hand, "Pleased to meet you, sir."
Snape didn't move, but instead observed Harry for a moment with his cold eyes. Finally he spoke. "So, the famous Mr. Potter is finally coming to Hogwarts. Has it already been eleven years? My, how time flies." His voice was smooth and as cold as ice.
Involuntarily, Harry shivered, withdrawing his hand.
Snape turned to Hagrid. "Keep an eye on him, Hagrid. We wouldn't Mr. Potter to fall into any dangerous circumstances, would we?"
"Of course, professor. Well, I'd best be getting' young Harry teh Diagon Alley. He still has his things teh buy." Hagrid steered Harry to the back door of the inn.
"He doesn't like me much," Harry murmured, rubbing his head. He suddenly had a headache.
"Oh, don' you worry about it. He acts that way with everyone. Always has. An' after his trip to Albania last summer, he's been even worse. It don' have nothin' teh do with you."
Harry glanced back at the cloaked professor, not so sure. The man was still staring at him. And if Harry could have seen Snape's eyes in the shadows, his fears would have been confirmed. Because it was with hatred that Snape watched the small boy leave the inn. Hatred for what Harry was, and for what he, himself, could never be.
Author's Note Number Two: As usual, I start with a short prologue, and promise longer chapters. However, not as usual, I must inform you that this story will not be updated for awhile. I promised to start it soon, so here it is, but as I worked on it, I realized that I really needed to reread the Philosopher's Stone if I wanted this to be anything worth reading. Please bear with me. This will be updated only when I find time to finish rereading that book. After that, it will probably be updated monthly. Sorry about that. I hate doing that, but I'd rather it go that way than give you anything less than my best!
On a happier note, please review this chapter. Reviews always help me write. Please consider reading my other fanfictions: my two short stories: "Standing Outside the Fire" and "Last Thoughts" (both contain book 5 spoilers) and my longer fanfiction Sirius Black and the Heir to Slytherin. They can be accessed from my bio page. The short stories are done and Heir is typically updated on Mondays at least once a month (more often when I can).
Finally, (and I promise this will be the last note on this HORRIBLY long author's note) please keep your eyes open for my new AU fanfiction, The Choices We Make. It's coming soon and will be updated at least once a month... And just so you don't worry, my author's notes are usually not this insanely long!
Happy reading and reviewing!