The Half-Blood Prince: Year One
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. However, I do own my original characters used in this Fanfiction.
Chapter One: Diagon Alley
July 31 was officially one of the happiest days in the life of Severus Snape. It was the day he got his acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He didn't want to ask his father to take him to Diagon Alley, so he decided to get all of his supplies by mail. It was only when he went back to his bedroom that he realized that this would not work.
He needed a wand.
With a sigh, Severus got back off of his bed, and walked down the hallway to his father's study. He knocked, and waited for his father's gruff voice to answer.
"Come in," said Tobias. Severus opened the door, and stepped inside. "What is it?"
"I need to go to London," explained Severus. "For my school supplies." His father remained silent, and for a moment Severus thought he was going to refuse.
"If it weren't for your mother I wouldn't even let you go to this school," sighed Tobias. Then he added: "I'll take you next week." Severus nodded, and walked out. He didn't like saying more to his father than was necessary, after not having talked to him for a year.
True to his word, Tobias drove Severus to London the next week. Severus knew he would have no trouble getting to Diagon Alley, since his mother had told him long ago how to get in.
He had his father drop him off in front of the Leaky Cauldron (which he couldn't see).
"Be here at five o' clock," ordered Tobias as Severs got out of the car. Before he could respond, his father drove off.
The first place he visited was Gringotts. He had been getting money by owl for years (he used a special password, written in code so he didn't have to send them the key every time), but he wanted to see Gringotts for himself.
He read the poem on the door, and smiled to himself. These goblins had no idea how to be intimidating.
He was in and out of Gringotts quickly, with a bag full of wizard money in the pocket of his jeans. He decided to do the things he knew most about first: Potions and then books. He went into the Apothecary for Potions ingredients (he smiled to himself when the witch at the counter seemed puzzled when he didn't buy a cauldron), and then into Flourish and Blott's bookstore. He bought all of the books he needed to (The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Gawshawk, A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot, A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch, Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger, and The Dark Arts by Brandon Shores) there, and then visited Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. There he was fitted and given his black Hogwarts robes.
Then he only had one stop left to make: Olivander's.
He smiled slightly as he walked into the shop. This was what he had wanted since he was seven years old—a wand.
There was no one in sight when he walked in. "Hello?" called Severus.
Suddenly a white haired man walked out from behind a large shelf where boxes were stacked.
"Which is your wand arm?" he asked.
"Left," answered Severus.
"Hm…." the man murmured. "What wand to give you?" He walked down another row of shelves, and picked out a box. Opening it, Severus saw that a light brown wand lay inside.
"Well? Try it," said the man (Severus assumed that this was Olivander, the owner of the store). He took it from the box and waved it; several boxes fell off of the shelves.
"No, no…" murmured Olivander. He gave Severus another wand to try. Only a moment after he grabbed it from the box, Olivander took it away.
"Try this." Another rejected wand.
The pile of tried wands was growing larger. Instead of becoming irritated, as Severus would have expected, Olivander grew more excited.
"Ebony and dragon heartstring, an unusual combination," said Olivander, handing him a black wand. "Eleven inches." Severus waved it, and stars appeared. Olivander seemed even more pleased. He was smiling broadly.
As he paid for his wand, Olivander asked, "Did either of your parents ever buy a wand here?" He nodded.
"My mother, Eileen Prince," answered Severus. He nearly said "Eileen Snape" but realized that this man would most likely not know her by that name.
Olivander was nodding. "She was a difficult customer as well. Yew and phoenix feather, twelve inches." If he knew about what had happened to her, he didn't say anything.
Severus wondered how on earth he remembered that, and left the store. Glancing at the watch on his wrist, he saw that it was four thirty. He still had half an hour left.
Walking back down the street, he looked around at the shops. He suddenly became even paler as he spotted a store called "Quality Quidditch Supplies". There were broomsticks.
He walked away quickly. Severus had sworn to himself long ago that he would never fly if he could help it; he was terribly afraid of heights.
He stopped for a moment, noticing a small alleyway that seemed to lead to another, slightly less crowded row of shops. The sign above it read Knockturn Alley.
Severus smiled and began to walk down the alley towards the shops. So this was the place he'd been buying things from all these years.
"Watch yerself now," said a deep voice from behind him. Severus turned, and his eyes widened in surprise.
The man that was talking to him was twice as tall as any normal man, and he had hands the size of dustbin lids. He spoke through a long, tangled black beard.
"Yeh don wanna be goin' down in ter Knockturn Alley," the man said calmly, completely unaware of Severus's reaction to him. The man kept on talking, and Severus was able to slip away after a few minutes. He hoped never to see that strange man again.
He saw that it was only fifteen minutes until five o' clock. He might as well head back now. With a sigh, Severus made his way back to the Leaky Cauldron. His day in Diagon Alley had been one of the best he'd had since his mother had died.
When he came out of Diagon Alley, he saw his father's car instantly. Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was exactly five o' clock.
"Put it in the back," was all that Tobias said to his son before beginning the drive home. Severus stared out of the window, watching the city disappear around them as they drove back into the country. When they were nearly there, his father asked, "How will you be getting to school?"
"We take a train from Kings Cross on September first," answered Severus.
"I suppose you'd like me to drive you there?" Tobias said. Severus merely nodded. "Fine."
As soon as Severus got home, he took his new things to his room. He put his things into the black trunk that had his initials printed on them in gold. He wondered for a moment where it had come from, and then decided he didn't care.
Severus had read all of the school books by the time the first came. He had already known most everything in Magical Drafts and Potions, and he already knew everything in the Transfiguration books. He hoped he wouldn't be bored when he got there.
They left at eight o' clock, arriving at Kings Cross at ten thirty. Severus got out without a word to his father, put his trunk on a trolley, and didn't look back as Tobias Snape drove away.