PART I

Chapter 3: A Short Detour

Diagon Alley looked exactly how Severus had always pictured it when his mother sat in his room on nights when he couldn't sleep and told him bed time stories about the wizarding world. In fact, the shy eleven year-old who infrequently ventured outside of the house thought this must be the most fantastic place he had ever been. He found himself forgetting to blink as he observed the environment—witches weighing bags of spices at the magical produce shop, warlocks inspecting bottles of ingredients to ensure their freshness, and venders at colorful kiosks peddling magical trinkets and treats.

For the first time in his life, Severus felt as if he were part of a world to which he actually belonged. Although he had been walking most of the day and his feet were beginning to ache, he was enjoying wandering amidst the crowd imagining how different his life would be once he learned to do proper magic. Eileen had been teaching her son basic spells ever since the day he could speak, but this simple knowledge had merely wet his appetite and fueled a yearning to learn everything there was to know about magic. His desire to learn as much as possible and observe everything in sight significantly hindered the pace of his mother as she hurried down the busy street.

She and Severus had already purchased most of the items listed as necessities for first years at Hogwarts. Severus had been fitted for a full set of school robes, selected a sturdy birch wand at Ollivanders, and visited the potions emporium (which he found particularly interesting) to pick out a cauldron, scales, and a set of glass phials of varying sizes. The only thing left to buy were his school books. Following his mother closely, Severus could see Flourish and Botts straight ahead, but instead of walking towards the bookstore, Eileen made a sharp right turn down a dark dingy alley.

"Mum, where are we going?" he asked quietly. "I need my books. They're the most important thing on the list!"

Eileen took hold of her son's hand and pulled him closer. "We'll be back that way, but I need to make a short detour. Now stay right beside me and don't look anyone straight in the eye."

Severus glanced around nervously and squeezed his mother's hand tighter as a small group of men in black cloaks whisked by them giving him an uneasy feeling. He looked up at the stained brick wall and noticed a tarnished metal sign indicating their location: Knockturn Alley.

Eileen led her son in twisting paths through the dark streets full of dodgy characters and stores specializing in the Dark Arts. Severus was relieved when they finally reached their destination, a rather large, but distinctly unwelcoming shop with a dark green exterior and tall dirty windows that were nearly opaque: Borgins and Burkes.

When they entered through the front door, they immediately noticed a little old man with a thatch of gray hair covering his eyes who stood at the counter wrapping something up for a hooded patron in long dark robes with his back turned towards them. Three men stood to the robed man's right with their arms crossed looking like bodyguards of some sort.

The little man handed his customer a package shaped like a dinner plate and looked at him a hint of trepidation in his eyes.

"Thank you for keeping this for me, Caracatus," said the man with his back still turned. His voice was soft, but cold and it made Severus shiver a little.

"Of course," replied the little man glancing suspiciously at the three cronies. "I don't suppose I should hold onto the idea that you might one day return here, Tom? Now that you have everything you need?"

The patron shook his head. "I have more important things to do. I thought I might be staying in the area for a while longer," he said resentfully, "but unfortunately Dumbledore does not see the benefit of having someone with my…abilities…at Hogwarts." He started to run around. "Oh, and Caracatus, they don't call me Tom anymore—"

"I know," said the little man, his voice shaking slightly.

The robed man nodded, turned, and snapped his fingers indicating to the three others to follow him. As he strode towards the doorway, Severus could barely make out the details of the man's face which was obscured by his hood. Through the dark shadows, he noticed a long face with slit-like nostrils and sharp eyes that, for split second, seemed to emit a strange red glow. The door rattled, swung shut, and the four figures were gone.

Severus stood staring at the doorway as his mother approached the counter. Although the small, quiet boy had been very frightened by the presence of the mysterious character and his gang, undoubtedly, he had also been intrigued.

"Mr. Burke, I sent an owl last month requesting a special item for my son," Eileen said quickly. She was tapping her fingers nervously on the counter and looked as she did not want to stay very long.

The little man nodded and reached under the counter producing a rickety wooden cage covered with a black silk cloth. "Here you are, Mrs. Snape."

"It's Prince again," Eileen corrected him. She motioned for Severus to come to her side. "Now," she said looking at him very seriously with her obsidian eyes which matched his own," I want you to understand that your classes are the most important thing, Severus. I know that you have the potential to be a very powerful wizard and I don't want anything to distract you from learning as much as you can. If someone is causing you trouble and you find it difficult to concentrate on your studies, you can use this to help redirect your focus. Tell it about whatever is bothering you and that thought, no matter how painful or distracting, will be temporarily removed from your mind. Do you understand?"

Severus nodded, wondering what was inside the cage.

"And you mustn't let anyone know you have one," warned Eileen. "They are banned by the Ministry so once you have arrived at Hogwarts, find a safe place to store it. It should be fairly easy to hide as it is not very noisy."

"Yes mum," Severus said obediently. He watched anxiously as his mother removed the black covering to reveal a tiny, blue speckled bird with an orange beak. The creature sat quietly on its perch with a rather blank expression on its face. "What is it?" asked Severus.

"It's a Jobberknoll," said Mr. Burke quietly, "a strange little bird that I had to special order from America. They are shy little things and they live their entire lives in silence until the moment of their death when they let out a long scream made up of every word they have ever heard regurgitated backwards. You can tell them things and they will hold them for you until the day they die."

"Why are they banned then?" asked Severus wondering how such a harmless-looking thing could cause the Ministry of Magic any concern.

"Some wizards have come to rely too much upon the Jobberknoll and have developed a sort of addiction," explained Eileen. "Bottling up their feelings, they become a shell of a person and lose the ability to interact with others. The Jobberknoll becomes so overwhelmed that it dies any early death."

"But you needn't worry about that with this one," interjected Burke. "I have a very reliable breeder and it has never been used before. It's completely blank right now."

Eileen continued. "Feel free to use it when you need it. All you have to do is whisper to it about what is troubling you and it will bare the burden of that thought for you for the rest of its life. You must keep it a secret however. Although the feathers are legally sold for use in truth and memory potions, they are highly regulated and only certified keepers are allowed to keep the animals as pets. But, I trust you are mature enough to use one correctly, Severus."

She handed him the little cage. He peeked through the bars at the silent little creature that looked back at him with empty eyes.

"Hmmm," said Severus thoughtfully. "I think I will call him Botry."