Summary: Harry knew he shouldn't have left Hagrid's side when they left Gringotts. What if our young hero took a different turn into Knocturn Ally and this brings him onto an entirely different path…Just who will be there for our new Slytherin Harry Potter?

AN – I'd just like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for reading my story. I am very new to this kind of story, but it is one of my ultimate favourites to read. As always, constructive criticism is always welcome, and if you really enjoyed it then please do not hesitate to leave a review.

XOXOXOX

Chapter One – A Different Path

Harry's head was still spinning, and not just from the wild and vigorous ride he'd just endured on the tracks within the vaults beneath Gringotts Bank. Everything seemed so surreal to him; the strange and solemn looks on the grizzly faces of the goblins, the archaic and antiquated long robes of other busy shoppers and the Gaelic, almost overly extravagant store windows. He simply walked slowly down the cobbled street, his green eyes wide behind wire framed glasses and his mouth agape with surprise and amazement.

He tried to remember Hagrid's words as the left the marble pillared bank, his hulking frame unsteady on his feet and the skin beneath his large, bushy beard tinged with green.

"Jus' keep to the Ally Harry, yeh carn't go wrong there," he'd said, followed by a pat to Harry's shoulder (a pat which felt, to Harry, as though his shoulder had been disjointed!).

Harry tried to follow the older man's advice, but the thin Ally was extremely busy. There were witches and Wizards of all ages, shapes and sizes who were either walking, running (some even skipping) in and out of different stores. Harry, with his small and skinny stature, almost struggled to see over their pointed hats to find the names of the stores.

As he meandered down the Ally, he noticed a small, darkened entry way. He stopped and peered down the dark opening, noticing with satisfaction that the Ally beyond was a lot quieter with a lot less witches and wizards. He took another sheepish look at the busyness of Diagon Ally, gathered his courage and stepped through the entry way.

He quickly took a deep breath of relief as the uncomfortable feeling of being surrounded suddenly left him. He smiled to himself as he quietly made his way down the darkened, cobbled street. He peered at the shop fronts and noticed immediately the different from Diagon Ally and its neighbour.

The shops on Diagon Ally were extremely colourful and brightly lit. To Harry, they reminded him of the shop windows on the high street at Christmas time. He grimaced; they were a bit too cheerful for his taste.

The stores on this Ally were much darker, and a lot more straight forward, he thought. They advertised what they sold and didn't really make a big song and dance about it.

He stopped suddenly and buried his hand into his pocket in order to retrieve the letter that Hagrid had handed him that morning. Straightening out the crinkled parchment he peered at the cursive writing, memorising the list of things he needed.

"Cauldron…and potions ingredients," he whispered to himself, glancing up to gage the Ally. To his left, he spotted a clean glass window (the cleanest on the Ally) with stacks of cauldrons of all different shapes and sizes lined up on the sill.

Trapping his bottom lip between his teeth, he cautiously approached the shop door. Gripping the handle tight within his fingers he gave the aging wood a firm push, swallowing nervously as he heard the tinkle of the bell announcing his arrival.

He peered silently into the dark shop, immediately noticing the jars lined up on the black shelving. He stepped inside the shop to take a closer look, his eyes brightening in interest at the different ingredients.

"Can I help you?" a cold, feminine voice asked; forcing him to flinch involuntarily in surprise. He glanced up the nearest isle and spotted a dark haired witch, stood with her arms crossed across her chest and a dark brow raised in question.

Upon further inspection, Harry noticed that her dark hair was littered with stray grey hairs. Her eyes were oval shaped and extremely dark, almost black is Harry were to hazard a guess. She was extremely slender; in fact most of her features could be described as 'thin'; from her thin brows, her thin lips all the way down to her slender figure. He also noticed, with some trepidation, that she was gazing at him with a barely hidden scowl. He swallowed past his nervousness and offered her a small smile.

"I'm here to buy a Cauldron and some ingredients for Hogwarts, Ma'am," he said softly. Her brow rose into her greying hair as she eyed him carefully. She then cleared her throat and stepped forward, holding a long fingered hand out for the letter clutched within his fist.

As she took the letter she reached into a pocket within her voluminous robes and pulled out a dark set of glasses. Setting them on the end of her nose she inspected the letter. After a moment or two, she turned her dark gaze back to Harry.

"I don't usually get Hogwarts students in my shop," she said quietly. "Where are you parents?" she asked curiously. Harry felt his cheeks flame in embarrassment and he lowered his eyes from her probing gaze, choosing to stare at the stone floor.

"My Parents are no longer alive, Ma'am," he said quietly. The older woman tutted and swished past him, eying the cauldrons in the window critically.

"Your guardians then?" she asked passively, deciding on the recommended size for him. She took hold of the cauldron and gracefully placed it within his pale hands. He grimaced at her question.

"My guardians are….um, muggles Ma'am. At least I believe that is the correct term," he explained politely. She stopped for a moment and eyed him with the same probing gaze.

"You would not be the first muggleborn student to have brought their muggle parents to Diagon Ally, and by extension Knocturn Ally," she told him, sweeping past him to peruse the shelves. He watched her silently for a moment as she conjured several smaller jars in which to hold the different ingredients in, all seemingly without a wand in her hand.

"My family wouldn't step within an inch of this place Ma'am," he told her. She stopped and landed him with an unreadable gaze.

"There are many who would not step foot in Knocturn Ally, boy," she said quietly. "It is not the most popular place within the Wizarding World."

Harry quickly followed her as she made her way deeper into the shop. He winced internally as he heard his previous sentence within his mind and quickly sought to rectify his words, lest he offend her further.

"They wouldn't come into the Wizarding World Ma'am," he said pointedly. "They despise anything magical. They've made that very clear," he told her absently, his face turning into an unhidden scowl of anger as he thought of his Muggle family and of what they had kept from him.

The shop keeper stopped and eyed him with the same unreadable expression. Harry almost thought he could detect a measure of compassion in her eyes as she looked upon him. She then quickly turned away, retuning to collecting his ingredients.

"Most Muggles do not understand the intricacies of the Magical World; this is why they choose to find it unacceptable. Sometimes, unforgivingly so," she told him, a dark hint of understanding to her tone. Harry noticed and watched her questioningly, but decided against asking; he knew better than to ask questions that he ought not to ask.

"If you are not here with your guardians; then who are you here with? Surely they would not allow you to roam the street and buy your supplies by yourself?" she asked him. Harry shook his head silently before remembering to answer.

"No, I was brought by a man called Hagrid…a very tall man in fact," he explained, almost in an unbelieving tone. The woman gave a thin smile as she returned to him, placing the many jars carefully into his cauldron.

"Rubeus Hagrid I presume?" she asked. At his nod she continued. "Yes, I remember the gentleman very well. I believe he was once a Gryffindor though at the time that I attended Hogwarts in my first year he was known as the school's gamekeeper. I was a Slytherin myself," she explained. At his blank look she raised another questioning brow. "Surely he has explained the school houses to you?" she asked him.

Harry shook his head.

"No, sorry Ma'am. I only know that I am a wizard and that I have been invited to attend Hogwarts to learn magic," he explained quietly. The woman huffed and thought for a moment. Suddenly, an idea seemed to come to her. She placed a surprisingly warm hand on Harry's shoulder and led him towards the counter.

"Place your cauldron on the counter. I shall ring up your items and then I will take you back to the main Ally. Knocturn Ally is no place for a young Wizard. I will ensure that you are placed back into the care of your friend and ensure he knows to help you collect the rest of your items," she explained to him. Harry gave a grateful smile and dug into his pocket for the velvet bag of gold coins that Hagrid had given him earlier.

Once the exchange had been made, the woman reached into the doorway that lead into a back room and pulled out a dark navy cloak. She wrapped the cloak around her thin shoulders and placed the warm hand back onto Harry's shoulder, leading him from the shop.

As soon as they stepped out of the shop, the witch turned for a moment and tapped her fingers on the handle of the door. Harry stared with wide eyes as he heard the sound of the lock slide shut; he grinned, Magic was amazing! He turned and her warm hand was back on his shoulder. Harry felt strangely comforted by her presence, especially as several of the people frequenting Knocturn Ally were certainly of a questionable nature.

As they made their way back up to the hustle and bustle that was Diagon Ally, Harry remembered his manners.

"Thank you for your help Ma'am, I really appreciate it," he said to her.

The lady gave him her thin lipped smile and gave him a small pat on the head.

"I had a boy once. I know that lad's your age tend to get into all sorts of trouble if and when they can. I'm sure you'll do me the honour of ensuring your trouble is kept to a bare minimum, hmm?" she asked him, almost playfully as she led him back to the Leaky Cauldron. Harry gave her a grin which brightened his green eyes. As she removed her hand from his head, a small gust of wind shuffled his impossibly messy hair and her eyes came to rest on the lightning bolt scar that he'd had for as long as he could remember.

"I promise," he said quietly. He chose that moment to meet her dark gaze with his own, and watched as her eyes flit backwards and forwards as they looked carefully into his eyes. He thought he saw some form of recognition light within her eyes but it was soon covered as she turned to lead him through the busy shoppers.

As they neared the pub's back door; the large bulky frame of Hogwarts's gamekeeper squeezed through the entrance to the Ally. His small eyes spotted the dark haired boy immediately, and then came to rest on the thin woman beside him.

As Hagrid approached he quickly took Harry's arm and pulled him to his side, causing him to stumble.

"Prince," he said shortly. Harry looked up in surprise at the coldness in the usually jovial man as he stared at the dark haired woman. The lady gave the older man a thin smirk.

"Not for some time now, Hagrid. I found the boy loitering about in Knocturn Ally and brought him promptly back to your care. I'm sure you agree that some boys shouldn't be left out of sight," she said to him pointedly.

Harry watched the tense exchange between Hagrid and the shop keeper with keen interest, surprised by the look of indignation that Hagrid gave the women.

"You leave me to my job Prince, and skulk back off to yours. It's what you're good at, after all," he said. The woman scoffed but chose to ignore him, instead meeting the questioning gaze of the younger boy.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Mr Potter. I do so hope that you enjoy Hogwarts. Remember, always keep an open mind, some people are too quick to judge and become prejudiced for the wrong reasons," she directed the last part of her advice to the taller man.

Harry gave her a small smile and a nod.

"I will do, thanks again for your help Ma'am," he said quietly. The woman nodded back and turned swiftly on the spot, making her way directly back towards Knocturn Ally. Harry watched her go with a sigh.

As Hagrid began to lead him back down Diagon Ally a sudden thought struck Harry; how did she know my name?

XOXOXOX

Eileen sighed wistfully as she waved her hand back over the black handle of her shop door. It had been a long time since she'd had the pleasure of speaking to a boy so full of life and excitement for the upcoming school year.

The only customers who tended to frequent her little shop were wizards and witches of a darker nature who came in for ingredients that they would be unable to get in 'normal' shops. She travelled far and wide for the ingredients that she provided, and she was paid a pretty Knut for it as well.

As she settled herself behind the counter, she shrugged off her cloak and sent it flying back into the backroom of the shop. The shop had been hers for a little over ten years, a little shop that she took her utmost pride in. As a school girl, Professor Slughorn had often commented on her remarkable ability for producing high quality potions and for cultivating her ingredients in the best possible way.

Had she used her intelligence at the time she'd left Hogwarts, she might have secured herself a successful potions apprenticeship. As it was, she foolishly decided to follow her heart over her mind, and landed herself in a dark and depressing place.

Of course, Eileen could never say that she was ever seen as the most beautiful witch in her year at Hogwarts. Her Professors often commented on her quiet and brooding disposition, and remarked that although she would not be a leader within the magical world her magic was powerful enough to support her through her married and professional life. She had even received a special award from her Head of House, Professor Slughorn, for her experimentation within potions and was recommended to the best of Potions Masters for an honorary apprenticeship.

Her family was an old Pureblooded family who were once highly regarded within the Wizarding World. That was until her Grandfather allied himself with the dark Wizard Grindlewald. All of their family funds went into his cause for power, and as he fell as did their fortune and their reputation. At the time that she was a girl, the Prince family were not well known for their wealth or their power within the Pureblooded world. However, they were certainly well known for their distaste of anything Muggle. Augustus Prince; her elderly Father and the head of the Prince family, did not hesitate in turning his nose up at the nearest Muggle that roamed past their shabby estate. This, he attempted to instil into his Eileen and her younger sister Katherine.

Her heart clenched as she thought of the younger, blonde haired girl. As sisters, she and Katherine were extremely close during their younger years. They had made childish promises to care for one another and to be there if the other needed assistance.

She hadn't heard from her sister, and certainly hadn't even attempted to get in touch with her for over thirty years. She'd thought she'd known better and she'd assumed that life was much better away from the tight constraints of her Father's strict rules.

And at first it was.

Tobias Snape was five years her senior, had thick brown hair and the most mesmerising green eyes. He had passed their estate with several of his friends, catching her eye as she watched him silently through the dark gates. He offered her a boyish wink as he jauntily walked past, and her heart was captured in an instance. She waited several moments before she decided to transfigure her clothes into that of a muggle, hid her wand beneath her blouse and slipped through the iron gates. She followed him and his friends down the road as they laughed gaily with one another. Once or twice, he turned to look over his shoulder and their eyes met.

Eventually, he stopped to look at her properly, a warm smile sat on his lips. She stopped nervously as he watched her quietly.

"Are you ok Love?" he asked. Eileen started slightly at his accent. It had been imprinted in her from a very young age how her Father had expected her to speak and act. Although they lived five miles from a northern town, he expected nothing less than perfection. Tobias' accent, on the other hand, was very relaxed and warm. It brought butterflies to her stomach and caused her heart to beat faster within her chest. She parted her suddenly dry lips and let out a sigh of nervousness.

"I…I am well, thank you," she said quietly, with a polite nod of her head. Tobias gestured for his friends to continue without him and turned to walk back to her side.

"I couldn't help notice that you lived in that fancy house a few mile back," he said, "What's brought you out here?" he asked. Eileen swallowed her nerves and gave a small smile.

"I suppose I was curious. Today is my 18th birthday, and I have yet to see the neighbouring town or its occupants," she explained. Tobias raised a dark brow as he watched her. She felt a blush creep up her neck. He then grinned and pointed in the direction of his friends.

"See that town up there?" he asked. Eileen looked to the direction he had pointed and spotted the dark buildings and the rising smoke in the distance, she nodded. "That there's Cokeworth. Plenty of working men's clubs there where you can celebrate your birthday."

To Eileen, Cokeworth sounded forbidden, it sounded exciting. She stared at the landscape in the distance for a short moment before turning back to the young man at her side.

"I would like to see this Cokeworth," she said quietly, looking up at him through her lashes. "Would you perhaps mind escorting me?"

Tobias grinned and made a show of offering her his arm. She smiled and slipped her arm through his and he led her away.

"S'long as you don't mind hanging about with a couple of the lads," he told her. Eileen shook her head silently. He let out a barking laugh. "Then it's settled then. My name's Tobias by the way."

She smiled as a thrill of excitement tingled up her spine. "My name is Eileen."

Months later, Eileen found herself sat in the warm lounge of Tobias' old fashioned brick house of Spinners end, with a hand sat comfortingly on her swelling stomach and a crocheted blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She smiled as her new husband danced around the half-dressed Christmas tree that stood in the corner of the room, a blue can of beer in one hand and a Christmas bauble in the other.

"Where abouts should we put this one Love?" he asked, standing back to admire his work whilst he took a mouthful of beer. Eileen smiled warmly as she inspected the tree.

"Perhaps on the opposite side darling," she murmured as she rubbed her pregnant stomach lovingly. He looked in her direction and smiled warmly at her.

"Little beggar causing you some trouble love?" he asked. Eileen grinned.

"When isn't he causing trouble?" she asked. Tobias laughed and turned back to continue dressing the tree.

At that moment, Eileen would have said that it was the best moment of her young life. She was free of her Father's stern ruling, she was hopelessly and deeply in love with her new husband and they were expecting their first child together. Yes, she did admit to herself that it had all happened ever so fast, but she couldn't imagine her life with anyone but Tobias.

Thinking of Tobias made her stomach churn with resentment and with anger. When she'd told the lad that some muggles didn't appreciate the intricacy of wielding magic; she'd told him out of experience. Some muggles could accept the differences. Most muggles, like Tobias, feared magic and what it could do to them. Fear often turned to anger, and anger then led to hate.

Her top lip curled in distaste; Tobias Snape hated magic and hated the fact that his wife and their son could wield it.

When Severus had been born, Tobias lamented that none of his Son's features resembled his own. Eileen explained that the boy had taken more of the Prince features; Her Father's strong jaw, her mother's high cheekbones and her Grandfathers regal nose. Although Severus did not have many (if any) of his father's features, Tobias was ever the attentive Father. He loved his son dearly and his wife for giving him to him.

It was only when, years later, after Tobias had been made redundant from his work at the town mill and Severus began to show signs of magic, that Tobias' true self became known. In all honesty, he resented his young family, he resented that they held special abilities.

She began to notice, on the odd occasion when Severus was feeling upset, angry or scared, that strange things began to happen around him. On one occasion, when his father raised a hand to her, a strange force came from within him and pushed the older man away from her. Tobias gave his wife a look of unexplained fear, but was surprised to find her staring at their son with undisguised revelation.

"What did he do?" he asked sharply. Eileen turned her dark eyes to her husband and hesitated. She took a deep breath.

"He performed accidental magic," she explained quietly. Tobias frowned.

"Magic? What the bloody hell are you going on about woman?" he shouted. Eileen stepped to Severus' side and wrapped a long arm around his shoulder, pulling him to her in a rare hug.

"Our Son is a Wizard. He takes after his Mother," she told him proudly.

She often chose to stand as a buffer between her husband and her son as he grew up. Tobias had been hell bent with beating the magic out of the boy, and she refused to allow that to happen.

One evening, when their shouting had finally abated, Eileen entered her Son's room gingerly and took a seat on his bed. He looked her over with similar dark eyes, noticing the darkening bruise around her eye and the small cut upon her lip.

"Did he get you again Mum?" he'd asked her. Eileen inhaled sharply and straightened her back. She then turned to her boy.

"You are to refer to me as Mother from this point forward Severus, Is that clear?" she asked. Severus had thought that her voice was funny, because he grinned and released a small laugh. He stopped when he was met with his mother's stern glare.

"But why Mum…I mean, Mother?" he asked, stumbling over the formal word. Eileen allowed herself a small smile.

"Your Father has buried us down a slope that I cannot hope to climb from, but there is hope for you Severus. You can become someone of high standing. I have never seen anyone perform accidental magic as powerful to push a full grown man across the room, such as the magic that you have just displayed. That is special Son, and you should be proud of it. When you enter the Wizarding World upon your 11th Birthday, you will do so with the etiquette and lessons that I received as a girl," she explained to him. Severus hadn't understood but agreed with his Mother all the same, anything to stay away from his Father when he was angry.

By the time that Severus had turned nine, he was well acquainted with the way of the Magical World. His Mother had taught him how to brew potions, one of the many aspects of magic that she excelled at. She showed him several spells (when his Father was not around) all of which he memorised and promised to practise once he'd started Hogwarts. She also taught him about the Prince family, discussing with him his relatives. He even fashioned a nickname for himself, laughing when he said, "You know Mother this means that I am the Half-Blood Prince." It was one of the rarer moments that he'd seen his mother smile.

For every spiteful word his Father gave to Severus, Eileen attempted to give love and care. For every slap that was landed on the boy's backside, she would offer her affection. Nine times out of ten, Severus would shun the affection, his Father's hatred causing him to become bitter. On the odd occasion, Severus would snuggle into his Mother's side, seeking the motherly warmth that only she could provide.

It was one of her most painful regrets that she could not provide a safe and fully loving environment for her son.

This is why, as she sat in contemplation on the stool behind her counter, she came to the realisation that the boy she had just met; the polite and extremely well-mannered boy was set on the same path as her son.

She'd known that he was Harry Potter, as soon as she'd spotted the lightning bolt scar upon his forehead. She was surprised, however, to find little resemblance to James Potter as she'd first imagined. She'd listed intently as her son lamented over his childhood bully, even well into adulthood. She never heard the end of it when the announcement came out in the Daily Prophet that James and Lily Potter were expecting their first child.

She'd simply patted him on the back and bit her tongue to stop the snide comment of, "I told you so," passing her lips.

In fact, the boy looked absolutely nothing like James Potter. Of course, she was sure she could see some features of the Evans girl within the boy. Particularly within his chin and nose, but her thoughts continued to return to his eyes and the height of his cheekbones. She sighed heavily and shook her head, thinking of the boy's predicament.

He was indeed entirely too skinny, and very short. Something she had not expected to find in the 'Boy Who Lived'. As soon as the boy had met her gaze with blind trust, and had uttered the words about his relatives; she carefully legelimised him. She found brief flashes of a dark cupboard; she felt the longing as a memory of a plate of food was placed before a fat boy instead of him. She felt anger build within her as she thought of the little neglect that she'd witnessed.

"It can't happen to another little one…not again. Especially not to one who may be-" she stopped herself suddenly, shaking her head. No, it wouldn't do to make assumptions until she knew for sure.

She stood resolutely, waving her hand at the door. She watched in satisfaction as the 'Open' sign flipped to show that her shop was closed. She made her way into the back store room and over to the ornate fireplace. On the mantel of the fireplace there was a small black wooden box with glittering powder nestled inside.

Taking a handful of the powder, she threw it into the fire and watched as the orange flames turned a bright fluorescent green.

"Severus Snape's Office, Hogwarts."