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 – Here's Chapter 2! Thank you for your time and for your reviews – They are greatly appreciated!

Chapter 2 – Recognition and Revelation

"I don't think I'm hearing you correctly Mother."

Severus Snape stared at the older woman in shock as she paced to and fro. Eileen sighed loudly and scowled at her son.

In her haste, she realised that she could have possibly worded her revelation a little better. She had simply drawn Severus into her back room within her shop, sat him down and told him her theory.

"It's very simple Severus. I believe that Harry Potter is your biological son" she explained, slowly as if she was speaking to a child. Severus shook his head incredulously.

"Mother, this is ridiculous! You've announced this to me without one single shred of evidence!" he shouted. "You do realise that people are talking about you. About how you live here alone, unmarried with an adult son! I wonder if your madness is starting to show through!"

Eileen snorted in a rather unladylike manner and waved off his words.

"If you'd rather I told the nosy busybodies that I was married to a muggle who abused both my son and I then I will very well advertise it in my shop window!" she told him sternly. "And in regards to my proof, well that lies with the boy."

Severus frowned in confusion.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked. Eileen rolled her eyes.

"His eyes Severus. They are the exact shade and shape of…his," she told him with a grim expression. Severus was silent for a moment before he shook his head.

"I met the boy as a baby. He has her eyes…Lily's." His words faltered and his heart broke all over again as he thought of his best friend, the woman who he'd loved ever since they'd met as children.

When his Parents found themselves in the middle of a raging argument, Severus often took himself out the way, and roamed the streets of Spinners End. At the end of his cul-de-sac, there was a small break in the wall which led to a bridge across the stream which ran through the centre of Cokeworth. On the opposite side of the stream, there was a tall hedge, and beyond this a park. Severus often found himself sat in the hedge, hidden from the gaze of others, and watching the muggle children play together.

This was one of the first and brightest moments that Severus remembered fondly from his younger years. There was a particular set of sisters who lived just a ways up from the small park, who often came together to play on the swings. The younger sister; who had long dark red hair, laughed and played loudly. Her shouts and screams would often catch Severus' attention as she swung with wild abandon on the swings, much to her sister's consternation. It brought a small smile to his lips to see her playing so happily.

"Tuney! Tuney, watch this! Bet you can't do this!" she exclaimed as she launched herself from the swings.

"Lily! You're going to get hurt!" 'Tuney' squealed. Severus could only watch with his mouth agape as the young red haired girl fell slowly to the floor, almost floating safely back to the ground. She landed and giggled to her sister, opening her arms.

"See, I'm fine! Not a scratch on me!" she exclaimed. Her sister did not see the good in this and turned swiftly to the Iron Gate to the park.

"I'm telling Mummy that you did it again Lily! You're such a freak!" she screamed, before she stormed away from the park. Lily, who'd watched her Sister storm away, held a sad expression and she slumped to her knees in defeat.

Severus couldn't say what made him do it, but he suddenly found himself stepping through the hedge and slowly making his way to her side. He noticed the tears that had slid down her cheeks and rubbed his neck awkwardly.

"I know how you did that," he murmured, causing her to jump. She stood quickly and watched him hesitantly.

"What do you mean?" she asked. He gestured to the swings.

"I know how you fell so slowly. It was magic; you must be a witch," he said matter-of-factly. Her emerald eyes lit up in shock and intrigue then suddenly flew to anger.

"I'm not a witch!" she exclaimed suddenly, folding her arms across her chest. "That's very rude of you to say!"

Severus frowned.

"It's not a bad thing. After all, my Mother is a Witch," he explained. "And I am a Wizard."

Lily eyed him cautiously, her expression showing doubt in his explanation. Severus rolled his eyes and bent down, plucking an unfolded daisy from the grass. "Here, watch this."

He concentrated and suddenly the petals of the daisy began to open and flourish beautifully. Her green eyes widened in shock and amazement as she leant forward to inspect the flower.

"That was magic?" she asked in a whisper. Severus smiled.

"That is only the beginning."

He and Lily had spent many a summers' day at the small pond that sat within the park, discussing magic and Hogwarts. They had agreed that once they started Hogwarts they would remain best friends. It lightened Severus' heart, and almost made him forget about the darkness caused by his Father.

One day, his Mother came down from her room and stopped him before he could leave the house. She reached inside his overly large jacket and withdrew the potions book that he had attempted to sneak out of the house to show his friend.

"I have asked that these books remain here Severus," she told him. Severus explained about his new friend, hoping his Mother would allow him to show Lily more that the Wizarding World had to offer. Instead, Eileen recoiled back from the idea.

"Must you repeat my mistakes Severus? Look at your Father! Muggles cannot be trusted! I only wish I had listened to my Father when he gave me the same lesson," she spat at him, eyeing the door to the lounge. Severus scowled and crossed his arms in an act of defiance.

"Lily isn't a Muggle, Mother, she's a witch and she's my best friend!" he exclaimed. Eileen suddenly took hold of his ear and sharply drew him towards her.

"You will keep your voice down, if you know what is good for you," she whispered sharply. "I have stood as a barrier between you and your Father for many years but if he hears you utter that word whilst his is in the house I cannot stand in the way forever. That girl is going to get you into trouble Severus, mark my words."

Severus never forgot the words his Mother spoke to him, but rather chose to ignore them. When he was with Lily he simply forgot who he really was and where he came from.

Even in Hogwarts, when he was bullied endlessly by the Gryffindors and tormented by his fellow housemates because of his blood status, Lily remained the bright light that kept him going. She was strong willed, and loyal to the end. It came to no surprise, when she refused to speak to him after he called her a 'Mudblood'. Teenage angst coupled with the daily torment from the Maurauders caused him to foolishly act like his Father for one brief moment, and his light was suddenly gone. Lily would not speak to him and she refused to acknowledge him.

"I don't need any help, especially from a filthy Mudblood!"

Apart from occasionally crossing words within Order meetings, that was the last time that he and Lily would ever speak. When he'd delivered half of the damned prophecy to the Dark Lord and he'd announced that Lily Potter was to become a target, he begged for her life.

October 31st 1981 was the darkest day of his life. He'd felt the mark physically lighted and had stared at it with a mixture of relief and trepidation. He wondered who it was that was brave enough to take down the Dark Lord; then sudden realisation froze his stomach. He paled and quickly ran from his dungeon quarters, running as though the very hounds of Hell were at his feet.

As soon as he reached the gates of Hogwarts he picked the quaint little cottage within Godric's Hollow that served as the Potter's home. As he arrived he blanched at the billowing smoke that rose steadily from the gaping hole in the thatched roof. The front door was hanging wide open, almost blown from its hinges.

He stepped into the hallway and noticed the proof of a battle. Dark scorch marks littered the walls and furniture was strewn across the floor haphazardly. He turned towards the stairs and stopped as he found the still body of his school nemesis, James Potter.

His emotions felt torn. The childish side of him, who completely resented the man before him for his childhood bullying cheered in triumph as he inspected the dead body. The war torn side of Severus, the side that had seen death and mutilation quivered in revolt and wept in sorrow. James Potter, though all his faults, died protecting his family.

Fear suddenly struck his system as he peered up the stairs, almost too scared to see the devastation that awaited him. He took a deep breath and stole himself as he stepped passed the limp body of the dark haired man and up the stairs.

He rounded the corner, to the small room at the end of the short hallway and held his breath as he pushed on the broken door. What he found made him collapse against the wall in horror.

"Lily," he whispered brokenly as he fell into the small room. Wind howled around the room from the gaping hole in the roof. The pale green walls were scorched horrendously with black marks. The black robes of the Dark Lord lay strewn on the floor and Severus thought he could hear the terrified cries of a baby.

Severus' eyes were fixated on the shock of auburn hair that was thrown across a pale and unmoving face. He collapsed to his knees and crawled across the white carpet, lifting trembling hands hesitantly to the body. As he brushed the hair aside he keened in horror as he met the dull gaze of the woman he loved.

Tears fell from his eyes as he scrunched up his face in pain. His heart throbbed painfully in his chest, he was sure that he felt it break. His arms moved of their own volition, pulling her body into his arms and cradling her against his chest as he cried inhumane sobs into her hair.

He'd never thought he'd felt pain like he'd felt on that night. His heart felt like someone had grasped it tightly within his chest and ripped it out of his body. His occlumency shields, the same shields that he'd worked endlessly to perfect, shattered without pause and his emotions swarmed ruthlessly around his head with unbidden fury.

He didn't know how long he sat there, just holding her. It felt like an age before the sound of the baby's cries rang loudly in his ears. He lifted his head and looked across the room, meeting the vibrant green eyes of the boy; her son Harry. His heart clinched painfully again as he met his eyes; eyes so much like his mother.

He had to look away. He ignored the child and instead gave a look of sorrow to the young woman in his arms.

"I'm sorry Lily," he whispered through a thick throat. He lifted a pale hand and gently closed her eyes, she then looked in peace.

He'd fled the house after that. He'd given one last look to the crying boy with the bloody forehead, his little arms flailing up at him; as though asking for him to pick him up. A part of him would have liked to have thought that he'd have comforted the child in that moment; however the roaring sound of a motorbike startled him and he quickly apparated out of the room and back to Hogwarts.

Severus sighed as the memories slipped unwillingly through his mind. He shook his head and concentrated on lifting his occlumency protections back into place. He turned back to his Mother with a look of resolution.

"The boy cannot be mine, Mother," he explained calmly. "Lily and I were never…intimate."

Eileen sighed wearily. She walked over to the worn desk in the corner of the room, opened up the top drawer and withdrew an old book. As she rested the spine of the book in her left hand she used her right to flick through the yellowed pages until her finger came to a stop on one particular page.

"There's more than one way to make a child, Son. Perhaps the Potter boy was unable to satisfactorily provide the right 'ammunition' for the job. There are many potions that one can use that takes the very essence of another male to produce a child," she explained. "That doesn't necessarily mean semen either."

His mouth closed at her words, about to reiterate that there was no possibility that Lily had gotten her hands on his…semen. His cheeks flamed at the thought and he shook his head.

"I was never even around Lily and Potter around the time of the boy's conception! I only went to the Headmaster once the boy was born!" he exclaimed in contempt. Eileen smirked.

"I seemed to remember a particular argument between you and the Potter heir at the time that the boy could have been conceived. An argument; you said, had him leaving with a handful of your hair."

Severus stalled for a moment, remembering that particular fight. She was right, of course. He and Potter both had their wands intercepted and had resorted to using their hands. He remembered leaving the arrogant Gryffindor with a spectacularly broken nose, but he also remembered several of his hairs being torn from his head.

He shook his head again.

"That doesn't mean they used my hair in order to create their own child Mother. Lily would have been devastated, plus our disagreement meant that she'd never speak to me again! They would have asked Potter's friend's before using one of my hairs!" he argued.

Eileen growled in frustration and thrust the book into his hands. She pointed at the potion listed within the book.

"Read the ingredients, you'll find them very interesting," she snapped at him.

Severus sighed and bent his head to read the book. Of course, thanks to his training he knew the potion very well. The Mutare ad Patrem potion was an extremely difficult and challenging potion to create, and if brewed correctly could take the DNA of one man to create a child whilst incorporating the genes of another man. Severus sighed.

"Mother, you are suggesting that Lily and James Potter used one of my hairs in order to create their child? With this Potion?" he asked. Eileen nodded with a thoughtful expression.

"That is my theory, yes." She paused for a moment, deep in thought. "Though that wouldn't explain why he resembles you…." She whispered to herself. Severus frowned.

"Resembles me? He was the spitting image of the arrogant toerag as a baby. I very much doubt he even resembles me," he said. Eileen sighed.

"You know how to perform Legilimency don't you Severus?" she asked. Severus nodded cautiously. "Then perform it on me and see for yourself. I saw the boy today and there was no mistaking just who he resembles."

Severus stared at his mother in surprise for a moment.

"If you are telling me that Lily and Potter used this potion," he pointed to the book, "and took my DNA in order to create the boy, then surely they would have used some of Potter's to ensure that there was no questioning who the boy's Father was!" he exclaimed crossly. "A potion like this doesn't just wear off!" he shouted at her.

Eileen crossed the room and slapped her son across his pale cheek, shocking the anger from him.

"Don't you speak to me like that Severus Snape. You aren't too old for a slap. If you speak to me like that again it won't be the cheek on your face that I will redden, do you understand me?" she snapped at him. Severus, with a hand held to his stinging cheek pursed his lips in indignant anger but nodded all the same.

"Were Potter or Lily highly skilled at potions?" she asked slowly. Severus frowned.

"Lily excelled at them," he told her. Eileen lifted a dark brow.

"Even one so dark?" she asked, gesturing to the book again. Severus paused, contemplating his once best friend. She who was so stubborn, that she couldn't accept any other magic that sat outside the parameters of 'Light' magic. He sighed and shook his head.

"No. She wouldn't have even given that book a chance," he explained. Eileen nodded in understanding.

"So there is the chance that she didn't fully understand the potion Severus," she told him. At his look of uncertainty Eileen sighed and stepped forward, grasping his hands within her own. "Perhaps she did not realise that Potter's DNA was required to ensure that the boy's features matched. Perhaps Potter didn't even realise that he had certain 'problems' and Lily took your DNA for the potion in secret. Please give it a thought Severus. I wouldn't tell you this with just a passing thought. Use Legilimency, look at my memory of today and see for yourself."

Severus sighed and met her dark gaze warily.

" Legilimens," he whispered, directing his mind into that of his Mother's.

He concentrated, passing various random memories of his Mother's lacklustre day with ease. He heard the tingle of his Mother's shop door in the recesses of his mind and stopped suddenly as, from around the door frame of his Mother's store room, her own eyes took in the familiar features of the strange looking 'Boy who Lived'.

He barely disguised a gasp of surprise as he drank in the son of the woman he loved. He vaguely remembered Potter as a first year; tall and stocky with wild dark hair and glasses. It almost caused his lip to curl. This boy, however, had thick dark hair that sat limply down to his cheeks; almond shaped eyes that seemed to glow an eerie green in the dim light of the shop; a small, thin frame covered by large clothing that was obviously not originally purchased for the boy. His eyes, Severus noticed, were distinguishably different to the eyes he remembered of the little boy from the crib.

Although they were green in colour, they seemed to be brighter with a more ethereal glow than what he remembered Lily's having. They sparkled with interest, alight with curiosity as he watched Eileen march around the shop.

He had Lily's nose and lips, of course, but the height of his cheekbones and the fine bones of his jaw belonged to the Prince bloodlines. His green eyes and petite ears most definitely came from the Snape family.

Severus' heart clinched in his chest as the realisation erupted within his mind. He quickly withdrew from his Mother's memories with a groan and covered his face with his long fingered hands.

Why? Was his first question. Why had Lily decided to use his DNA? Why hadn't she informed him?

"I am sorry you must know this way Severus," Eileen whispered, feeling sorrow for her son. The boy was now eleven years of age, after all, they had missed so many years of his life. She sneered as she thought about the girl's deceiving nature, of how she had not ensured that should anything happen to her, then her Son would be left with his biological Father. She felt anger for her Son, for having the decision to become a father taken away from him cruelly, for not allowing him to know that he had an heir.

She then remembered how the boy hinted at his mistreatment by his muggle relatives. How they detested the very thought of magic….

She placed her hands on Severus' arms and pulled his hands away from his face. He eyed her warily, his dark eyes filled with confusion and fear. She set her lips in a grim line and grasped his arms firmly.

"They are not getting away with this, Severus," she said firmly.

Severus frowned; his dark eyes glittered with renewed determination. The boys small stature and baggy, second hand clothing flashed repeatedly in his mind. His overly polite and thankful nature stood out like a sore thumb, proof that although he had likely never been shown a kind word in his lifetime, he still had a good heart.

Yes, he thought. My son will no longer suffer at the hands of those muggles!