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The very next day Severus gave his mother his letter, once he had disposed of the envelope, not wanting any questions about the cemetery he considered home. He watched as she read the words, a strange expression on her face which quickly turned into one of her rare smiles. A smile that he hadn't seen in years and one that hadn't been turned towards him since his shadows appeared.

"We best reply." she simply said when she had reached the end of the letter.

Severus looked down, knowing that she wouldn't like what he would say next. Yet beneath a curtain of black, his eyes remained locked onto his mother's face. "I already replied seeing as we both know that I was going to go no matter what." He watched as her face seemed to fall. "I admit I was a bit excited." he added sheepishly in explanation though it was hardly the truth at all but it did its job. Her expression changed to one of expatriation with a hint of fondness.

"I can't really say I blame you all things considered. It is a very exciting moment for a wizard after all, but you are still a child, no matter how mature you are. You can't be doing things like this. I'm sure I had a talk about this with you the other day, and seeing as you seem to be determined to disobey me, I think its time I put my foot down."

"What?"

"For the rest of the day, you are forbidden to leave your room."

"What about Diagon Alley? We were going to go when I got my Hogwarts letter." said Severus, ignoring most of what she said.

"There is no Diagon Alley today, maybe tomorrow, but certainly not today. I have given you far too much freedom, but no more. You need to learn that your actions have consequences."

"Very well." replied Severus when he realized that there was nothing else to be said. That there was nothing he could do to persuade his mother of her ridicules crusade. So it was with a heavy sense of disbelief and a blank face that he returned to his room.

As soon as the door closed firmly behind him, he let his annoyance show in his face with a heavy dose of anger thrown in. Even though he hardly considered himself a child, he wanted to let go. To allow his magic to do as it wished in an epic temper tantrum, but instead he let it calm beneath his skin, instead of the raging tempest it once was.

He was beginning to realize that he seemed to have anger issues to his horror. Severus could only hope that he would eventually be able to keep it in check in the future.

Grabbing one of his books, Severus sat on the bed, the book opened to the place he had left off. He stared at the black words not really seeing the sentences that were weaved together. There was an imaginary clock ticking the seconds away.

Tick, tock, tick, tock-

Severus closed the book in frustration.

He hated the fact that his room, his sanctuary had become a prison due to his mother words. He didn't want to stay here, where the walls seemed to be taking his freedom with every breath he took. They no longer offered protection that he usually craved; instead they were an obstacle that he must face.

Severus opened the window, the wind blowing gently in his face. He could see the blue sky stretching above him, and he could taste the freedom in the air.

He didn't understand his mother. Not once did she seem to care what he did in the past, but now it seemed to be the only thing she was interested in. She had always been serving Tobias, afraid of his horrid temper. He knew that she had allowed him freedom for he wouldn't have to deal with him, but she was changing, becoming more interested in him.

Severus wondered why that was and why now? Now that he would be leaving to Hogwarts for most of the year. What exactly was she planning?

Then she had the nerve to bribe him with Diagon Alley? He followed no one.

So with that in mind, he slipped out of the window, and he began to climb down using anything that would aid him in his quest. He kept away from the windows, his senses on high alert. Careful of his movements, Severus kept an ear out for his mother or even his father. It was something that he was more than familiar with, because of his late night wonderings. Since he wasn't sure if the ministry would consider shadow travel as accidental magic or not.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, he was gone. Severus slipped through well known streets, always keeping from sight. Not once did he stop, the walk becoming his form of disobedience that wouldn't get him caught. As long as he was home before his mother looked for him, which would probably take a while with all things considered.

The walk was a perfect time to think, and he found his thoughts revolving around the wizarding world. He wondered what Diagon Alley would be like with all the wizarding shops lined up to see, or even his wand that would become his for the rest of his life if everything worked out well.

There was also the school of Hogwarts to think about. The stories and the history that he had managed to pry from Asellus or even his mother's books painted something that was truly wonderful. The place so full of magic that there was no other word but magical, and he wanted to see it with his own eyes, instead through the words of Asellus. Yet he was also worried. Worried about houses and how they would shape his life, and the fact that he had no idea how to influence the sorting, as he had no idea how it was done. It was something that his mother and Asellus seemed rather tight lipped on.

"Sev!"

Severus turned towards the voice, his thoughts vanishing like smoke.

There in one of the less used side streets was Lily and her family, with a lady that Severus had never seen before. She wasn't exactly young, and she had a rather stern aura to her. With a pair of rectangle glasses were perched on her nose. As she and Lily's parents seemed to be in the midst of a conversation, they didn't notice Lily pulling away from the group to see him.

"Lily." he said when she was in range.

She smiled. "Hello, what are you doing here? Not that I'm unhappy to see you or anything, but you rarely come out this way."

Severus looked around him, realizing how far he had managed to go in his wonderings. "I decided to go for a walk, but who are your parents talking to? They seem to really be into the conversation." He said as he eyed the rather stern looking woman.

Lily didn't even have to look to who Severus was talking about. "That's professor McGonagall, she's taking us to Diagon Alley. I got my letter the other day, but you never showed up so I wasn't able to tell you." she pouted before she brightened up once more. "Would you like to come? I'm sure neither my parents nor professor McGonagall would mind."

"I wish, but I believe my mother wishes to show me Diagon Alley herself. It is something that she had grown up with after all."

"That's too bad, I would have loved it if you've came with."

"I'm sure you'll have a great time with or without me, and besides this way we can compare experiences."

"Well I guess so. I best get going before they leave me behind."

"Lily wait." Severus remembered Asellus' warning, but he put it in the back of his mind. He wanted to believe in his friend, he wanted to believe in Lily. So with some hesitation he continued. "Be careful in the wizarding world. There are some things hidden beneath its magnificence. I don't think the others would warn you until you ran smack into it."

Lily blinked in surprise. "Okay, I'll keep a look out." she said before she returned to the group, who than vanished without a sound.

Severus frowned, knowing that Lily didn't really take his warning to heart, to looking forward to a world of magic. He could only hope that nothing bad would happen to her in that world.

Unsure of how long his absence would go unnoticed, seeing as he was supposedly grounded, Severus made his way home. He retraced his steps through the alleyways until he was in his room once more.

Noticing that his room was the same as always, just as it should be, Severus grabbed the book that he had closed earlier. This time he was actually able to read, and this time there was no annoying imaginary clocks to bother him.

He read whittling the time away, until his mother felt that his punishment had been enough.

A light knock at his door finally came, and Severus put his book down.

He looked at the sun shining through his windows, and he realized that he had managed to successfully whittle the remaining time away.

"Come in." said Severus, knowing that it was his mother at the door. She came in with a bowl of soup. The smell caused his stomach to rumble seeing as he missed breakfast and lunch.

"I brought you dinner." Eileen said putting the soup on the nightstand, and taking a seat in the chair that Severus kept in his room to lock the door with. Well jam the door with.

"Thank you. I didn't even realize that I had missed breakfast and lunch, until I smelt the food."

Eileen grimaced. "It has been a rather busy day. I'm sorry I couldn't come around sooner."

"It's fine; I was enjoying my chemistry book. I wonder if it could help you in potion making."

"Probably but who knows, though I bet you'd figure it out either way." she chuckled. "I just wanted to say that you've done well. Seeing as this was your first offense, I'll keep the punishment light, but next time I won't be so easy on you. Am I understood?"

"Yes mother."

"Good, tomorrow we'll go to Diagon Alley. It'll be a secret between the two of us."

"Okay." said Severus, eyeing the soup in hunger, but he turned back to his mother when she began speaking again.

"I can't wait to show you Diagon Alley, I'm sure you'll find it fascinating. Perhaps when you go to Hogwarts, you'll be sorted into Slytherin like I was. I hope you keep with the tradition." said Eileen with a smile as she ruffled Severus' hair before leaving, the door closing softly behind her.

Severus looked at the place where she had once sat in disbelief.

There was no way he was going to be a Slytherin if he could help it.

I have no idea how this chapter came about seeing as this chapter was supposed to be the Diagon Alley chapter, but it did anyways.

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