Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, though I wish I did.

Chapter Five: Rich and Famous.

The trip back to The Leaky Cauldron was as uneventful as could be. Aside from the small boy at his side, who looked as though he'd never properly seen London, it was rather dull.

He no longer hated the boy, though he felt a pang of terror and intrigue. Harry lived in the same room as the young boy Riddle had. He spoke to Snakes as Riddle had. Were the rumors true? Was Harry the next Dark Lord?

The terror and intrigue left him as he felt suddenly resigned. If he was, indeed, an evil wizard in the making, then there was little he could do aside from keep a close eye on him.

Even being James' son could not raise the same anger in him as it did before. Lilly's eyes were far too pronounced. So wide and innocent, and full of questions. If he had never seen the boy this up close, he shuddered to think how horrid he might have been to him. Instead he found himself pitying the child.

James potter was no saint, to some people, anyway, but he would have probably made a semi-decent parent, he had to admit. And to have lost Lilly as a mother. That was the hardest for Snape to take. Of course, he had loved her. Once he even thought she might have loved him.

He pushed the painful thought from his head, and looked around. He was about a block away from the Leaky Cauldron, as far as he could tell, but Harry was nowhere to be seen.

He was struck dumb with panic. He started back tracking, looking for the telltale mess of black hair. About a block away, he saw the boy, lost in a crowd of people,looking his best as though he was trying not to cry.

He raced forward, a strange feeling in his chest. 'So this is what it's like to worry about someone else's neck,' he though sourly as he pushed his way through the oncoming Muggles.

By the time he had reached the boy, he was talking fearfully with an old woman. Snape cleared his throat lightly. The act was as much to draw attention as it was to clear the lump in his throat. Lilly's...Harry's eyes were glossy with frightened tears.

"Harry," he said when the old woman and Harry looked up. "Don't leave my side ever again, do you understand?" He tried to say this in his most commanding voice, but he didn't want to seem like he was going to harm the boy. The old woman would probably cause trouble.

Harry nodded, but was beyond words.

Snape cleared his throat again. "Come on," he said. "Try not to get lost."

He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder to comfort him and keep track of him. He laughed inwardly at the absurdity of it all. That morning he'd woken up hating Harry Potter, the Golden Boy, and now he was comforting him.

His stomach twisted as he remembered this boy could be the next Dark Lord, and on top of that, James' son. The combination made him feel exasperated. The two things he hated most in the world, and he had his hand on his shoulder, comforting him.

Dumbledore, had he seen this, would probably be having the largest laughing fit of his life. Trust Dumbledore to never take things seriously.

They stood in front of The Leaky Cauldron a few moments later. Harry watched with interest as Muggles passed without paying any attention at all to the door.

Snape said "Muggle's can't see it, only we can."

Harry smiled. "I love secrets," he said with a mischievous air that reminded him too much of James.

Snape's face hardened. "Let's go, shall we?"Harry nodded and allowed himself to be stared into the pub.

Tom looked up from wiping a glass and nodded to Snape and Harry. "Back so soon, Severus? And whose this you've got with you?"

Snape shook his head at the bartender, and Tom clammed up. If anything, at least he had decorum. He studied the boy and then smiled brightly. He winked conspiratorially to Snape, and Snape frowned,

They made their way to the back of the pub to leave into Diagon Alley, and Snape thought they were home free when a booming voice caught him from behind.

"Professor Snape, good teh see yeh."

Snape turned around and saw the grounds keeper, Hagrid behind him.

Harry turned as well and stared up at the giant of a man. "Who's tha'," asked Hagrid, bending low to inspect Harry. His beetle-black eyes widened in shock. Snape knew he was doomed.

"'Arry Potter. Well I'll be!" The pub went silent.

"Er, hello," said Harry, confusedly. "Thanks, Hagrid," muttered Snape as the pud seemed to explode with commotion. The entirety of it's guests seemed to gravitate towards Harry, shouting excitedly.

Harry, completely bemused, shook hands over and over again. A man in a turban, who Snape identified as 'Professor Quirril' didn't shake Harry's hand, and seemed to want to keep his distance as he spoke.

Snape didn't pay much attention. Now they boy would become an insufferable brat, just like his father. There was too much Lilly in him for there not to be some James, at least.

"Thank you, thank you," Sanpe said to the pub in general. "Really, very busy day ahead of us, if you'll please move!" he had, perhaps unwisely, shouted the last bit, and while it did a good job of clearing the room, it did not paint him in a very good light.

Hagrid, who was tall enough to split the flow of people around him, had stayed in place while Harry was surrounded by everyone had gone back to what they were doing before, although this time with much more din and chatter, Hagrid bent down, and fished out a key.

"Dumbledore said this was fer ya." he said, passing the key to Snape. "Ter get inta," he leaned over and whispered 'Harry's Vault' in Snape's ear, so as not to arouse suspicion as to the nature of the key and make it a target for theft.

Snape nodded, and looked, for the first time, down at Harry. Where he expected a smug look of satisfaction, there was bewilderment and even a bit of fear.

"S-sir," he whispered, looking at everyone. "H-how did they know who I was?"

Hagrid looked as though he were going to speak, but Snape cut him off.

"As I said, I will explain things later." Harry nodded, and looked nothing more than he would like to get out of the mad house into which he had been thrust.

Snape steered him out of the back door, into a small lot behind the pub.

"Here we are," he said, pulling out his wand and tapping a brick, seemingly at random, which caused the wall to melt away into a giant arch.

Harry, who had been looking struck dumb, smiled in amazement at that, and Snape caught his eyes, flitting from shop to shop. Consciously, he made the effort to think of this as a good thing. His own first trip to the alley had been far more subdued.

Before Harry could so much as form the makings of his first question, Snape said "We'll need to go to the bank, first. You'll be needing money if you want to get your things."

Harry nodded, and they set off down the busy street.

It seemed Harry couldn't keep his eyes in one place for more than a second, so Snape warned, "Do be careful not to bump into anyone. We don't want another scene on our hands, do we?"

After that, Harry kept his eyes firmly glued ahead with a stoic expression.

"There will be time for looking about when he go to get your things," Snape said, and Harry relaxed slightly.

They found Gringotts without incident, and Harry marveled at the giant white building, which stuck out as though it had been placed there from some far away land, stuck in the middle of the ragged looking shops on either side.

For more interesting, Harry thought, was the funny little man standing at the entrance. Snape nudged him when he'd started staring. Harry blushed and looked away.

"That," said Snape as they left the foyer, "is a Goblin. Very tricky and incredibly smart. You'd do well to never make a deal with one, as they do not have the highest opinion of wizards in general."

Harry blinked and nodded. "Are there other Goblins in Gringotts?" Snape laughed, which caused Harry to finally look up, spotting the Goblins surrounding him. "Oh," he said, blushing.

Snape led him up to the front desk where a Goblin sat, examining a pile of gold and jewels. Snape cleared his throat although the Goblin had obviously noticed them. The Goblin looked up with a look of feint surprise.

"Hello, Mr. Snape. What can I do for you?"

Snape looked slightly taken aback, and even a little awkward as he did not remember this Goblin's name at all.

"We need to make a withdrawal." the Goblin sat up straighter and looked over the edge of the high desk, spotting Harry.

"Do you have the vault key?"

Snape produced the key, and handed it over. The Goblin examined it through a jewelers lens, as though he suspected forgery. He set the jewelers lens down and nodded once, officiously.

"Very well. Gripphook!" he had called out the last word. Or was it a name? It seemed to be a name, as another Goblin, this once much younger, came sprinting into view.

"Mr. Potter would like to make a withdrawal." Gripphook nodded and motioned for them to follow.

As they piled into the cart, Snape was ambivalent about getting to see the inside of the Potter vault. One on hand, he had always wanted to see the fortune that James had bragged about in school. On the other, he didn't want to feel that kind of jealousy.

The cart gave a sudden lurch, and they were off like a rocket. Harry had his eyes screwed up tight against a nervous stomach, but Snape didn't seem to mind.

The trip took slightly over a minute, so Snape guessed that they were over a mile underground. The cart rolled to a stop and the Goblin got out, holding a lamp aloft so as to better see the keyhole and surrounding area.

Snape stepped out of the cart, and was quickly followed by Harry.

The Goblin unlocked the vault, and a thick fog rolled out. Snape shut his eyes, the fog proving a good excuse, but he could not keep them that way for long. He cracked them open, and sighed inwardly.

The vault was massive. He could have taught his class inside it. The gold inside was only about ankle deep, save for a small pile that would have come up to his waist in the middle.

He handed Harry a small satchel, and the boy showed just enough restraint to dive in and start swimming. Harry had never seen that much money in his life. Harry piled coins inside the satchel until it could fit no more.

Snape was already in the cart at this point, rubbing his eyes as though he could get the image out of his head.

Harry got in next to him while the Goblin locked the vault again. Harry looked concerned, but the look on Snape's face made him hold any questions he might have had.

Snape sighed inwardly once more. 'Rich and famous,' he thought, bitterly. Any aspirations he had that Harry might end up being decent flew out the window. He was dealing with a Potter now, and all the snide arrogance that came with it.

Harry's eyes adjusted slowly to the light as he exited Gringotts with Snape. He blinked to help them along, and when they had adjusted well enough, he looked up at Snape.

He was surprisingly stony-faced. Harry, not wanting to get on his bad side, decided to be extra careful.

Snape stepped out of the bank, wondering why he hadn't let Hagrid take the boy. He'd have made a much better tour guide, and probably would have put up with Potter's attitude.

"Come on," he said, not looking at the boy. "We haven't got all day to stand around." Harry stared at his shoes and followed Snape.

AN: Poor Harry! Why's Snape being so flip-floppy? How will Harry react to everything that's happening? Who ate Dumbledore's last Sherbet Lemon? When will I get to the point? Stay tuned! Also, a shout-out! To Misundersnape for taking the time to look at each chapter and give a review. Thanks! If you've got the time, check out Misundersnape's stories! Tootles for now, children. This Chapter has been retrofitted to fit later chapters.