'So, your school things.' Mrs Snape said to Severus, twirling pasta on her fork.
The three Snapes were having dinner in, as usual, silence until Eileen spoke.
The other two looked up at her. One in anticipation and the other surprise.
'School things?' Prompted Mr Snape, eying his wife.
'Yes. Severus here will be attending Hogwarts this year, and he'll have to get his stuff.' Said Mrs Snape, a hint of defiance in her voice.
'And what exactly is this Hogwarts?' Snarled Mr Snape, knowing the answer to his question.
'A school of witchcraft and wizardry.' Sighed Mrs Snape.
'My son isn't going to learn magic tricks in this damn school!' Shouted Mr Snape, spilling water on the table.
Severus sunk lower on his chair.
'Your son?' Laughed Mrs Snape coldly. 'What, you're calling yourself a father?'
'No smart talk with me, woman! I'm not paying some fools to teach my son their baloney!'
'Wasn't expecting you to.' Sniffed Mrs Snape.
'What? You have some kind of hidden treasure?' Sneered Mr Snape.
'No, but I'll try my best.'
And Eileen walked out of the room.
Damn it. Thought Severus. Now it was only him and his father in the kitchen.
Severus slowly got off his chair, and was heading towards the door.
'Not so fast, boy.' Said Mr Snape. 'Me and you have some talking to do.'
Mr Snape banged his fist on the table.
Severus groaned inwardly as he rejoined his chair.
'Yes?' He asked politely.
'Don't you "yes" me! What are you and your mother planning eh?' Shouted Tobias Snape.
'Nothing. I am just going to start school. That is all.' Replied Severus, looking at his feet.
'A school from your people? Ha! I can't see any school accepting you, you're such a lazy lump, aren't you? Well, if they're all like you and your mother, you'll fit in just fine!' Laughed Mr Snape coldly.
Good lord, how can anyone be so cruel?
Severus turned red and said :
'If you're going to tell me one more time that I'm a waste of space, I'd rather go back to my room, you know, before something else happens, like last time, remember? and I can't control it yet, plus Mum's not here to save you is time.' Said Severus knowingly.
'You threatening me, son?' Sneered the father, but he backed away and said no more.
After a few days, Mrs Snape took Severus to London.
They took the Underground tube, and when they finally got there, Mrs Snape ushered her son into a old-looking bar called The Leaky Cauldron on the edge of a busy street, Charing Cross Road.
'What would you like, madam?' Said the barman.
Severus looked utterly confused. Why the bloody hell is he in a bar when he's supposed to be getting books and quills?
'Sorry, got to go, first year at Hogwarts.' Apologised Eileen, and the barman gave Severus a toothy smile.
He followed his mother to behind the bar.
He watched her as she tapped on a brick three times with her wand.
And, to Severus' amazement, the brick quivered and wriggled, and the wall parted.
Diagon Alley is a cobblestoned wizarding alley, and it was full of witches and wizards of all ages. It is an assortment of shops and restaurants and other sights.
Severus was awed, this is so much better than he expected it to be.
Mrs Snape cleared her throat. 'Right, Gringotts.'
Gringotts is the wizarding bank, Severus knew that, it is the place where British witches and wizards store their money and other treasures in heavily-guarded vaults miles below ground, but he had no idea his mother had her own vault.
'Don't get your hopes up. There's not much in there.' She told Severus, smiling feebly.
Gringotts is an imposing snow-white multistoried marble building located partway down Diagon Alley, and it towers over the neighbouring shops.
Severus and his mother climbed a set of white stairs that lead up to a set of burnished bronze doors. The doors are flanked by a goblin in a uniform of scarlet and gold.
'Now, goblins are very greedy creatures.' She said, lowering her voice, 'which is why they are the most ideal guardians, they protect their money and valuables at any cost. Gringotts is run by goblins, and trust me when I say that they don't think very highly of wizards.'
She pointed at the words engraved on the entrance's silver doors.
Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed
For those who take, but do not earn
Must pay most dearly in their turn
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.
Severus walked through these doors alongside his mother. Flanked with goblins, is a vast marble hall, with long counters stretching along its length with doors leading off to the vault passageways with around a hundred goblins sitting at them.
Severus tried hard not to stare at the goblins, who were evidently working hard, their faces expressionless, as he walked shyly beside his mother.
The goblins, however, did not even glance at him.
His mother stopped. She looked up at the goblin right above her.
'I would like to enter my vault. My name is Eileen Snape.' She said.
Her voice echoed through the hall.
The goblin finally looked down at them.
'Verification, Mrs Snape?'
Eileen took out her wand and presented it to the goblin.
It held it with it's long fingers, and, seemingly satisfied, handed back the wand to its owner.
'Very well, madam Snape, follow me.'
The goblin stood up and the twosome followed it.
The passageways to the vaults are stone and dimly lit with flaming torches. They slope down to a track, upon which run little carts controlled by the goblins. The goblin stopped one of these carts so that Severus and his mother could get in. The cart took them deep beneath the surface of the earth, through a maze of twisting passages to the vaults. The carts went very quickly, and Severus found that exhilirating, although hardly saying a word, he was thoroughly enjoying his day.
They finally stopped infront of a small vault.
The goblin looked up once more at Eileen.
'Your key?' It prompted.
'Oh? Yes, yes.' Mrs Snape took out her key from her robes.
The goblin took it and opened the vault.
His mother was right, he shouldn't have got his hopes up.
There was a small pile of silver coins inside, and only one big gold one.
The goblin smirked as Eileen got to her knees to scrape the coins into her bag.
Severus felt dreadful. It was all his mother had, and she was using it for him.
Although she doesn't display any effection to Severus, he must mean a lot to her.
'Now what?' Asked Severus, when they were finally out of Gringotts.
'Did you bring that letter with you?'
'Yeah.' He handed it to his mother.
She shook her head. 'No, you read the list. You're the schoolboy, after all.'
His mother was so different here, away from Spinner's End, more cheerful, more herself.
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Mrs Snape peered at the list from behind Severus' shoulder.
'Okay, Uniform. Follow me.'
She took off, and Severus jogged to catch up.
'So, do you come here a lot?' Asked Severus.
It seemed that his mother knew this place by heart, but she's always in the house, cleaning, cooking, doing god knows what.
'When I was a child, yes. My father, used to take me here a lot.' Her eyes went glassy, but she quickly recovered.
She stopped. 'There we are.'
The shop in front of them was called Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions.
They went in. A plump old woman came forward, smiling.
'First year, am I right? Lets get you sort-'
'I'm sorry, Madam, but do you have second hand robes for us?'
Madam Malkin smiled reassuringly. 'Of course, my dear, right over there. I'll help you out.'
A few minutes later they left the shop with, Severus hoped, the less shabby robes from the pile. Plus a slightly wonky top hat and a pair of gloves.
COURSE BOOKS:
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
The next shop sold books. Flourish and Botts was full of students, soms carrying books in their hands, others reading them on the spot.
Of course, they woudn't be able to afford the books, even the second hand ones.
'You have six years to go, Severus, you'll need the money.'
So they took Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them by Newt Scamander and A History Of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot and Standard Book Of Spells by Miranda Goshawk.
'The rest you can borrow from the school.' Decided Mrs Snape.
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS
ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK
Yours sincerely,
Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus
Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions
Severus got himself and old rusty cauldron, but will have to borrow the rest from the school.
As for his wand, they went to Ollivander's.
Ollivander was a weird wizard, he asked Severus to try a couple of wands before settling for a black one.
Severus felt powerful with his wand, he could sense there was a connection between them.
Ollivander smiled. 'The wand chooses the wizard, my boy.'
It was obvious that Severus wasn't getting an Owl or a Cat or a Toad, let alone a broomstick, so they went straight back to the bar.
Surprisingly, Eileen ordered a drink for them to share.
They sat in silence for a while, then Eileen spoke.
'I was a Slytherin, you know, and head of the Gobstones club.'
'Head of what?'
'Don't worry, you'll know about it soon enough.'
Severus nodded, wondering why his constantly silent mother was telling him this.
'After Hogwarts, I met your Dad, and when we married, my family disowned me. We were pureblood, and marrying a muggle was a shame on our wizarding line.
I never really understood why I actually accepted to be his wife, he was kind of nasty even then.
I think it was because I wanted to defy my parents, but I realise now it was a huge mistake.' She sighed.
Severus coudn't think of anything to say. A mistake?
He knew his father wasn't a pleasant man, he often shouted at his mother, he even once punched her in the face for some reason.
But if they didn't ger married, he wouldn't have existed.
Severus wondered if that was a good or bad thing.
They went back home and Severus started to read his "new" books.
He was determined to learn at least a few spells before going to Hogwarts.
He read and read 'till it was dark outside.
He wondered if Lily has been ro Diagon Alley yet, he wondered what she thought of the wonderful magical world.
'Engorgio!' Said Severus, pointing his wand to the spider that was on his wall.
The spider grew bigger and larger.
Severus smiled. He coudn't wait to learn more.