The cart slowed and then pulled up in front of a row of iron doors and stopped. "Vault numbers 725 thru 755," Zort announced. The Prince's, Severus' mum's family originally owned 25 vaults, but Severus had increased his vaults due to the shrewd investing of Lucius Malfoy. Harry looked around, wandering how deep underground they were. Zort, Severus and Harry got out and watched as Zort placed his hand on the door. The door silently swung open revealing piles of what looked like gold, silver and bronze. There were other things in the vault too such as furniture, paintings and tapestries. Zort handed him a moleskin bag that Severus began filling with Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts. When he was done, he stepped out of the vault and Zort closed it again, sealing it with his hand print.
As they got back into the cart Severus asked, "Zort, I know the Potter vaults are on the next level. Do you know who the Potter vault manager is?"
"Yes, that would be Nangnook. He has taken care of the Potter vaults for many years."
"May I speak with him when we return upstairs?"
"I will ask him for you."
"Thank you, Zort." Severus said. He exchanged some of his money for Muggle money.
Nangnook agreed to see Severus and once they were settled in his office, Severus temporarily took the glamour off Harry. "This is Mr. Harry Potter, son of James and Lily Potter. While Mr. Potter does not need to get into his vaults today he will need to at some point in the future. Do you know who has the key?"
"Yes. Albus Dumbledore," Nangnook replied. "He authorized me to make a payment of a hundred pounds every month to Mr. Potter's relatives. He said it was to help them care for him."
Severus was furious when he heard that for it was obvious that the Dursley's had not been using the money to care for Harry and Dumbledore had illegally taken from the Potter vaults. Since he was not Harry's legal guardian, he had no authority to take Galleons or anything else from their vaults. He thanked Nangnook for the information and he and Harry went back out into Diagon Alley. He would deal with this situation later, but right now they needed to get Harry's school supplies. "Do you have your Hogwarts letter, Harry?"
"Yes, Sir," Harry replied taking the letter out of his pocket and handing it to Severus. They're first stop was at Ollivander's to get Harry's wand. He was very excited about getting his wand and literally skipped into Ollivander's.
There seemed to be nobody in the shop until Mr. Ollivander suddenly appeared from between two shelves. He was an older man with longish white hair and strange silvery eyes. He looked at Severus. "Ebony, thirteen and a quarter inches with a serpent core scale. Excellent for potions and defense."
Severus nodded and then once again took the glamour off of Harry.
"Ah! Mr. Potter, I thought I'd be seeing you in here soon," Ollivander talked as he pulled long boxes off his shelves. "It seems only yesterday that I sold their wands to your parents. Your father's was mahogany, 11 inches and pliable. Excellent for Transfiguration. Your mother's was willow, ten and a fourth inches and swishy; an excellent wand for Charms." He came out again holding several boxes and laid them on the counter in front of Harry. After trying several different wands in which he sent wand boxes flying off the shelves, cracked Ollivander's front window, and made the door open and slam shut endlessly until a wave of Severus wand put it to rights again, Harry was in despair of ever finding his wand.
"Tricky customer, eh?" Mr. Ollivander remarked seeming happy that Harry was having such a hard time finding a wand. "Do not despair, Mr. Potter. The wand chooses the wizard."
"But that's ten wands I've tried and none of them like me. What if none of them do?"
"There's a wand for you, Harry. You just have not found it yet, but you will," Severus said soothingly.
"I wonder …" Mr. Ollivander muttered looking out at Harry and then back at the wand box on the shelf in front of him. He pulled it out of its slot and marched out. He took it carefully out of the box and presented it to Harry. "Holly, 11 inches, supple with a phoenix feather core."
The moment Harry grasped the wand it was obvious it was the wand for him. Green sparks shooting from the end confirmed it."
"Curious," Ollivander remarked. "Very curious."
"What's curious?" Harry asked.
"I've had that wand for over forty years, Mr. Potter and I never thought it would find a match, but I'm happy it has at last."
Severus was suspicious that there was more to the story then Ollivander was revealing, but decided he would not pursue it today. He also purchased a wand holster that Harry could wear on his forearm. "Come along, Harry. We must get your other things."
They went to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions for Harry's robes, to Flourish & Blott's for his textbooks, to Scribbulus Everchanging Inks for parchment, quills, and ink, to Slug & Jiggers Apothecary for a first year potion kit. While he was there Severus ordered replacement ingredients for the school stores and some ingredients for his private stores. Harry looked around in fascination. While some of the ingredients smelled terrible and looked gross, there were still other things such as different kinds of plants he'd never seen before. Their next stop was at Potage's Cauldron Shop where Harry acquired a pewter cauldron and a set of stirrers. At the magical instrument shop Harry got a good set of brass scales and a collapsible telescope. There were a bunch of kids standing outside Quality Quidditch Supplies admiring the new Nimbus 2000 broom that was featured in the window. Harry looked over at them, but didn't seem interested otherwise.
The last stop was at Eeylops Owl Emporium. Harry looked up at Severus in confusions. "Why are we here, Professor?"
"Your list says you can have a cat, a toad or an owl as a familiar. Eeylops sells all kind of owls and Magical Menagerie sells cats, rats and toads."
"Which one is better, Professor?"
"It depends on what you are looking for, Harry. If you are looking for companionship then cats are very good. An owl will provide you with both companionship and the added bonus is that it can deliver your mail also. You remember the owls that tried to deliver your Hogwarts letters, I assume."
Harry started to giggle and it warmed Severus' heart. "I overheard Uncle Vernon complaining to Aunt Petunia once about the owls pooping all over his company car. He said he had to stop and get it washed every morning before he went to work. If you don't mind, Professor, I think I would like an owl," Harry decided.
They went into Eeylops Owl Emporium and twenty minutes later Harry came out carrying a large cage with a beautiful snowy owl inside of it and a bag of owl treats for her.
"Before we go to the Ministry I am going to call my personal elf, Blinky, and have him take all your school things and your owl back to Hogwarts." Severus said. "Blinky?"
Blinky popped into Diagon Alley. He was wearing a white tea towel with the Hogwarts crest on it. "How can Blinky be of service to Professor Snape?"
Severus pointed at Harry's school things and his owl. "I need you to take Harry's things back to Hogwarts and put them in his room."
"Blinky can do that." He levitated all the packages, Harry's robes, and his owl cage and then popped out again.
"Wow!" Harry said. "Elves must be real powerful."
"They have their own special kind of magic. They are able to do things wizards and witches cannot." They crossed the street and went back to the Leaky Cauldron and then flooed to the Ministry of Magic. Severus presented his wand to the man seated at the security desk. "Ebony, thirteen and a quarter inches, serpent scale core." He handed Severus a slip of paper. Harry gave his to the man next. "Holly, eleven inches, and a Phoenix feather core," the man droned and gave Harry his slip of paper.
"Professor, we will get our wands back, won't we?"
"Yes, Harry. When we are ready to leave we can reclaim our wands." They took the lift to Level 2 as Wizarding Child Services was part of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Severus stopped outside the door to WCS and once again took the glamour off of Harry. He opened the door and they walked in. He looked around but did not see Regulus. He stopped at the receptionist's desk whose nameplate indicated her name was Isabella. She looked up and smiled. "Hello, Professor Snape."
"Hello, Isabella. I have an 11:30 appointment with Mrs. Mullings."
"She's expecting you, Professor. You may go right in."
Severus nodded his thanks and entered Sarah Mullings' office with Harry. She immediately got up from behind her desk to welcome Severus. They shook hands and Severus said, "Harry, this is Sarah Mullings, head of Wizarding Child Services. Sarah, this is Harry Potter."
"Hello," Harry said shyly, shaking her hand.
She sat down behind her desk and motioned to the chairs in front of her desk. "Please sit." She took two rolls of parchment out of her desk drawer and set them on her desk. "I'm a bit confused, Severus. I have two copies of Lily Potter's will; one I retrieved from the Ministry and the other from Gringotts. The Gringotts one names you and Lady Alice Longbottom as Harry's godparents and guardians, but the Ministry one names Albus Dumbledore as Harry's guardian. I also checked Mr. Potter's wills and both copies name Sirius Black and Mary MacDonald as Harry's godparents and guardians. I found it strange that Mr. Potter's wills were identical, but Mrs. Potter's looks as if the Ministries' copy has been tampered with. Since I couldn't speak with Alice Longbottom I spoke with her mother-in-law, Lady Augusta and she confirmed that Alice had told her that Lily Potter planned to name Alice and you as Harry's godparents and guardians."
"Does that mean Professor Snape can be my guardian, Mrs. Mullings?" Harry asked.
"Yes it does, Harry, if you're willing, but first we'll need to revoke the guardianship of your Muggle relatives. I'll need to ask you some questions; is that all right with you, Harry?"
Harry nodded and she said, "Can you tell me about your aunt and uncle; did they treat you well?"
"They hate magic so they don't treat me very nice especially when I do something freaky like when I turned my teacher's hair blue. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had to come to school and they were really mad at me. I had to stay in my cupboard for a week and I could only come out to clean the house, do the yard work, or cook their meals."
"Cupboard?" Sarah asked in a puzzled tone. "I don't understand."
"My room is a cupboard under the stairs," Harry explained. "My cousin, Dudley has a big bedroom and new clothes and another bedroom where he store his toys. I get to wear his old worn out clothes."