A/N: I do not own Harry Potter - Updated 3rd January 18

I know have a section on my profile page where I update what will be happening with each of my stories adnn when they are likly to be updated including where I am up to on a chapter or planning ahead with fictions.

Chapter one - What if Snape so less of James and more of Harry

It was only Harry's first week at Hogwarts and he had been sorted into a house, Gryffindor, he was happy about that but he also had this nagging feeling that he should have been put in Slytherin, mainly because the Sorting Hat had said so. He had a sneaking suspicion about that professor with dark hair to his shoulders, he hadn't stopped looking at him, he wondered if the professor knew, Harry had no idea why, and he couldn't tell if it was immediate dislike, curiosity or something else, he was hard to read. He had potions this morning, and that meant he would be being taught by none other than Professor Snape. He decided to go early in the morning, a lot of things had been playing on his mind, he hadn't been happier in his life, but he was worried about Slytherin, he was confused about his parents, it was hard to adjust his view of them, and it was hard to understand this whole new world. He just hoped the strange professor would be able to help. He figured he would be able to help with the Slytherin thing, he was the head of Slytherin after all. He knocked cautiously on the professor's office door and waited for some response.

"Enter" The man had a deep voice, it didn't make him feel all that comfortable, and he spoke words so precisely, so severely, overall his initial thought was intimidating, someone not to be messed with.

"Professor?" he asked tentatively. He walked in and there sat a man, his head was bowed over many papers, his dark shiny hair fell on his face and he wore voluminous dark robes.

"Sit" The professor didn't even look up to see who it was.

"Sir, I wanted to talk before the lesson, I-" he didn't know where to start, in his head he had hoped that the man would have been warm and inviting, making him feel at ease when he read the concern on the scared first years face. However, he hadn't even looked up. "I think I should have been put in Slytherin, but I begged the hat not to," he stumbled over the words. "But I am frightened of going into Slytherin... I thought you might be able to help sir... cause your head of Slytherin... Sir" He stopped

He hadn't noticed that the professor had looked up, Professor Snape had hated this boys father, he had expected the boy to act just like his Father, as he looked like him, what he saw was a far cry from arrogance, it was uncertain, frightened. His initial instinct was to warn the boy about wasting his time, but when he looked up to do just that he saw her eyes, he remembered her eyes looking like that when she would confide in him about her sister, how separated she felt from her family, when she was hurt and upset they looked just like that. He chose differently.

"Why did the hat say you should be in Slytherin?" his voice was calm and even, his eyes focused yet again on the papers before him.

"The hat said it was difficult, he said I had courage, and not a bad mind, talent and a thirst to prove myself, he said that Slytherin would help me on the way to greatness, but I didn't want to be in Slytherin, that's why he put me in Gryffindor" He thought he might have offended the teacher by saying that he didn't want to be in Slytherin, but he thought he would offend him more if he said why, that he had learned that the Wizard who killed his family had been from that house, but the professor did seem to want to give answers.

"And why didn't you want to be in Slytherin?" He questioned, surely the boy would show his arrogance now, his prejudice.

"erm - well, it's just that Hagrid, he told me what happened when I was a baby," He paused looking at his feet, unable to meet the man's eyes, petrified of angering the professor, "I had never known before, my Aunt Petunia lied to me, and then I found out that he was from Slytherin, the one who killed my parents, the one who gave me my scar, I thought it would mean I was like him" he felt awkward and stupid.

"And yet you come to the head of that house… Do you think I am like him?" His voice was cold still, not exactly prejudice, but very close

"No, sir, I came to you because I thought you might be able to explain Slytherin to me better, I don't know anything about this stuff cause of my aunt and uncle, they hate magic, they hate my mum and everything to do with the wizarding world, which kind of means they hate me" He didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of the stern professor, but his emotions were building up and he felt that the last thing he was showing was courage. He half expected the man to tell him not to worry, Slytherin doesn't except wimps!

He couldn't help but look at the child before him, he knew Petunia wouldn't be loving to the boy, hateful though? And the boy said he just wanted to understand. "Slytherin is a house known for those that are cunning, clever, want to go far and are willing to do almost anything to get what they want, these are not necessarily evil characteristics, though I won't deny, most Dark wizards have them. Given your history, it's understandable that you wouldn't want to be in Slytherin, however, Courage and wanting to prove yourself are Gryffindor traits also, and I imagine it would be a good fit, both of your parents were in Gryffindor" he finished coolly.

"You knew my parents?" Harry looked up, almost hopeful, maybe he had found someone who could talk to him, someone who could help him understand who they really were? "It's just I don't know anything about them."

"What did you hear?" He didn't confirm or deny, he wanted to know what was being said though, he didn't want to get in deep, he asked Dumbledore to keep his task secret, he could not get close to the child.

"They said that my dad was an unemployed drunk" he couldn't keep the sadness out of his voice, "The only thing I heard about my mum was what my Aunt Marge used to say, she would explain to my Aunt Petunia why there was something wrong with me, that it wasn't her fault; 'if there's something wrong with the bitch, then there's something wrong with the pup'" tears sat in his eyes, he finally looked up at the professor, his eyes flashed with anger, and he worried that it was something that he had said, maybe he was in trouble.

"They said that to you." It wasn't a question "Your mother was the kindest woman I ever met" he hadn't realised what he had done until the words were out of his mouth.

"You knew her? Can you tell me about her?" the boy's eyes lit up for the first time since he walked in the room, somehow Severus couldn't deny the child, there was far too much Lily there, and as he had said to Dumbledore, he would do anything for Lily.

"Another time I can, not your father… we did not get along... at all" he tried to end the conversation bluntly, though the look on the child's face was now more eager and also more confident.

"Did you love her?" He asked, Professor Snape, looked at the boy, knowing the answer and yet unsure of what to say, there was a line that he would cross if he spoke the truth, if he let Harry in, he wouldn't be able to hold him at a distance, uncaring and protecting him simply for Lily's sake, there was a danger he would see more of her and care for the boy far more than he ought to, especially considering the mark on the inside of his forearm, the mark that would one day burn a new, meaning he was called to serve the one that wanted this child dead. To openly care would ruin all of Dumbledore's plans. He had to make a choice.

"Always," he said with a sad smile

A/N I have had so many people follow this one, but I am afraid that will be staying a one-shot, I don't think there is anything new I can do with this idea, it would end up being very similar to every other mentor fic

BooNaughts