Severus Snape sighed in frustration, while he looked at baby Harry seriously. He had a lot of work to do. He had a work that required a cauldron, a huge amount of ingredients, and most importantly, peace and quiet. A work that needed no distractions. A work that needed no infants around. Madam Pomfrey had required several different potions the Hospital Wing for Monday morning. He had managed to brew some of the required potions while he was teaching in class. But still he had six more left to be done and the worst part was that he had no place to leave Potter.

Madam Pomfrey was busy, since the first Quidditch Match of the season was approaching. It was amazing what a little match could do to some of Hogwarts’ hyperactive teenagers, especially when those teenagers came from Gryffindor and Slytherin, whose house-teams would play against one another. Five attacks had taken place during the past week. Ten students, five Gryffindors and five Slytherins, had ended in the Hospital Wing with serious hexes on them. Madam Pomfrey, being enraged had called for both Professor McGonagall and himself to her office and threatened that if that kind of behaviour was to continue, she was not going to take care of any other student. Snape had, of course, done his duty and talked to the Slytherin students, hoping that he had knocked some sense into their little heads. Yet, deep inside, he feared that his words were going to last for only a couple of days. Thus it was important to finish the potions on time. That was going to please Poppy and, he hoped, would make her tolerate the upcoming attacks.

“Now, where can I leave Potter for today?” he asked himself. Madam Pomfrey was busy taking care of hexed teenagers. The headmaster, being a busy man, had the advantage of not taking care of “unpleasant” activities. What about Argus Filch? “I am not that desperate!” he commented shaking his head and then kept transfixed at the wall. “I should have signed a contract of a baby-sitting aid when I agreed to do this,” he though sarcastically.

Initially the Potions Master knew who were the most appropriate people in the castle to take care of baby Harry. However there was one issue preventing him from asking them to help him. Those people were students and, worst of all, Gryffindors. And Severus Snape had a policy. “Never ask your students a favour, since this will, definitely, get you into trouble. Not only you will have to award them with extra points for their services, you will also owe them a lot for spending their time doing extra work for you.”

“What if they offered themselves for that ‘extra work’?” asked the cunning Slytherin spirit that inhabited inside his chest. “You will, indeed, give them a few extra points, being nice, but you will not owe them for their services. After all you could have done it on your own, couldn’t you?”

The black-robed professor smirked evilly as a plan formed inside his head.

-)-)-)

Hermione Granger looked at her wristwatch. Five minutes until the end of her patrol. Then she could go into the Gryffindor Tower and meet Ginny for a good chat. If things went well she could even convince Ron to study a bit of Transfiguration. Or maybe she could play a bit of a Wizard Chess with him. She looked outside the castle’s window. Her patrol had been quite peaceful. Poor Ron’s wasn’t. He had to stop two fights in two days. And all of these fight happened because of a stupid Quidditch Match. She giggled thinking Ron’s reaction to her thoughts. She could almost hear his words now “Blimey! A stupid Quidditch Match? No! It is in matches like that one that we get to prove our spirit to the team, we get to honour Gryffindor House and, most importantly, we get into stupid Malfoy’s nose.”

Suddenly she heard footsteps approaching. Coughing twice, to give herself a much more serious expression, she turned her head towards the direction the footsteps were heard. A tall black-robed man appeared from the corner. He was holding a pale-looking baby with emerald-green eyes on his right hand, while he was trying to carry several small bottles that contained potion ingredients with his left hand. Passing near her, a small bottle slipped from the professor’s hand and falling on the floor, it rolled in front of her feet. Snape, being absent-minded noticed nothing and continued his way.

“Um . . . Professor Snape sir?” Hermione peeped as she kneeled down and lifted the small bottle.

“What is it Miss Granger? Quickly, I don’t have all day!” he said turning to look at her with a scowl.

“You dropped a bottle professor” she answered quickly, giving him the bottle back.

The Potions Master nodded as he took the small bottle carefully. Then turning on his heels, Hermione heard him murmur to himself “Thank Merlin the Sacritis’ bottle did not break.” It was as if something had snapped inside Hermione’s head.

“Professor, Sacritis is the herb that when boiled emits a smoke that can cause dizziness and terrible headaches if inhaled” she said rapidly in her matter-of-fact tone.

“I am fully aware of that Miss Granger. After all, I am the Potions Master of this school. Your point is?” he asked impatiently once again.

“What about Harry sir?”

“What about Potter?”

“I mean isn’t Sacritis’ smoke dangerous for a baby? What if inhales some of it?”

“Don’t worry Miss Granger he won’t. I will cover his nose and there will be only a small chance of breathing the smoke.” Snape answered back and started walking while he started counting inside.

“One . . . Two . . . and . . .”

“Professor . . .” said the young girl as she rushed behind him.

“Three!”

“ . . .why don’t you let Ron and I take care of Harry for today?” she asked blocking his way.

“It is not necessary Miss Granger. I think that I can manage Potter for today,” he answered back coolly and tried to move.

“Oh, but I insist, sir!” Hermione stated firmly blocking his way.

Taking a deep breath, as if he was trying to control himself; he talked slowly and carefully “Since I do understand that you are not going to let me pass if I refuse, you can take care of Potter with Mr Weasley for today. Be at my office in approximately five minutes. I will have some things for you.”

The curly-haired girl nodded and walked to the other direction. Seeing her disappearing at the corner, Snape smirked in satisfaction. “Hell I Am Good!” he thought as he paced towards his office.

-)-)-)

Ron Weasley was in deep thought. Every movement of his had to be calculated and very careful or else chaos would ensue. Moving that thing over there was too risky and moving that one over here was too expected. There was probably a trap. AHA! Finally he’d got it. He grasped the queen from his old, wooden, a bit battered, and yet trusted wizard chess set. Then he placed it or better tapped it on the black square receiving an annoyed “I am a lady and you must handle me with care!” squeal in the process. Then he turned to look at his sister, who was now looking at the chess set being transfixed.

“RON, GINNY! COME HERE NOW!” Hermione’s loud voice echoed in the Common Room startling them. Brother and sister stood up and rushed towards the gap in the wall that led outside the Gryffindor Tower.

“Hermione!” Ginny shouted being annoyed, “You scared the willies out of us!”

“Oh sorry! Ron, do me a favour and please place your hands inside the portrait hole”

“Place my hands inside the portrait hole? What for?” Ron asked puzzled.

“Just do it Ron. Trust me, you ‘re going to love this.”

The redhead placed his hands inside the gap and after a couple of seconds something soft and heavy was placed on them. To his amazement that something moved slightly.

“Um. . . Hermione? What exactly is this?” he asked in uncertainty.

“You will never find out unless you get your hands out. And do be careful not to drop him.”

“Oh this is just the time to become secretive Hermione! Wait a minute; did she just say ‘Him’?” Ron thought as he extracted his hands out of the gap, as carefully as he could. A few moments later a squeal of delight escaped Ginny’s lips since Ron had found himself gazing into a small baby boy’s green eyes.

Five minutes later baby Harry found himself being seated on a blanket on Gryffindor’s Common Room’s floor surrounded by three teenagers. Instinctively he knew that he could trust them so he kept staring at them. The three teenagers kept looking at the infant, who was clutching a unicorn toy protectively. A couple of silent moments passed before Ron would break the silence.

“Man This Is Weird!”

“Tell me about it!” Ginny said while the three of them were still transfixed on the boy’s movements.

The infant chewed the unicorn toy’s horn and, turning to look at Ron, he granted him with a smile. The two girls near the redhead boy let out a “How Cute!” squeal and Hermione leaned forward and seated Harry on her laps. Harry stared at her and then showing her the unicorn he started babbling.

“Bibi maa giii daprt!”

Hermione looked at the infant startled. Baby Harry turned to look at Ron and babbled more intensively “Bibi maa giii daprt!” After a couple of more babbling and seeing that neither Ron nor Hermione were responding back, he started wailing being unhappy.

“HECK WHAT JUST HAPPENED? WHAT DID WE DO WRONG! DARN!” Ron asked, his voice loud from panic.

“RON, DON’T CURSE IN FRONT OF A BABY!”

“ WAAAAAHHHHH!”

“Ssshh Harry I wasn’t shouting at you.”

“YES APPARENTLY HERMIONE CARES ABOUT YOUR FEELING ONLY!”

“RON WILL YOU STOP SHOUTING! I AM TRYING TO MAKE HIM RELAX!”

“I AM NOT SHOUTING! YOU ARE SHOUTING! I AM JUST PANICKED!”

“WAAAAAHHHHH!”

“Oh brother!” Ginny whispered shaking her head. Ron and Hermione had decided to have a fight at that particular moment, while Harry was crying more loudly than Moaning Myrtle. Covering both Hermione’s and Ron’s mouth with her hands, she spoke slowly and with a tone that did not take no for an answer. “I am going to leave your mouths now and you have to count to thirty before you will speak again. Did I make myself clear?” The other two nodded and she let them go slowly. Then taking baby Harry into her arms she started talking.

“Hello little one! Who is your little friend?”

“Bibi maa giii daprt!” the baby replied sniffing.

“Oh this is Bibi right?” Ginny asked interested.

“Bibi! Bibi di ga!” baby Harry responded enthusiastically.

“Well I am happy to meet Bibi too Harry.”

“Gaa da pipi art?”

“Yes and the others are happy to meet Bibi. Aren’t you guys?”

The other two nodded and smiled to the infant that had started babbling to the unicorn toy once again. Leaving Harry on the floor Ginny turned to look at her brother and her friend. Hermione had turned her back to Ron and seemed to be having a silent conversation with herself. Ron glared and turned to look at Ginny’s face.

“Where did you learn all those things about babies?” Ron asked his sister curiously. Ginny chuckled.

“Oh this is so embarrassing to remember. During your first year here Mrs Mathews, you know one of dad’s co-workers had to go for an important seminar with her husband. So she let her baby daughter, Annabelle, at the Burrow for the weekend. So on Saturday afternoon, while mum was out feeding the chickens, little Annabelle started babbling to me and when I kept staring her like she was an alien she went lament. I freaked out and rushed to mum who solved everything that is. I just remembered it when Harry started crying.

“It is good to have Ginny with us I guess.” Hermione spoke at last and then thinking for a few moments she asked Ron “Are you for a game of wizard chess?

Ron grinned at her and said evilly.

“Are you ready to lose ‘Mione?”

“In your dreams carrot-boy!”

“‘Mione I hate it when you call me that.”

-)-)-)

“Finally! One more and I am done for today,” the black-robed professor thought as he cleaned the cauldron with the tip of his wand. Five potion vials were aligned on the table nearby being full with potion. Placing a mandagora root on the table, he started slicing it quickly humming in the process. Suddenly the humming faded coldly, since Snape realised that he was humming the “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” tune. "Darn I am spending too much time with Potter" he growled continuing his work.

“I have to admit that I am getting weirder and weirder every day. Last night I let him sleep in my bed again” he talked to himself while he was adding a spoonful of unicorn horn’s powder into the cauldron and stirred. “I am bathing the boy, read him stories and I even comment on their plots. One of those days I will start singing lullabies” he commented sarcastically adding the roots in the potion and reached for a bottle containing dragon tears.

The moment his fingers touched the bottle, Severus Snape felt a sharp hot burn on his left forearm. Yelping in pain he withdrew his hand from the table and instinctively pressed his forearm with his right palm. Cursing loudly he leaned down, removed the carped under his office and opened a trap-door. Taking out a silver cloak and a mask, he charmed them to fit his pockets. Then turning around he took a small amount of powder out of a small jar and throwing it in the flames he shouted:

“Headmaster, I am leaving now!”

He rushed to the door and he was about to leave the room, when he remembered something. Turning around he instantly cleaned the cauldron and put out the fire. The mark burned hotter once again making him grit his teeth. “I’m coming. Don’t be so impatient.”

Wearing his black cloak and the mask, the Potions Master apparated inside an old manor. The place was dimly-lit with a few candles and caused a shiver to run down his spine. The other Death Eaters and he were in a circle and in the middle of that circle was the Dark Lord.

Lord Voldemort stood up smirking evilly.

“My loyal servants after so many months in Azkaban I have decided to release you from there. To anyone that wonders why I didn’t do it before, well the answer is easy. I want you to feel how I felt when I was weak and waiting for you to come and find me. You are lucky I am good-hearted!”

Behind the mask Snape’s face contorted in disgust. However he tried to keep his head clean of thoughts. The Dark Lord was known for being able to read the mind easily and he was not to risk being caught.

“But something troubles me,” Voldemort continued hissing venomously “I cannot sense the boy anymore. At first I thought he was dead but now something tells me he is not. Something tells me that the boy is alive and I can’t sense him. And this frustrates me. And you know what happens when I get frustrated. SNAPE!”

“Yes my Lord!” Snape said bowing slightly and being calm as ever.

“What happened to the boy?”

“My Lord, the boy spends most of his times in the Headmaster’s office. No teacher is allowed there during their sessions, but I do suspect that the boy receives Occlumency lessons.”

“Damned-be the old fool!” Voldemort spat glaring. Then eyeing Snape with hatred, as if he was Dumbledore himself, he pointed his wand at him and shouted “CRUCIO”

Snape felt as if every cell inside his body was pierced by hot needles. He wanted to fell to his knees and scream. Yet he was a proud man, a proud man that was not going to loose his dignity in front of a sadistic lunatic. He kept still clutching his fists together so hard that his nails pierced the skin. When the pain subdued he took a deep breath and looked at the Dark Lord.

“This, Snape, is to remind you that I have not forgotten your incapability of turning in the Ministry. You can go now.” Voldemort spoke softly and then shooed him with his hands.

-)-)-)

“RON YOU ARE INSUFFERABLE!”

“AND YOU ARE A KNOW-IT-ALL!”

“WHAT? YOU SLIMY GIT!”

“I KNEW YOU WOULD DO THAT! YOU ALWAYS ACT THE SAME WAY. YOU ARE CALLING ME A GIT BECAUSE I DO NOT SPEAK ILL TO LADIES!”

“OH WHAT A KNIGHT YOU ARE!” Hermione shouted sarcastically.

“Hey, Hey, HEY!” Ginny shouted entering the Common Room holding a small bawl of pureed food. “What is happening here?”

“She tried to cheat!” Ron shouted.

“DID NOT!”

“DID TOO!”

“DID NOT!”

“DID TOO!”

“Guys! GUYS! Chill out people!” Ginny interrupted them, still holding the bowl her hands. The suddenly her eyes closed. Something was missing, something that had to be there. Her eyes opened and widened in shock.

“Where is Harry?” she asked Hermione and Ron. The other two looked at the floor. Harry had disappeared taking Bibi with him.

“HARRY” they shouted in unison and started searching the room.

In the meantime Harry, who could not stay immobile for long, had rolled under the bookcase and had fallen asleep there. The three teenagers searched the Common Room being frantic with worry but no one thought of looking under the library.

“Snape is going to kill us!” Hermione cried, her voice full of panic.

“Or he might reward us for service to the school,” Rom commented while looking under a high-chair.

“It’s not funny Ron!”

“Where could he be?”

-)-)-)

Neville Longbottom entered the room holding his Mimbulus mimbletonia. He put the plant on the table and asked the others what had happened. Receiving the answer that baby Harry was lost he started looking around in the room. He kneeled to look under the library and a few moments later he took out a snoozing baby that was holding a unicorn toy.

“Neville you are a life-saver” Ginny and Hermione said in unison taking the baby from his hands and giving him a peck on the cheek. Neville blushed and taking his plant with him he retreated to the Dormitory. A few minutes later he had joined the three of them in the Common Room. The others were trying to feed baby Harry.

“Open wide for the Hogwarts Express!” Ron said loudly moving the spoon around. For a moment or two the three teenagers could have sworn that baby Harry’s eyes had raised in desperation. Yet the infant opened his mouth for the spoon.

-)-)-)

The Potions Master was sitting inside Dumbledore’s office being worn out. He had just spent the last hour describing the day’s incidents.

“So Voldemort cannot sense baby Harry” Dumbledore spoke slowly “That’s good! It was clever of you to tell him I was teaching him Occlumency Severus. Well done!”

Snape grumbled and stood up to leave. Every cell of his body was aching from the Cruciatus Curse. Dumbledore took the man’s arms and made him sit on an armchair. Taking a Potion vial out of his cupboard, he poured some potion into a goblet and offered it to the sitting man. Snape’s eyes widened from puzzlement as he took the goblet.

“How did you know?” he whispered sipping some of the potion and feeling the aching subduing.

“That he exposed you to the Cruciatus Curse? I have seen many things my boy and it is amazing how worn out you look when you are exposed to a spell that requires such a hatred to be summoned.”

Sipping the last drop from the goblet, Snape nodded and rushed out of the room. He had a potion to finish and, though he felt reluctant to admit it, a baby boy to look after.