Albus Dumbledore is not an easily angered man, nor is he an unforgiving man but right now he wanted to thoroughly throttle his potions master. Severus, whom he had known since he was a young boy, had done something so incredibly stupid that for Severus it was a rather kind act to do. Yes Albus Dumbledore was still sore about him de-aging the wizarding world’s only hope, Harry Potter. Ah, sure some say it is foolish to put all the hopes in the hands of a young teenager, or whom once was a young teenager, but the prophesy clearly stated the facts and the fact was Harry is a key player.

Now Albus had come to turns a little bit ago about the fact that Harry was a mere toddler but with all the attacks that have been occurring were worrisome. Now was not the time to put one person above the many! People were dying and if one boy could save them then he should!

Deep down he knew that the way he had handled things in the past were wrong; leaving Harry with his relatives, though he thought the action would protect the lad, letting the boy run into all kinds of dangers head on. Yes he had made mistakes but make no mistake he cared about the boy more so than he probably should but he couldn’t help but feel that de-aging the boy was wrong.

Even no he was still surprised that Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy of all people would take it upon themselves to do this. These were the two most unlikely candidates in the entire world, besides Voldemort and his deatheaters, which he would have though would do this. How they—

“Ah yes, hello Severus, take a seat.” Said man sat directly in front of his desk in a rather oddly colored chair that Albus seemed to favor. “How are you this lovely day?”

“Just fine headmaster.” Rubbing a hand between his brows Severus groaned. “Albus ignore the pleasantries if you would. I am exhausted and have a two year old boy waiting for me as well as a, I am sure by now, petulant teenager.”

Albus chuckled lightly, “such is the burden of parenthood Severus. I dare say not what you were expecting was it?” Albus was trying to dig a little deeper seeing if there was anything he could play upon to perhaps speed up the aging progress.

“On the contrary it is exactly what I had expected. Now please Albus, what is it you wish of me?”

“I merely wish to know your progress Severus, on the potion? Cornelius has been inquiring about it again.”

“As of now I have made very little progress. I have taken to the guess and check method I am afraid. There is simply no record of any ingredient that will progressively age someone a little bit and as I refuse, as you may remember, to return him to his previous age it will simply take some time. Minister Fudge, as well as yourself,” He glared at the old man, “must be patient I am afraid.”

Patience, something the old man was known to have but something he knew he himself was horrible at having. “Yes, Severus I understand that. Very well.”

“Good day Headmaster.”

Albus knew he had lost something when the man walked out the door. I have lost my friend, the one that used to call me Albus. The headmaster shook his head sadly.

------ --- - - - - - ------

“Gah! How could any small thing like you make something like that?!” Draco pinched his nose and moved away from the sitting toddler.

Harry himself was playing quietly with his blocks staring at the door waiting for Severus to return. He was none the wiser to whatever Draco was complaining about. In fact that was the last thing he was thinking about. “Dwaco, when Daddy coming back?”

“Kid, that’s the least of our worries. We have something much bigger to worry about. Oooh…when Severus gets back here he is in big trouble. I didn’t sign up for this.” He pinched his nose. “Yeth, he ith in biiiiig trouble!” Harry giggled slightly at the slurred words.

“Is there a reason you are talking like that Draco?” Said man, yes the one according to Draco was in biiiiig trouble, walked in with a smirk on his face.

“Severus! Great, yes here take a guess.” Draco lifted Harry under his armpits and held him as far away as possible depositing him into the surprised mans arms. “Take a nice big whiff!”

Unfortunately the nice big whiff wasn’t needed. It took only one second of the child being near him that he sniffed the most repulsive smell ever. “Ugh. Harry! Wait a minute, Draco how long have you left him like this?”

Draco was slowly moving towards the door. “Oh no more than fifteen minutes.” With that he fled the room before Severus could harp at him.

Severus stared at the open door, mouth wide open for a minute before he closed his mouth quickly and held his breath. “All right kid. Since his highness wouldn’t clean you up I guess it’s up to me. Though when that boy comes back here I will give him something to clean…No Harry you need a bath as well. Ugh I don’t think my chambers will ever smell the same again.”

One long bath and several freshening charms around his chambers later Severus had his nose buried in a book with Harry sitting next to him “reading.” Severus glanced at the boy. “What are you reading Harry?”

“A book daddy.”

“Yes Harry I know it is a book. Which book are you reading?”

“Da bestest one. Bunny book!” Silence. “What you weading daddy?”

“Potions.”

“Ah….Dat no good daddy!” The little boy looked at him with pity. “Dat no good at all!”

Severus looked back at him and shook his head. “Nonsense it’s educational.” All he got was a tongue poking out of the small mouth for an answer and a small shake of the raven head.

It was a few days later that Severus got an owl personally from the minister containing a not so subtle threat that if Harry Potter was not returned to a proper age that he, Severus, was going to face dire consequences one of which is giving Harry up to the ministry for custody. There would only be one way to pry the child from him, from his dead cold hands and even then he had a feeling that Draco had grown attached and would fight just as much as he would for Harry.

So with this on his mind, Severus found himself in his laboratory searching frantically for that one ingredient that could age Harry a small amount. He almost had to consider the hard truth that he may not be able to in time and thus be forced to age Harry back to his original age hoping that he, Severus, and Draco would be able to keep him stable. But, Severus thought, that would be the very last resort.

Harry was now with Draco again, whom was very happy that Harry was starting to potty train, no more “eww gross, I am not changing that,” to have to listen to in the future, though he was sure there would be many more before Harry got the hang of it as with most children.

Clearing his mind he set to work. He went through six different ingredients mixing them into the original aging potion all of which blew up fantastically in his face, failure becoming prominent.

He was insistent though that he was not going to leave his lab without at least some success. Luckily it was the weekend and he was able to take at least the next two days to work continuously on this project. Draco was already prepared and had moved some necessities to his rooms including his large amount of school work that he was undoubtedly working on now.

Wiping his brow he grabbed some salamander eyes and started brewing another potion hoping that maybe this time it would react better than covering him in liquids.

It was a little over two hours later when something happened, something that was rather unexpected; there was a knock on his doors. He knew it wasn’t Draco for he would just barge in if he was really needed and since the person didn’t, and Draco knew better than to interrupt him right now, he was at a loss as to who it was. Growling at his now ruined potion, this could have been the one to work, he yanked the door open only to slam it shut again when he saw who it was.

A harder knock followed with a voice yelling at him to open the door followed before he became fed up when it became apparent that the person or should he say persons’ wouldn’t go away. Slamming the door back open Severus sneered.

“What do you want?! I am busy and you are not permitted in this section of the castle without my express permission and seeing as I would never do such a thing for you, you are breaking some rules. 30 points from Gryffindor!”

The two Gryffindor's looked at him with outrage. “We came to talk to you sir! That’s not fair!” Ah, the know-it-all, the one who hates rule breaking but finds it all right when she does it herself.

“I, Ms Granger, do not care if you feel it is fair, I do believe you have read Hogwarts a History, since you are always quoting from it, there is a full chapter dedicated to the rules and one of which I have pointed out that you are breaking. Now get out!”

“Please, we only wish to see Harry. We heard that you were going to age him back!”

“Granger you have three seconds to leave before I become so annoyed with you that I do something that I won’t but the school would regret.”

“But it’s true? He will be Harry again?” That would be Weasley or the Weasel as Draco liked to call him.

“Ah Mr. Weasley you finally grew a spine and decided to grace me with your pathetic voice. Now the two of you listen, and listen really well because I will not be repeating myself. There is no way that I will be returning Harry to his deplorable situation before I took him in. He will not be your age again for a very long time, he will never face your betrayal again, and nor will be forced to pretend to be happy for he will be. Now leave!” He shut the door with such force that potions jars rattled on their shelved. Quickly he spelled the door locked and placed a silencing charm wondering why he hadn’t done that in the first place and wishing he had for then he wouldn’t have such a large migraine.

One week, that’s all Severus had to find this ingredient, one week before either Harry would be a few years older or he Severus would be dead.

---- - - - -

“Den the bird goes hewe. An’ da cat is on the bird so it goes hewe! N’ den da…Dwaco what is this?”

“Kangaroo, Harry.”

“Oh.” Harry held the large puzzle piece up close fingering it. “I never sawed a Kangawoo afore! Dey looks funny.” He placed the piece on the carpet with the other 3 he managed to piece together trying to connect it with one of the other ones. He tried several ways, even a couple more than once before giving up on it for now and instead picking up a duck piece.

With Harry occupied for now Draco turned back to his History essay pinching himself slightly so he could stay awake while doing it. Even when he wasn’t in class the subject itself was still a bore.

He threw his quill down on the coffee table that he was working on. He wondered how Severus was coming with that potion. He had told him about the deadline he was giving and he just knew that Severus would do anything to make sure the ministry would never get custody of Harry even if he didn’t manage to invent this new potion.

“Come on Harry let’s go try the potty now.” Cringing at himself for saying such words he hauled the toddler to his feet and led him to the bathroom even amidst the cries that he didn’t “have ta use da potty.” It did turn out that he didn’t have to but not for reasons that Draco would have liked.

Tens minutes later they left the bathroom unsuccessful but clean and each returned to their respective activities until lunch. After lunch when Harry was napping in his “big boy bed” Draco couldn’t help but observe the toddler noticing that even with proper meals he was still a tiny tyke. His face was peaceful though, unaware of the problems around him, so unlike his elder self was.

There would have been a time not too long ago that Draco would have used any weakness Harry had against him with taunting and even telling his father. Things sure had changed though and not just Harry’s size. Draco, by his actions, had denied the ways of the Dark Lord something that no one, especially anyone in this school, would have ever thought possible. He was groomed from a young age to be to put it simply a monster, the perfect Death Eater, it was actually a miracle he denounced those ways since that was all he knew.

Shaking his head at himself, for he did not want to think about his past, he pulled the covers tighter around Harry before he left the room

He was tempted to check on Severus to see if he had made any headway but he knew that he would lose multiple appendages if he so much as knocked on that door without an emergency prompting him.

He threw his school books to the side too agitated to even look at them. Would life ever become simple again? Everything used to be black and white and not it was a rather disgusting shade of grey. He popped his feet up on the other end of the couch and decided to indulge in a little nap himself.

There was something poking him in the side nothing hard enough to hurt but enough to be an annoyance. He mumbled and turned over on the couch . The poking resumed.

Finally fed up with the infernal poking to shot forward bellowing. “What do you want!?” He looked to the one responsible and was met with a trembling lip.

Draco barely heard it but there was a quiet whisper of “potty” that got him moving. Picking up Harry he nearly ran into the bathroom and ripped off the nappy he had placed on him before nap time and plopping him down on the little toilet. It took ten minutes too long but finally Harry did his business earning a sorry and praise from Draco.

- - --- - - - - - -- ------- - --- - - --

In his lab Severus threw an empty vial at the dungeon wall. What the hell am I missing!? Frustrated he turned to the large pile of books he had gathered and proceeded to look through the next couple before deciding to try a new combination. I need to find something and fast.