"Are you sure you can watch Harry this Saturday, Sev?" asked Lily, it was a few days after they had gone out to dinner at Lazy Joe's. "My mother surprised me with a visit to a spa and I've invited Alice Longbottom to come too, I haven't seen her in ages, but she's got a son the same age as Harry too."

"Yes, I know. Alice and Neville are my patients, though Neville has more health problems than Harry." Neville had asthma and a mild lactose intolerance. "But you go and enjoy yourself at that spa, Lily. Your mother was right, it'll do you good to get out."

She made a face at him through the magic mirror, which was how they communicated with each other. The mirror was quicker and more efficient than using letters or firecalling, though only those in the medical profession used them on a regular basis, since the making of a Mirror of Communication, as they were called, was very time consuming and expensive, but the Healers needed a device they could rely on to speak and receive messages clearly and quickly, for a delay could mean the difference between life and death.

"The two of you are in cahoots, I swear it. You two worry way too much over me, Severus. I promise I'm not going to commit suttee or anything barbaric like that, so you need to quit fretting before your hair turns gray, okay?"

"Well, someone has to worry about you, Lil." Severus said, a bit defensively. "James made me promise, before he went away on his last mission, that if anything ever happened to him, I would make sure you were looked after. I know he didn't mean financially, either, since he left you plenty of money. He meant take care of you emotionally, and you know I always keep my word."

"James made you promise that?"

"Yes. I was quite surprised, but he said I was the one he trusted to do the job right." Severus said awkwardly. "But he needn't have made me promise that, since I'd have done it anyway, because you're my friend and I really do care about you, Lil."

She smiled, her familiar sweet smile that never failed to make his pulse quicken. "I know you do, Sev. And I care about you too. Which is why I'll put up with your mother hen act."

"I do not act like a mother hen, Lily!" he objected.

"No? What would you call it then?"

"Concern," he shot back. Then he changed the subject, not wanting to quarrel over something so ridiculous. "When are you going to this spa?"

"Umm . . .four o'clock tomorrow. Alice got us all a discount, since she works there. I can drop Harry off at your apartment at three, is that good for you?"

Severus nodded. "Perfect. I'll be waiting. Goodbye, Lily, I have patients waiting to be seen. Talk to you later on."

"Bye, Sev."

Then Severus turned the mirror face down, breaking the connection. He carefully tucked it into a pocket of his robes, then went into Exam Room 5 to see an elderly woman complaining of pains in her hip and her back.

* * * * * *

Lily brought Harry over promptly at three o'clock, and the little boy immediately squirmed out of her arms and ran to Severus. "Sevvy, we is here!" he cried, reaching his arms up to be picked up. Clearly, he had forgiven the Healer for punishing him that other evening, and was eager to be cuddled against Severus's shoulder.

"Hello, Harry!" Severus greeted, scooping the little boy up into a hug. "How have you been?"

"Good. Harry missed Sevvy," he declared, then threw his arms about the Master Healer's neck and buried his face in the man's shoulder. He loved the exotic scents and spicy odors that always clung to Snape's clothing from his work in the potions lab.

"Have you been behaving then, scamp?" inquired Sev, with a touch of sternness.

"Uh-huh. Harry been good." He gazed up at Severus, his thumb in his mouth. "Not put in time out, Sevvy."

Severus chuckled at the imp's blatant pleading. "I won't, unless you're naughty, scamp."

"Pwomise?"

"Promise. Now, why don't you go and play with the toys in the toybox, all right?" He set Harry on his feet, and the child scampered over to the toybox that rested against the wall in the den, which was filled with toys the Healer had bought to amuse his charge when he babysat Harry.

Severus turned to Lily, who handed him the usual diaper bag and small satchel filled with Harry's favorite books, including the over-read Goodnight Moon, and his favorite stuffed dragon, Smokey. "You'll be staying overnight at this spa, correct?"

"Yes. My mum wanted to make it a real girls' holiday out, so she booked us a room too. It should be fun, I'm really looking forward to this, Sev. It's been a long time since I've gotten pampered and all that." Lily was smiling again, looking very like she used to in school, he thought fondly.

"You deserve it, Lil. Have a good time and don't worry about Harry, he'll be fine."

"I know he will, as long as you're watching him, Sev. I'm so glad you were free tonight, I know that's rare with your schedule, and my dad was going to a rugby game, and I didn't want Harry going along, that sport's much too violent."

Severus nodded, he didn't care much for such sports. "Well, the scamp and I will be spending a nice quiet evening here, reading and watching TV." Like Lily, Severus's apartment was a mixture of Muggle and wizard objects, and since Severus enjoyed watching TV, he had a large color one in his den, surrounded by curiosities given to him by patients and books, since he was a known bookworm, and read voraciously.

"He's already had lunch, and I put him down for a nap after, so he shouldn't be cranky. You know his usual bedtime's seven-thirty, right?" Severus nodded, he was familiar with Lily's schedule. "Well, I'd best be running along then, the spa's an hour or so away, with no traffic, and Mum prefers to drive rather than Apparate, it makes her sick." Lily said. Then she went over to hug and kiss her son goodbye and thank Severus again before Apparating back to her parents' home.

Severus turned to set the diaper bag and the bag of books on the small coffee table, watching Harry playing with a tender regard on his normally serious features. He took care of little children on a daily basis, and he liked them, but there was something about Harry that never failed to tug at his heart. Perhaps it was the basic sweet nature of the child, or the fact that he was Lily's, or the way Harry adored the Healer like no other child ever had. Not even the dreaded vaccinations Severus had to give him ever dampened Harry's affection for his "Sevvy". And only Harry was ever allowed to call Snape "Sevvy".

Severus sat down on the soft gray couch, which was spelled for maximum comfort, he'd also cast Cushioning Charms about the coffee table and any sharp corners of furniture in the apartment, after one time when Harry had tumbled into the edge of the coffee table and cut open his chin on the corner. Severus had been able to mend the laceration in four seconds, but rather than risk a more serious injury next time the child was running about, he cast the Cushioning Charms over the furniture. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, was an old saying Eileen had often quoted to him while he was growing up, and it was sound advice.

His apartment was not large, it was a single bedroom, combination of den and study, a tiny kitchenette, and a bathroom. It was tastefully decorated, however, the den was done in soothing tones of cream and gray, with a portrait of Eileen above the fireplace and a larger one of the sea shore opposite it, above the couch. The portrait of Eileen was a Muggle one, and so it did not move, but the seascape was a wizard work of art, and you could hear the soft shush of the waves against the shore and the breeze rippling across the dunes and the cries of the occasional gull.

Severus found listening to the portrait very relaxing, he often fell asleep with the sound of the sea in his ears, and slept peacefully, without the nightmares that sometimes plagued him. Harry enjoyed listening to the portrait as well, and Severus had often held him up to it and pointed out the different objects in the portrait, like the ocean, the sand, the birds, a shell, starfish, and a crab.

In the study portion of the room was an old rolltop desk filled with parchments, quills, ink, and sealing wax, various periodicals, and pending cases the Healer brought home to study. He also had cast a space warp spell on the closet in the entrance, making it into a large room where he could prepare potions as needed, and he kept his mini lab well stocked, since you never knew when you might need something.

Harry played contentedly for about twenty minutes with Smokey, the light up colored rubber ball, and some other soft blocks and a mini Quidditch player on a broom that levitated a short distance. "Zoom! Zoom!" he cried, making the dragon fly after the player, growling.

Severus watched him with a rather amused expression, he didn't usually get to see many children play like this, and he enjoyed seeing the innocent child having fun. It was a far cry from his own childhood, he thought darkly, when his father, who was a nasty abusive alcoholic, had tyrannized him and made his life hell. An involuntary shiver crept up the older wizard's spine whenever he recalled those nightmare years with Tobias. He hadn't seen or spoken to the man since Eileen's funeral three years ago, and that was perfectly fine with him. He couldn't stand his father, not after so many years of being beaten and sneered at by the man, and it would be a cold day in hell before Severus ever darkened Tobias's doorstep now that Eileen was dead.

Even after two years of therapy by one of the top Mind-Healers at St. Mungos, Severus still experienced dreadful nightmares and flashbacks, though no one outside of his therapist ever knew it. Severus had learned long before how to hide the signs of abuse and emotional turmoil, and he still occasionally took Dreamless Sleep, so he was not a basket case. He silently thanked Merlin that Harry would never know such terror and pain, it was better to grow up with no father than with the one Severus had.

It was growing a little chilly in the room, so Severus lit the fire with a wave of his hand, he was astoundingly good at wandless non-verbal magic, which had delighted Albus Dumbledore, who had given him advanced lessons in the discipline. Severus suspected one of the reasons he was so good at it had been because Tobias had forbidden him to do magic around his home, even the accidental kind. Tobias was a Muggle and he disliked seeing his son use magic, or even speak about it around him. It made Severus wonder sometimes why the hell the former Marine sergeant had ever married Eileen Prince, who had been a brilliant witch and Potions Mistress. Eileen had allowed him to practice sometimes, when Tobias had been out or sleeping off the latest binge, supervising him closely, however, as per Ministry regulations. Severus suspected his aptitude at such magic came from the fear that he would get beaten if Tobias saw him casting spells, so he had internalized his need to work magic, reasoning that if the man didn't see him with a wand, he would never know magic was being used around him.

Either way, it was a useful skill to have as a physician, since he could summon potions and other items while examining a patient without needing to pause and use a wand to cast a Summoning Charm, and could in effect cast two spells simultaneously. He did this now, using his wand to summon a book from the bookshelf and a gesture to retrieve an ice-cold bottle of water from the fridge. He had just turned to Harry to ask whether he would like a drink too, Lily had given him a jug of children's apple juice (it was less concentrated than the adult kind), when his fire flared and Sirius's face appeared in it.

"Hello, Sev, are you there? Oh, there you are!" he cried upon catching sight of Severus sitting on the couch.

"Hello, Siri. Need a Healer, or are you just calling with the latest gossip from the Auror Department?" asked Severus, rising and coming to stand in front of the fire. Severus had once considered becoming an Auror, and had completed a year of the Academy before changing his mind and dropping out to become a Healer. Even so, he had won an award for the Most Dedicated New Auror Apprentice, and the Academy instructors had been sorry to see him go. Severus still kept in touch with most of them, he was the Healer they called when casualties occurred, and of course he was best friends with two of their top members.

"I need a doctor, Sev, but not your kind. I need a love doctor, Betsy just dumped me. Claimed I wasn't paying her enough attention or something." Sirius sighed, though he didn't seem all that upset. Then again, he had scores of women throwing themselves at him, so he could take his pick. If there was one thing Sirius did not lack for, it was female companionship, Severus thought with a tinge of envy.

"Too bad. Need a handkerchief, Padfoot?"

"What, you think I'm gonna cry over her? Not in a million years, Sev old boy. She was on my arse too much, way too demanding for my taste. I'm kinda relieved it's over. Maybe I'll call up Sandra Snodgrass or Melinda Robinson, they seem like nice girls, willing to give a guy some space to go out with his mates instead of being a manacle. Speaking of going out, you ready to go to the Hornets vs. Dragons match for Matthew's birthday this afternoon? Should be a great game, they've got ace Seekers and killer Beaters too."

Severus did a doubletake. "The Quidditch game is this Saturday? Blast and damn, I thought it was next weekend."

"Nope. Saturday, December 13th. Why? You forget or something?"

"No . . .but I thought . . .I'm, uh, babysitting Harry, Padfoot. Lily and her mother and Alice Longbottom all went to some spa overnight and I told her I could watch Harry. I must have looked at my schedule wrong, because I thought the Quidditch game was next weekend." Severus shook his head in disgust. "Now what do I do?"

"Just bring him along with you, Sev. It's no big deal, kids under three are free, he can sit on your lap or ours during the game. He'll love it, we'll have a blast. Besides, you paid good money for your ticket, and you can't miss Matthew's birthday game, since he is your partner."

"You're right. I can't believe I was so stupid . . .Very well, I'll meet you in front of the ticket counter at the pitch at five. Thanks for reminding me, Sirius."

"No problem, buddy. I'll see you and Harry there. Bye!"

An instant later, Sirius's head vanished, and Severus turned to Harry and said, "Hey, scamp, how would you like to go to a real Quidditch game, huh?"

Harry looked up from his toys and said, "Where, Sevvy?"

"At Gryphon Field, an hour from now," he said, glancing at his watch. "You can keep playing till then. Are you hungry? Do you want a snack or some juice?"

"Yes, want ginger ‘naps an' juice, Sevvy."

Severus rose and rummaged through the bag Lily had packed, finding the small spelled cooler with Harry's child-proof plastic cup with dragons on it and the box of ginger snaps. There were small cheddar crackers shaped like mythical animals as well as chewy fruit snacks.

The Healer summoned a plate and a napkin and set two cookies on the plate and poured the child a cup of apple juice, putting it on the table. Then he told Harry to get his little chair, which was next to the toy box, and come and sit down for his snack.

Harry picked up the lightweight green chair and brought it to the table, which was just the right height for a small child, and set it down. He climbed up on it and looked at Severus. "Sevvy have ‘nack too?"

"Okay." Severus agreed, smiling, then summoned some celery sticks and peanut butter, for he tried to eat healthy food as much as possible, though he did crave sweets but rarely admitted it. He spread peanut butter on a stick of celery and placed it next to the ginger snaps on Harry's plate. "Here, scamp. Try this, it's celery and peanut butter." He usually gave the child a new thing to eat whenever he stayed over, trying out different vegetables and fruits.

Harry eyed the green stalk dubiously. "Why?"

"Because it's good for you. Eat it."

"You eat first!"

So Severus ate one of his celery sticks, and then he pointed to Harry. "Mmm. Now it's your turn."

The little boy picked up the celery and sniffed it. It smelled pretty good, and he liked peanut butter. He bit into it and crunched slowly. It tasted good, especially the ooey-gooey peanut butter. "Yum! Me like this." He ate the entire stick then asked for more.

Severus gave him another, pleased the boy liked something healthy as well as sweets.

By the time he was done with his snack, Harry's face and hands were covered in peanut butter, but he was happily licking it off his fingers.

"You're a mess, imp. Let's get you cleaned up and changed."

The Healer summoned a damp cloth and wiped the toddler's hands and face clean, then picked him up and set him down on the small changing mat that came with the diaper bag. Harry fussed a little, he hated being still, but Severus was used to that, and made short work of removing the child's dirty clothes and nappy.

Harry wriggled and Snape reprimanded him softly, "Stay still, young man. You need this Rash Away on your bottom whether you like it or not. Now quit squirming." He carefully applied the salve to the small bottom, Harry had sensitive skin and was subject to rashes, but Severus's magic salve would clear up the problem in fifteen minutes. "You're getting a bath after the game, scamp. There! That ought to make you feel better." He dressed Harry in another outfit, this one was a red pant set with a Snitch on it and the words Catch It To Win!

Then he allowed Harry to play while he cleaned up and by the time he glanced at his watch again it was time to meet Sirius and Matthew at Gryphon Field.

* * * * * * *

"Harry, can you say go Dragons?" asked Matthew, who had the excited toddler perched on his shoulders, so he could see the players better as they swooped and dove after the Quaffle and the Snitch. The sandy-haired Healer was twenty-two, his birthday had actually been yesterday. "I was born two weeks early, I should've been a Christmas baby," he had told Severus once, laughing. The Dorcet Dragons were his favorite Quidditch team, which was why Severus had bought tickets to their premier game this season as his gift to his partner.

"Go Dwagons!" screeched the raven-haired imp, pounding on the top of Matthew's head with one small fist.

Matthew winced. "Take it easy, little buddy! I don't need you to pound any sense into my head just yet."

Sirius and Severus chuckled at the other's wit, then focused back on the game. The Dragons were ahead of the Hornets by five points, not such a great lead in Quidditch, but so far neither team's Seeker had caught the Snitch.

Harry was so excited about seeing the game that he couldn't sit still on Severus's lap. He shifted from the Master Healer to his Uncle Sirius and then to his Uncle Matt, hollering and clapping his little hands anytime anyone scored. Sirius had bought him a little green flag with a golden dragon it to wave and Matthew bought him a raspberry icy, a hot dog, and a pumpkin juice, with the end result that he was now wired and couldn't sit still for more than a minute.

Severus just rolled his eyes and groaned. "Good one, Morgan. He's so hyper right now, he couldn't sit still if his life depended on it." He prayed the sugar effect would wear off once he brought Harry home, so he could give the child a bath and put him to bed at a normal hour.

Harry was in heaven though. For the first time in his life, he was in a place where he could scream on top of his lungs and not get yelled at or told to use a quiet voice. And he got to eat delicious raspberry ice and drink pumpkin juice too, and wave the cool green flag at the players as they flew by.

Then the Chaser for the Dragons missed the Quaffle and a huge groan went up from the grandstand from the throats of hundreds of fans.

"Ah, blast it!" Matthew cried.

"Bloody hell!" Sirius yelled. "What d'you call that, Andrews?"

A second later, a shrill little voice cried, "Bloody hell!"

"Oh, wonderful. Now you've taught him to swear, Sirius," Severus groaned. "That's all we need. Lily is going to kill me." He turned to Harry and said sternly, "Harry James Severus, you do not use those words, understand?"

Harry nodded. "Why?"

"Because they're bad. Now don't repeat them, understand?"

"Uh huh." Then his attention was caught by a sudden flash of gold off to the right and he turned to stare at it. It was a small winged ball. "Uncle Matt, ‘nitch!" he yelled, pointing. "Look! Look! Saw ‘nitch!"

But his cries were drowned out by the roar of anger as one of the Hornets smacked a Chaser with a bat, a gross foul, and the referee called a penalty. By then the winged globe was gone and when Matthew turned to look where Harry was pointing, he saw nothing and thought the child had imagined it.

"Calm down, kid. The Snitch'll be caught soon, by Evan Marcus, I hope." Matthew raised his voice in a deafening shout. "Catch that Snitch, Marcus! Go Dragons! Smear those Hornets across the sky!"

Severus winced, for his enthusiastic partner was practically bellowing in his ear. "I'm glad you're enjoying your birthday present, Matthew. But must you scream so loud?"

"Sorry, Sev. Forgot your ear was there," his partner apologized with a sheepish grin.

"Catch the ‘nitch!" echoed Harry, waving his pennant wildly.

Severus, who had remarkably good eyesight, saw the winged ball just off to the side of a goal post and cried, "Marcus, to the left of the goal! Open your eyes, Seeker!"

Then the Seeker, who was wearing emerald and gold silks, turned his head and caught sight of the elusive globe and dove for it.

The crowd screamed and cheered or cried out in fury, depending on what team you were rooting for, but Marcus was like a meteor and focused singlemindedly on catching the Snitch. The little gold ball fluttered madly, but Marcus pursued it and snatched it out of mid-air, holding his hand aloft with a grin of triumph.

"He caught it! Yeah, Marcus!" Matthew whooped, punching a fist in the air and almost dislodging Harry.

"Matthew, for Godsake!" reproved Severus, grabbing Harry off his friend's shoulders. "You okay, scamp?"

Harry was smirking and waving the banner, nearly poking poor Snape in the eye. "Catch the 'nitch, Sevvy! He caughted it."

"He caught it," Severus corrected automatically.

"Me know that! He caughted it." Harry repeated stubbornly.

Severus just groaned and resolved to work with the child on the finer points of correct speech some other time, when Harry wasn't distracted by the mob of screaming fans about him, two of which were his uncles.

* * * * * *

Matthew and Sirius decided to accompany Sev back to his apartment for a little post-game celebration, since Severus kept a well-stocked pantry, though Sirius would bring the alcohol, since Severus didn't drink. With his father's legacy, he didn't dare, and he had no alcohol in his home.

So Sirius brought a six-pack of Mystic Mack's home-brewed ale and Matthew rummaged about in Severus's pantry and found some crisps and pretzels and mustard and the two commenced drinking and eating and rehashing the finer points of the match while Severus attempted to get Harry a bath and put down for the night.

Unfortunately, Harry had seemed to get a second wind once they got home, and showed no signs of growing tired. Severus hoped the warm bath would relax the child and make him sleepy, for an overtired Harry was a cranky Harry and he wanted no tantrums to deal with tonight.

He ran the bath water, making sure it was quite warm, but not too hot. Then he added some lavender bubble bath, because the smell of lavender was calming and soothing. He quickly added some bath toys, like a rubber sea serpent, a pirate ship, a fish, and a rubber duck.

"Come on, scamp. Bath time."

"Yay! Bath time!" Harry yelled, and tried to rip off his shirt, but succeeded in getting it stuck halfway over his head instead.

Severus used a gesture to remove Harry's clothes, checked his nappy before removing it, then picked up the child and placed him inside the bath.

Harry giggled and splashed, delighting in the warm water and bubbles. Severus quickly washed the imp's hair and scrubbed him, getting soaked in the process. "Merlin, you little imp! What do you think this is, a splash fest?"

"Splash! Like a fish!" giggled Harry, and he took the fish and splashed it down, creating humongous waves in the bathtub. "Sevvy play too!"

Severus just shook his head. "No, you play, Harry. I'm too tired."

The little boy stuck his lower lip out. It was boring playing alone. "Sevvy no play?" he said in injured tones. Then he got a better idea. Sometimes when Lily gave him a bath she sang to him, silly and funny songs, learned from the Muggle radio usually. "Sevvy sing! Sing wif Harry!"

Severus blanched. "What? Oh no! I don't sing." Not where anyone can hear me, that is, he added to himself.

"Yes!" Harry insisted. "Sing great balls of fwyre!"

"Say what? Great balls of fire?"

"Yes! Great balls of fwyre!" Harry crowed, then sang, "Goodness, gracious, great balls of fwyre!" It was one of his favorites and he knew almost all the words to it. He began to sing the old tune by Jerry Lewis in a childish treble. "You shake my nerves and rattle my brain . . .love drives a man in-SANE . . .oh what a thrill...goodness gracious great balls of fwyre!"

Severus remained with his mouth open. How on earth did Harry know that old song? Lily, it has to be Lily, she loves all the old Muggle songs and used to make me sing along with them on the radio.

Harry stopped singing and whined, "Sevvy sing! Pease! Sevvy sing wif Harry! Pease?" And he gave Severus his most potent green-eyed puppy-dog stare, the one that never failed to make the Master Healer feel all guilty and melt his resolve to a puddle of mush.

Oh, please no! Not THAT look! You know I can't resist that one, boy! Severus groaned. "Harry, I'm not much of a singer . . ."

"Harry help! Pease, Sevvy? Sing!"

The emerald eyes were large and liquid and . . .dear sweet Merlin's ghost, was that a tear? No, the kid better not start crying, Severus thought frantically, and gave in.

"Okay, Harry. Don't cry. I'll sing. But only for you." I must be out of my mind. The last time I sang in front of anyone was when I was nine and in Vi's car with Lily in the backseat. He cleared his throat. Then he began to sing in soft baritone, "You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain . . ."

Harry joined in enthusiastically, until by the time they got to the chorus, both the little boy and the Master Healer were singing lustily.

"Goodness gracious great balls of fire!"

"Great balls of fwyre!" sang Harry, loud enough to be heard in the den. Then he splashed both hands down and created a tidal wave that swamped the pirate ship and the rubber duck.

Out in the den, Sirius and Matthew stared at each other.

"Did you just hear what I heard, Matt?"

"I think so, but . . .no way!"

"Because I could swear I heard Sev singing."

"Severus doesn't sing," Matthew disagreed.

"You broke my will, ooh what thrill! C'mon, Harry!" Severus urged, singing the chorus with gusto. "Goodness, gracious . . ."

"Great balls of fwyre!" Harry shrieked.

The two men nearly fell off the couch.

"I don't believe it!"

"Merlin's balls!" Sirius gasped. "I gotta see this!"

The two tiptoed down the hall to the bathroom, where they could hear Harry singing slightly off-key, "Kiss me, baby!"

Sirius transformed into his dog form and nudged open the door, and came in on the last part, howling, "Oooww-iee!"

Severus nearly fell into the tub, he was so startled.

"Having a ball, Sev?" Matthew teased, laughing, unable to resist.

"Uh . . .It's . . .not what it looks like, Matt. . ." stammered the Healer, feeling himself turn scarlet. "Harry wanted to sing . . .so I was, uh, humoring him . . ."

Matthew just laughed harder. "Sounds like you were having a good ol' time, buddy. Right, Padfoot?"

Sirius barked, then came in and wagged his tail.

"Padfoot!" Harry shrilled. "Play!" He made as if to scramble out of the tub.

"Harry!" Severus cried, just managing to grab the slippery boy before he climbed out of the tub and fell on the tile. "Where d'you think you're going, little boy?"

"Play wif Padfoot, Sevvy!" Harry insisted, trying to get free of Severus's restraining arms.

"Hold on, you need to get dried off first, brat," Severus said, drying the wriggling boy off with a hastily cast drying charm. "Now let's get you in a clean nappy and pajamas and then you can play with the overgrown mutt."

Once he'd dressed the toddler, he allowed Harry to romp with Sirius for ten minutes, then he told Harry it was time for books and he read Goodnight Moon three times and The Littlest Unicorn and Love You Forever until Harry was asleep. After tucking him into his crib and leaving a small nightlight on, he walked back into the den and met the knowing smirks of his friends.

"Want a beer, Sev?" offered Sirius, grinning like a dog with a bone.

"No, thanks."

"How about some pretzels?" Matthew suggested, his hazel eyes twinkling.

"No."

"Wait, I know. We could roast some marshmallows over the fire, and have us a sing-a-long. You know, Camptown Races, Row Row Row Your Boat, Great Balls of Fire. . ." Matthew suggested, then he cracked up.

"Very funny, Morgan," Severus scowled.

"I never thought I see the day . . ." Sirius howled, holding his sides and laughing uncontrollably.

"Yeah . . .you know what they say, Siri," Matthew gasped.

"What?"

"It ain't over till Sevvy sings!"

The two collapsed onto the couch, prostrate with mirth.

Severus frowned at them severely. "I don't see what the hell's so funny about it."

"We know! That's why it's so damn funny!" roared Sirius.

Severus just shook his head. "Some damn friends you are," he muttered, pretending to be angry, though he was more embarrassed than angry. He stalked into the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea, leaving his two friends sniggering like two adolescent boys, hiding a faint smile. Only for you, Harry.