Severus Snape stalked up the steps to the second floor girl’s restroom. Grumbling and hissing, the Head of Slytherin’s strides were long and sharp, causing his robes to billow majestically behind him. Several Hufflepuffs shrank back in fear as the Potions Master glided past them and they whimpered softly. But for once, Snape did not notice, nor did he particularly care.

Coming to a halt at the restrooms, he saw Minerva McGonagall standing outside the door, her lip in a thin line and her dark blue eyes flashing from a range of different emotions. “Oh, Severus! I’m glad you’re finally here,” she exclaimed, motioning for him to come closer.

The younger professor did as he was bade and scowled at his old teacher. “What is it, Minerva, that you would interrupt my work?” It was Saturday, after all, a time when he could catch up on his grading and brewing. A time when he could be rid of all of the insufferable dunderheads that called themselves students.

When McGonagall did not even look cross at Snape for his tone was when the Slytherin was alerted that something serious must have happened. Dread tugged at his heart, but he occluded his mind quickly, forcing himself to remain cool and composed. If it was a terrible situation, then he would need all of his wits about him. He could not afford to go blubbering away like some silly Hufflepuff girl, nor could he charge in there stupidly like a Gryffindor. He had to be completely Slytherin.

“There has been a potion explosion,” Minerva answered.

“What?” Severus frowned. “What, in the bathroom?” he could not keep the disgust out of his voice.

“Yes, yes, why else would we be here then?” the Head of Gryffindor huffed in frustration.

“What, they stir it in the loo?” Snape could not help but be outraged. Had he not explicitly lectured to all the little imbeciles about the volatile nature of potions? About how it was an exact art, one that demanded careful attention and perfection? When he caught the twerp that decided to disrespect his trade, they would pay dearly.

“Please, Severus, this is no time to make jokes,” McGonagall sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

“Who’s joking?” Snape hissed, before he pushed aside his resentment to get on with the matter at hand. “What potion was it? Who did this?”

Once again, the Transfigurations professor looked ruffled. “I don’t know who did this, or what potion it is, Severus. It could be as harmless as Peper Up Potion, or it could be hazardous. I assume that since it exploded, that something was not done correctly, so I called you. I did not think it would be a good idea to simply try to banish the mess away.”

“That was wise,” the Potions Master nodded, taking out his wand. “If this is a potion that has gone completely wrong, then mixing magic into the equation may have made things much worse. You will make sure that this room will be unused, yes?”

“No one ever goes in here because of…well, you know,” Minerva snorted.

“I had to make sure,” Snape turned away, and opened the door.

Steam came out at him in a rush, and a sort of greenish blue smog hung in the air. Before taking a step inside, the Potions Master sniffed the air, hoping to distinguish the potion by smell. But it was not his luck. Although he would never admit it, Severus had absolutely no idea what this potion could be.

Taking a ginger step in, Snape looked around the entire bathroom again. Purple goo clung to the walls, the sinks, the stalls, and the ceiling. It was the worse potions explosion that the professor had seen in years. It was actually worse than any of Mr. Longbottom's attempts to brew in class.

But there, in the center of the room, lay a melted cauldron. It was the standard black iron, looking wholly unremarkable at all. If there had been a stir stick here, Snape did not see it. It had either been completely destroyed, or it was covered under a mound of goop. Either way, the professor doubted that it could be any help.

Looking down at his boots, which were now covered in purple slop, Snape took note that whatever this mess was, that it did not seem to react negatively with clothes. That was good news, he supposed, so he took out his wand and aimed it at a particular pile of mess.

As the spell hit the spot, the purple goo disappeared instantly, as though it had never been there at all. Snorting impatiently, the Potions Master realized that this was just a common, everyday mess that someone had made for him to clean up. He was not anyone’s slave, and the thought of cleaning up after ungrateful teenagers really burned the professor. He would make it a priority to find out who did this. They would pay.

But unwilling to let McGonagall in, just in case, Severus began to tedious task of cleaning. The more he cleaned up, the more he became angry, and his anger never lasted long before it turned into fury. Yes, yes he would make the little dunderheads pay, Albus could not stop him. Let the children cry to Albus, he could not help them!

But as he was disposing of the goo, the Potions Master did not see the little creature crawling on the floor coming toward him, drooling merrily. It came over to the furious professor, covered in purple goop and smiles.

Suddenly Severus felt a sharp tug on the back on his robes. Snapping his head back, he looked down to see a little baby with a lightning bolt scar sitting on his cloak with a fist full of black material, giggling.

“AH!”

******

As though the child were a dangerous animal, Snape pulled his robe out from underneath the child as quickly as he could. The baby merely went up, and then landed on his bum again. The act was similar to a person pulling the tablecloth out from underneath a set table.

With a pounding heart, the professor stared down in shocked horror at the little thing that happened to still be smiling up at him. No, no, no! This could not be happening. This could not be who the professor thought it could be.

But when the child opened his large, green eyes, Severus knew that he was, unfortunately, right. This baby was none other than the infamous Harry Potter.

Looking about panicked, Snape tried to see if there was anyone there to help him, but of course there was not. He had told Minerva to make sure no one came in. “Why is it always you?” Snape glared down at the baby.

Little Harry merely smiled up at the Potions Master and clapped his hands excitedly. What nerve! The boy was still cheeky even as infant! “Brat!” Snape hissed, but it only furthered the child’s glee.

Clearing the mess in record time, Severus opened the window to allow the smog to clear out, and cleaned his robes. The only thing he had left to do was take care of that Potter brat. A horrible image of him flushing the baby down the toilet crossed the professor’s mind, but he shook it off instantly. Despite what he would tell others, he really did not want to physically harm children…just mentally, as it was fun to watch them squirm.

But this was a different situation entirely. Snape had never been good with children, and he was even worse with kids under the age of eleven. He had ever only handled one small child before, and that had been Draco Malfoy years ago now. What was he going to do with a baby? A Potter baby at that!

Walking up to little Harry as though he might attack, Snape leaned over and cautiously picked up the little bugger. The Boy-Who-Lived-To-Give-Heart-Failure-To-Others grinned a big toothless smile at the Potions Master before he giggled again. Drool flowed from the little mouth and managed to get onto the professor’s hand.

Glowering at the baby, who giggled again, the professor walked over to the sink and set the child down. “You are in big trouble, you little brat,” he hissed. “When we get you back to your normal self, you’re going to be scrubbing cauldrons and writing lines for me until school gets out!” he threatened. “And then you’ll pick it up after summer. Oh, and don’t think that you’re doing your house any favors either, because you’re going to loose at least one hundred points, if I have my say!”

The speech was met only with a yawn and a sleepy smile. Sneering, Severus washed his hands before cleaning the goo covered baby. What was happening here? How was it that he got stuck cleaning Harry Potter? Where had it all gone wrong?

“Is everything alright now? Or are you all thinking up another way to get rid of me?” came the sulky whine of Moaning Myrtle.

Grinding his teeth together, the professor had to stop himself from screaming. It was just not his day, was it? “No, Myrtle,” he barked. “For the last bloody time, no one’s trying to get rid of you, so just go back into your bloody toilet!” he was careful not to let the ghost see the baby. The last thing he needed was for the whole school to know that Harry Potter, the brilliant Gryffindor, had managed to turn himself into a baby. He knew his Slytherins would be all over this opportunity. And perhaps rightly so.

Myrtle huffed and pouted. “You know, Professor Snape, I feel obligated to believe you, because if the Headmaster wanted me gone, then he would have let you get rid of me years ago.” The ghost came rushing down to face the professor. “You’d be so much better looking if you smiled,” she suggested innocently.

“GET AWAY!” Snape thundered. This was the last straw. Why was he still even here? Why had he let Dumbledore talk him into teaching? He could probably have his very own potions shop in Diagon Alley, away from stupid children, obnoxious coworkers, and flirtatious ghosts.

The Potions Master watched in slight satisfaction as the ghost’s face crumbled and she began to cry. Snape’s joy was short lived, however, when the wailing began. Wasn’t she supposed to be Moaning Myrtle, not Wails-Excessively Myrtle?

Myrtle soon realized that Snape was not going to offer any sort of apology and soon dashed back into her toilet. As he watch on, the professor had to clench his jaw again when he turned back to stare at the child, who was dozing off. “Bloody Merlin,” he growled as he picked up the baby. But when little Potter opened his eyes, and smiled tiredly at Severus, the wizard froze. Those eyes…

Clearing his throat awkwardly, the Potions Master found himself settling the child securely into his arms, trying to cover him up as best as he could. After all, the little brat was stark naked! But the Headmaster could deal with all this.

Plan firmly set in place, Snape began to walk out of the room. He stopped when he remembered that he would need a sample of the potion to experiment with for future reference. Perhaps then he could figure out just what Potter had been trying to brew. And why in the girl’s bathroom!

Minerva was not in the hall when Severus emerged, which was just as good with him. So, as quickly, and as carefully, as he could, the professor flew to the Headmaster’s office, making sure his bundle was out of sight. No students ever really stared at him when he stalked down the halls, at least not his front. They usually leap out of his way, which was always nice.

Coming to the gargoyles, after passing only a handful of students, Severus barked the password of “Mango Smoothie,” which was unfortunately the Headmaster’s new favorite drink at the moment thanks to an outing the old wizard had had out in a Muggle neighborhood, and quickly ascended the stairs. He did not want Potter to make a mess of his robes, especially while naked!

Without waiting for the old wizard to acknowledge him, Severus stormed through the door. “Headmaster,” he called.

Sitting at his desk, a smoothie in one hand and a quill in the other, Dumbledore looked up and smiled. “Severus, my boy! Come in, come in.”

The Potions Master fought to urge to groan, but there were more important things at hand then picking a fight with Albus about his new fetish. “We have a problem,” he cut straight to the point. And before Dumbledore could speak, Severus brushed back his cloak to reveal the sleeping baby in his arms.

Instantly standing up from his desk, Dumbledore ran around, and motioned for Severus to take a seat. The Slytherin sat down, careful not to jar the baby. After all, it would not do to wake the little brat and have him screaming in his ear, now would it? Myrtle had already given him a headache.

The Headmaster raised an eyebrow at his subordinate’s gentle manner, but went to looking the baby over. “Who is this?” he asked softly.

“Who do you think?” Snape spat, but quietly. Although his manner was more gentle, that did not mean his tongue was. “It’s Potter!”

“Harry?” Albus was taken aback. “What happened?”

“A potions explosion on the second floor. Minerva called for me to clean it up and make sure it was not dangerous,” he paused a moment to sneer down at the child, who was cradled securely in his arms. “But it appeared that it was, in a way. I found Potter there.”

“Was there anyone else?” the Headmaster asked in alarm.

“No, just Moaning Myrtle,” Severus’s face darkened at the thought. “But she did not see Potter, I made sure of that.”

“And the potion? Is everything all cleared away?”

“Yes, I took care of that,” Snape acknowledged. “I did save a sample, just in case. But Albus, I would appreciate it if you would get a bottle of aging potion,” he drawled. “I have no wish to hold this brat any longer than necessary.”

Standing still for a moment, as though still trying to absorb the information, Dumbledore jumped after a moment. “Oh! Yes, of course. A moment if you please, Severus.”

While Dumbledore looked through his private stores, Snape took the chance to inspect the little whelp in his arms. It was small, vulnerable, disgusting, and so very Potter like. Even at this age, Severus decided that he did not like this child. Who could like such a nasty, squishy pink thing? Why did anyone want to be parents?

When the Headmaster came back, Snape ripped the vial away from the old wizard and tried to wake the baby. “Wake up little dunderhead,” Severus coaxed softly, ignoring the Headmaster’s stern frown. “Wake up and take your potion so I can punish you properly.”

Green eyes fluttered open, and again, for some odd reason, the child smiled up at Severus. Taken back by the look of complete trust and utter adoration, Snape resolved just to shove the potion into the child’s mouth to make him drink. The professor could not afford to start getting soft. He was not a gentle man, he was not.

After drinking the required sip, little Harry’s face screwed up into a look of disgust, and for a moment, Severus began to fear that the brat would start crying. It was the first stroke of luck all day when the child did not. Instead, Harry opted to turn over and snuggled closer to Snape’s chest instead. There was a moment of silence.

“That’s adorable!” Dumbledore’s exclamation brought Snape out of his shock.

“It most certainly is not adorable!” he spat. “Potter didn’t change back!” he cried helplessly.

“Well, it’s obvious that whatever potion he has gotten into was not the standard age reversing potion,” Albus stated unnecessarily. “I suppose we’ll have to wait until he changes back to normal on his own.”

“What!” Severus stopped himself short before he stood up. He did not want to wake the baby…because then that would make the child scream, no doubt. “What if he never changes back?”

“Then I suppose we’ll have to find someone to care for him,” the Headmaster shrugged.

Severus narrowed his eyes at the old wizard, as all of his warning signs flared to life. “You’re taking all of this rather calmly, Albus,” he remarked. “Why is that?”

“Because I realize that there is nothing we can do about it right now,” the Headmaster said wisely. “Why worry? I’m sure things will sort themselves out eventually. Smoothie?”

“No, I don’t want your bloody smoothie!” Severus hissed. “What I want to know is who’s going to take care of Potter.”

Instantly, Snape knew he had done something wrong when Albus’s eyes began to twinkle fiercely. “Why, Severus, are you volunteering?”

“No!” he all but shouted. “No, I most certainly am not!”

The old wizard sat down at his desk and smiled looking down at Harry, and then up at Severus again. The Potions Master began to feel another tug of anxiety creeping into his chest. Why did those damn blue eyes always have to twinkle like that? It really did make them so much harder to read!

“Well then, my dear boy, I suppose that you are not volunteering, but I am ordering you to look after Harry until he turns back into a normal fifteen year old.”

“What!” Snape was horrified. “But…But he might not change back! I don’t want to look after the brat! I’m not good with small children, Albus. I’m not even good with children at all. I don’t even like children!”

The Headmaster chuckled a little too merrily for Snape’s comfort, and the Potions Master was severely tempted to hex the old fool. “Don’t worry so much, Severus.”

“Don’t worry? Don’t worry! Potter’s an infant and he won’t change back! Of course I’m going to worry, and you should too,” he admonished angrily. “I refuse to do this.”

“You made a promise to me,” Dumbledore’s entire manner changed in an instant into a serious countenance. “You said that you would watch over Harry after his parents died. And I’m holding you to that.”

“But Albus!” Severus cried in dismay. “I can’t do this! What about Minerva? She’s the brat’s Head of House, shouldn’t he be her problem?”

“I’m afraid that most of the staff members are getting on in age, my boy,” Albus looked a bit too feeble at that moment to be believable. “We cannot look after a baby. But you are the youngest staff member. You could do it!”

Sitting in horrified silence, Severus began to shake his head. “Absolutely not!”

Where had he gone wrong? It was a question that plagued the Potions Master’s mind as he watched his chambers spilt and change around. What had he done to deserve this? All he had done this morning was brew potions- which just so happened to be his job. He had not even made any students cry! Well, the Hufflepuffs didn’t really count as he had not done anything directly to them.

Standing silently, Snape watched as one room formed into another, his bookshelves were all changing around, and his entire home was becoming decidedly more cramped. He did not like it at all!

And the blame for such intrusion and havoc on his personal space? Why, none other than the sleeping little bugger that was Harry Potter! How had he let Albus talk him into watching the brat again? Oh, yeah; it might have had something to do with the fact that the Headmaster threatened not to pay him for the rest of the year, or something along those lines.

“This is all your fault,” the professor hissed down at the little one in his arms. “Why is it always you!” Potter, with his nerve, smiled, even in his sleep!

“There you are, Severus!” Dumbledore lowered his wand and turned with around with a decidedly annoying smile on his face. “Now you and Harry can live a bit more comfortably.”

Scowling fiercely enough to melt flesh off the bone, Snape could not help but wish he had such abilities. He could just hear the Headmaster as he sunk to the floor, screeching like the Wicked Witch of the West…er, perhaps it was more like the Wicked Wizard of the Northeast? Whatever it ended up being, Severus still wished he could splash around in a Headmaster puddle. He wouldn’t even mind cleaning up that mess.

“How, in your line of logic, will this be a comfortable arrangement?” he growled. “This is all preposterous, and you know it! What will people say when they see me lugging this little…thing, everywhere?”

Unfazed, the Headmaster only smiled wider. “Tell them it’s your nephew-”

“My nephew!”

“-of sorts,” Albus frowned slightly at the interruption. “Come, come now, my dear boy! This could be a very interesting time for you! You’ll embark on a wonderful new journey that is parenthood.”

“I am not Potter’s father!” Snape was horrified enough that he almost dropped said Potter. But he recovered quickly, looking down anxiously to see if he had woken the little boy.

“Well, until he changes back, just think of him as a nephew,” Dumbledore shrugged. “You’ll have to watch out for him. Call a house elf if you need help. Now, Severus,” Albus looked serious. “We must keep this just between ourselves. I’ll go now to tell Minerva and Poppy.”

“Then how is that ‘just between ourselves’ then?” Severus could not help the anger that flooded into his veins. He was justified, was he not?

Unbelievably, the Headmaster looked rather shocked for a moment before looking pensive, causing the Potions Master to roll his eyes. “Well then, I suppose we must keep this just between the four of us… kinda like that game four squares. Have you ever played it, Severus?”

“Oh, for the love of Merlin, Albus!” Severus exploded, waking the baby, who began to cry.

“Oh! Well, I’ll leave you to get settle in, my boy. I’ll come by before dinner. Toodles!” the old wizard went to the Floo promptly and disappeared, leaving behind a highly disgruntled Potions Master.

“Coward!” he called after the old man, knowing Albus would have heard that.

Now, left alone with a screaming baby, Severus began to panic. What should he do? What should he do! How could he make this stop?

Hurrying over to the couch, Snape deposited the baby there, and looked down at the red face. What did he usually do when children were hysterical? Growl at them, insult them, and then take points away. Well, that wasn’t going to help him much! What did other people do with crying children?

“Food!” Severus had a stroke of genius, amazing himself that he had not simply had a regular kind of stroke instead.

Rushing into the kitchen, the Potions Master looked around for a bottle, only to discover that he did not have a bottle. Why would he have a bottle anyway? What kind of use would someone like Severus have for such an item? But when the child began to scream louder, the young professor, grabbed a potions vial and transfigured it into a bottle.

Then, as quickly as he could, he took out some milk, poured it into the bottle before he mixed in a nurturance potion, just to make sure the little blighter got everything he needed. Then, with a quick flick of his ebony wand, Snape warmed the milk before hurrying back into the sitting area.

When the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Aggravate looked up to see the professor running back into the room, the little baby held up his arms, big tears still rolling down from his large, green eyes. “Hold on, little demon!” Snape’s voice sounded much too worried for his own comfort.

Tentatively, the potions professor picked up the squirming bundle, and sat down with mini-Potter in his lap. With his ears ringing from the ungodly screams, Snape shoved the bottle into the child’s mouth, rejoicing when the baby began to suckle and stopped his insufferable wailing. Well, at least the child had good lungs anyway... 

Unaware, Severus began rocking back and forth, as he held the bottle in one hand and the baby in the other. He was quite frazzled and he wished that everything would just be normal. Oh, how he pined for the good ol’ days! He had taken too much for granted several hours ago, when he had foolishly thought that the day was his. Now, it all happened to belong to Potter.

“When you get back to normal, I swear, not even Dumbledore will be able to protect you form me,” Snape vowed evilly.

Little Harry did not seem overly concerned though, and he continued on with his happy meal. The big emerald eyes stared up into the pale face of the Potions Master and there was only one thought that went through the child’s simple mind at that time: this man was good and he loved this man.

Had Snape known what was going on through the child’s head, he would have probably thrown him through the Floo and then run out of the castle screaming, but as it was, the Potions Master did not know what the baby was thinking, and so went on as he had been the past hour. The only thing going through Snape’s mind at the moment was that he was glad the child was clothed. He feared what would happen to his clothes and furniture if the baby was not. He shuddered.

After about ten minutes, the child seemed to grow sleepy, and stopped his sucking. Severus thought about letting the thing pass out when he recalled seeing mothers pat the backs of babies after they had just eaten. Shrugging to himself, the wizard did not want to do anything wrong, so he sat little Potter up and over his shoulder. More gently than he felt like doing it, he began to pat the little back, noticing that his whole hand was almost the entire length of the boy’s back.

Well, this was certainly unsuspectingly soothing in a way. Perhaps if he just kept Potter fat and happy, things wouldn’t be so bad. After all, all that the brat seemed to need was sleep and food. Yes, perhaps he had over reacted. Severus had dealt with Death Eaters and the Dark Lord, he could certainly handle one little baby! He-

There was suddenly a loud belch, followed by a warm feeling on Severus’s shoulder that was slowly leaking through his robes. Looking back, the Potions Master was horrified to see a large glop of white…stuff dripping down his shoulder and back. Perhaps he had been right about this. This was going to be hell.

Standing up with barely concealed anger, Snape put the child down on the couch, making sure the little brat did not roll off, before he stalked off to the bathroom. Once he shut the door, the wizard cast a silencing spell over the area.

“I hate children! I hate babies! I especially hate POTTER!” he screamed.

Once he was able to get his breathing back under control, Snape ripped off his cloak and glared at the blotch where the Baby-Who-Was-Pushing-His-Luck had thrown up. Turning around and looking in the mirror, Severus saw that his shirt had also gotten wet thanks to Potter’s little digestive track. He’d remember this once the brat turned back into a big brat again.

Snorting in frustration, the Potions Master quickly cleaned himself up, before storming out of the bathroom. That was it, he was not cut out for this sort of thing. He was going to go back in there, get Potter, and then pass the adorable urchin to Minerva. She’d like the little monster. She always did, for some reason.

But when Snape came charging back into the sitting area, he looked down at the child to see that Potter’s little eyes were closing, even as he fought valiantly to stay awake. When the green eyes caught Severus in their gaze, he yawned mightily, before smiling, as though he could rest peacefully now that the professor was back with him.

Unable to stop himself, Severus found he was rushing over to lift the baby up carefully and nestling the child back into his arms. Glaring down at the baby tiredly, the young professor found himself sitting back down on the couch, making sure that the Baby-Who-Frustrated-The-Hell-Out-Of-Him was comfortable. Perhaps he could get rid of Potter when Albus called him for dinner? Besides, no one could say he didn’t try. He just wasn’t good with kids!

******

Seven o’clock came quick enough, and Headmaster Dumbledore found Severus sitting on the couch, reading a book, while still holding little Harry in his lap. The sight warmed the old wizard’s heart and he smiled gently. “Well here’s a pretty picture,” Albus’s voice was all lemon drops and honeydukes. “Not too much trouble, I assume?”

Scowling over at the Headmaster, Severus closed his book in an angry snap. “Oh sure,” he growled. “After you left me with the screaming brat, and after he emptied himself, it really was no trouble at all.”

“Ah,” Dumbledore’s eyes gleamed brightly. “I thought you might have trouble with the diapers, but you seemed to have managed quite well on your own.”

Glowering even more fiercely, Snape had to occlude his mind so he would not shout at the old man. “Why, yes. He wet himself three times, screamed for a total of an hour all together, and even threw up on me,” his resentment at the Headmaster’s decision becoming fresh again. “But all in all, yes, it was quite a success. At least for Potter, that is,” Severus growled.

Chuckling, Albus sat down across from the younger man, and continued to smile happily. “For not being so good with children, my boy, you sure are getting along fabulously with Harry!”

“I am not!” Snape huffed indignantly. “He’s still a little monster. Maybe you should give him to Hagrid instead? The poor man could use some company down there in his hut. He likes monsters, anyway."

At Albus’s exasperated stare, Snape knew he had probably gone a little too far. As much as the Headmaster trusted Hagrid, and as much as the giant oaf loved the Potter child- for some strange reason- even Severus knew that placing a baby that was not a wild animal, in the giant’s care was a stretch. The gameskeeper would probably love Potter to death; literally. Well, at least that might be better than flushing the kid down the toilet…

“Severus, I’m not going to send Harry down with Hagrid,” the Headmaster said, as though he really were wise. He wasn’t fooling Snape. “I don’t want the child anywhere near the Forbidden Forest. It’s…it’s…?”

“Forbidden. Yes, I know,” the Potions Master rolled his eyes. “But honestly, Albus! I can’t stand the child! He’s so needy and whiney, and bratty! All he does it empty himself, eat, sleep, and drool.”

“As do we all,” Dumbledore nodded with a smile. Snape’s expression only got darker. “Right, now,” the Headmaster leaped up. “On to dinner!”

“I thought you were too old for jumping about and such,” the professor stood up more catiously, hoping Sir-Spits-A-Lot would not wake. Poor Severus had a splitting headache from the last time the child had started to cry. Not even the pain relief potion had worked!

Eyes twinkling brightly, Dumbledore’s smile grew, but he did not say a word. Instead, he merely walked out the entrance of the professor’s chambers and out into the halls. Muttering and hissing under his breath, the Potions Master could only do one of two things. First, he could follow the Headmaster and go to dinner with the miniture Gryffindor, or two, he could throw the child away and run for his life.

Sighing, Snape decided to pick the first option, even though it would be more humiliating. Heaven knew what Dumbledore, and Minerva, would do to him if he just tossed the child away like a bad potato. Come to think of it, Potter did have the shape of a potato. Maybe…

No, Severus shook his head. Do not fool yourself with dreams!

Hissing and growling all the way, Severus, the Potter baby, and Albus made it all the way to the Great Hall without too much inconvenience. Steeling himself for the worst, Snape covered the baby once again, lest anyone see the little brat, and strode down the isle of mindless, chattering dunderheads. He was at least pleased to see that none of the little fools stared at him, but instead went to looking down at their meals. That, at least, was a good thing, was it not?

Once at the staff table, the Headmaster in tow, Snape sat down carefully, before looking over the meal options. When he saw that there was a bottle where his goblet should have been, he growled, trying desperately to keep control of himself. It was nothing, really. He should be pleased he didn’t have to go ask for one now. That was a relief, right?

But when he happened to catch eyes with Filius, the little half-goblin mistook the glare, and held up his hands defensively. “Don’t look at me, Severus,” his eyes were wide in terror. “That thing was there when I came in!”

Sighing, realizing that the whole school must have seen the bottle, the Potions Master looked up to see the whole student body looking up his way, as though wanting to see his reaction to the bottle. No wonder no one had looked at him when he strode in. They did not want to catch the flames they thought the man would sprout once he saw what was near his plate. They all thought that this was some kind of joke!

Lifting his chin in defiant dignity, Snape threw back his cloak fancily, reveling the baby underneath. When he was satisfied with the amount of gasps in the room, he picked up the bottle with a superior air, and proceeded to feed little Potter, who must have woken up during the trip up to the main level.

The awkwardness and embarrassment the professor felt did not show on his face. He would be damned before he let this Potter spawn make him a laughing stock! He would suffer this indignity with quiet, controlled grace. No one was going to laugh at him and get away with it! He even began forming punishments in his mind according to degree and insult. Oh yes, he was going to be ready, were the students?

Even the entire staff was shocked, with the exception of the Headmaster, that was. Even Minerva and Poppy, who Albus had told, still shared in the shocked stupor of everyone else. Severus began to feel himself color, but he pushed it down furiously. He was not going to give any of them an excuse to ridicule or laugh at him. This was all the Headmaster’s fault anyway. I’ll get you for this old man! he vowed.

For his part, little Harry drank his meal in peace, loving the attention his guardian was giving to him. He loved the black eyes that looked down at him. Severus only looked down at the child, lest he see everyone else’s expressions. But little Harry loved to watch the black eyes dance with different fires. Of course he did not know what they meant, but he certainly loved this man that fed and cared for him.

Once the baby had had it’s fill, Snape realized, with horror, that he was going to have to burp the little drool bucket. Could he really survive the embarrassment of everyone seeing this? Wasn’t it enough that they saw him feed a baby? He glared over at Albus. Vendetta!

Again, with all the grace he could muster, Severus picked up the baby and leaned the twerp against his shoulder. Then, painfully, he began patting the back of the monster, each time it felt like a burn against his skin. This would simply not do! Where had he gone wrong!

The hall was silent when Harry burped, and once the deed was done, Snape sent his best glare across the entire Great Hall. Everyone there immediately looked down, as though if they made eye contact, they would get boils. Not even the Weasley twins seemed willing to gawk at the Potions Master.

With barely concealed contempt and fury, Snape set the baby down in his lap once more, laying him down so that he might give in to the powers of sleep. Then, picking up his goblet, the professor downed the entire glass before he went about to fill his plate, even though he felt sick.

To his horror, little Potter giggled.

The first night after Severus had been so graciously granted the custody of the Baby-Whom-He-Was-Going-To-Flush-Down-The-Toilet, the professor thought he would sleep like the dead. And, in fact, he did fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow after putting Potter to sleep. That is, until about midnight, when the nightmare began.

It should have been a sign for the Potions Master, it should have alerted him that this was not going to be a peaceful night. At first, however, Snape had thought it was his alarm going off, but soon realized that it was the screeching of the baby in the crib several feet away. Groaning miserably, the wizard sat up.

Of course it was a dirty diaper. Disgustedly, Severus changed the baby, grumbling and yawing, before he set the child back down in the crib, and flopped back into his own bed. Sighing in relief when his head hit the pillow, he believed that things would be well. After all, who hadn’t woken up in the middle of the night to use the restroom? Why should a baby be any different?

But when the abominable wailing sounded at two in the morning, Severus found himself more than just a little annoyed with the brat. What was happening here? But duty bound, he got up, only to find the diaper clean.

Hissing and grumbling louder, the Potions Master lumbered into the kitchen and made up a bottle for the baby. If he had been more awake, he would have realized that he was really making a bottle. But as it was, his eyelids were still so heavy, and he could barely register how outraged he really was about the whole situation.

Lifting the child out of the crib, Severus sat down on his bed, rocking the child as he fed him. The rocking motion was actually putting the professor to sleep more than it was the baby. But both Snape and Potter fought against the draws of sleep until finally, little Harry was finished eating. Growling, the professor tucked the child back in and went to bed.

And when it was four in the morning, Severus was quite frustrated, to say the least, with the bratty little Potter demon. Smelling the problem, even before he picked the child up, the Head of Slytherin was severely tempted to throw the dirty diaper in the fireplace and into Albus’s chambers, but decided against it until he could think the consequences out more clearly. There would be a time and a place for his revenge, after all.

But after changing the diaper, the child refused to be consoled. So, for an hour, the fearsome professor, the man called the “Dungeon Bat” had to rock the child back and forth, while waking around the room. He recalled that he had spoken to the baby, but he could not think of his exact words. Something about feeding him to Lupin or transforming him into a lemon drop for the Headmaster to devour might had been a few…

At last, when hope seemed to be shining through the tunnel for Snape, and when he put the child to sleep, again, he felt like he had only just laid down before his alarm went off. Sitting up panicked, Severus looked around to find that it was indeed six o’clock. Where had the night gone? In bottles and diapers! he thought miserably.

Knowing he had to keep himself on schedule, reluctantly, Snape got up and staggered to the bathroom. As he went, he glared at the baby, who was sleeping comfortably. He hated children, he hated babies, and he hated Potter.

Eyes still closed, Severus went through his morning routines automatically. He stripped down and showered, becoming more awake when the warm water hit his face. Gasping, he realized that he was not quite as tired as he had thought he was, but knew that he would be exhausted later.

That Sunday was an eventful time. Severus spent the whole day in his chamber, caring for the little Potter. In between the baby’s sleeping, the frazzled Potions Master tried to grade the essays that he had left, but with the baby waking every few hours, grading soon fell away into napping when the child would rest. It was also filled with changing diapers and feeding the hungry little hippo.

Meals in the Great Hall were out for that day, as it was a Sunday, and Severus did not think he could manage getting there. Especially since Harry seemed to want to spend the whole day spitting up, causing Snape to have to clean up at least ten times in just the morning. Merlin! The boy was worse than Hagrid’s mangy mutt Fang!

Wasn't Sunday supposed to be the day of rest? Well, Snape supposed it did not count for those with small children. Merlin, why did anyone want to be parents willingly?

But by the time night came, the Potions Master was exhausted and his eyes were twitching. He had had no human contact the entire day, except Harry. Usually he liked be away from others, but they never wanted to leave him alone, and when he wanted them to come, they did not. Typical.

And as he sat in bed, the professor laid awake in fear, wondering when the little demon was going to start in wailing and crying. Just the thought of it was terrifying. Snape actually began to wonder if he could not just chop the child up into pieces and make some sort of potions out of the brat. Sure, very few potions called for human body parts, but he knew some, and was sure he could sell them in Knockturn Alley. Maybe make a tidy little sum?

But soon the screeching began and Severus got up and went to the cradle. Peering down at the little squealing worm, the Potions Master just stood looking down, wondering if he would ever find a way to shut the kid up. He began to feel helpless when he lifted the child up. There was no dirty diaper and the child had just fed a hour or so ago. “What do you want from me?” Severus begged, wondering when he had truly started to feel desperate.

Little Harry, on the other hand, did not want anything other than to be held by his guardian. He had had a scary nightmare, and just wanted to be held close to the comfortable chest that was always there for him. This man was good, this man was his.

The following morning, Severus peeled open his eyes painfully and reenacted the previous morning schedule. Only this time, it was Monday, which meant classes. Sighing as he combed through his hair, which or course he did happen to comb through despite what all the little snot wipers thought, Snape went into his bedchamber to get dressed. Little Potter was up and giggling annoyingly as he watched the professor.

Severus unexpectedly found that he was self-conscious about Potter seeing him change. Granted, Potter was a baby now, but still! Would he remember the past events once he changed back? Would he remember his professor feeding him or, heaven forbid, dressing and washing him? Snape groaned. He fervently hoped not!

Instead, the Potions Master threw a shirt over at the baby, covering the little boy’s head, and quickly changed his undergarments and pants. Once little nuisance in the crib managed to get nightshirt off his head, Severus had his pants on and was buttoning up his white shirt. It might have been stupid to care, but Snape was a private person, on all levels.

When Harry began to giggle and clap excitedly, Severus found himself smirking. “Liked that, did you?” he could not help the sneer. Old habits and all. “Well, I’ll find other ways to hide you away from sight. Would you liked that?”

To his own amusement, little Potter giggled again, happy at the attention. This was fun! This had been a game to him.

Scooping up the drooling little slime ball, Snape made his way out of the dungeons again and stalked up to the main floor. Several Slytherins saw him on his venture up, but did not dare to say a word. They knew their Head of House well enough to know that the man did not seem amused with his arrangements with regaurd to the baby. But they could not help but be curious as to who this baby was.

Opening the doors to the Great Hall, the Potions Master found almost all of the students there already. Dear Merlin! He usually got here early. He checked the time to find that he was on his normal schedule, why was everyone else early this morning?

Scowling and hissing, the Head of Slytherin walked to the table and sat down in his usual place. Minerva was watching him anxiously, and seemed to want to say something, but never found her voice. And as she watched him, Severus found himself becoming more and more annoyed.

“What is it?” he spat as he set Harry up to feed. He had gotten rather good at it over the last twenty-four hours. But, then again, he had always been a quick study.

“Nothing,” the Gryffindor said hastily. “I was…I was just wondering…”

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake!” the Potions Master growled. “What?”

Looking distinctly uncomfortable, much like Neville Longbottom in potions class, Minerva pressed her lips together in a thin line. For just a wild moment, Snape wondered how she had any lip left after all the years she had done that, but that thought was probably only brought on due to sleep deprivation.

“May I hold…um,” she looked uncomfortable again.

Realizing that he had to come up with a name, Snape wracked his brain, hoping to think of something. He saw that the whole Head Table was staring at him now, even Dumbledore, the unhelpful cold coot! “Evan,” the Slytherin blurted.

Raising an eyebrow, McGonagall nodded. “Yes, of course. May I hold Evan,” she was really not all that conspicuous, but no one other than Albus and Poppy, he hoped, knew the truth of the matter.

“Yes!” he almost cried. He did not want to hold this stinking, slobbering, little bugger anymore. Maybe if he was lucky, Minerva would want to take him away and keep him. That was a pleasant thought. Let her lose sleep!

But as soon a Harry was in the arms of the Transfiguration professor, he began to wail. Instantly every eye went up to the Head Table. All the students were sure that Snape had finally done it and tried to off the baby, but they were all taken back when they realized that it was Professor McGonagall that had made the little thing cry.

The Head of Gryffindor’s eyes widened in horror, and she tried to cuddle the child, but Harry would have none of it. He began screaming and wailing loudly. Minerva tried rocking, and cooing the child, but little Potter refused to be consoled. Severus, merely drank all of his coffee in one gulp, rubbing his head.

“Here, Minerva, give him to me,” Pomona Sprout offered. The Hufflepuff had always been good with small children and the Transfiguration teacher gladly passed on her noisy little cub. Who knew Harry would not like her as a baby?

But as Harry was passed from the arms of Minerva over to Pomona, the baby’s screams got louder. The Head of Hufflepuff tried her very best to please the baby, but again, Harry absolutely refused to be comforted. His little face began to turn purple, and big crocodile tears flooded out of his scrunched up eyes. He did not like these new people!

Sitting with his head in his hands, Severus ground his teeth, a vein in his head feeling as though it were going to explode at any moment. The longer the crying went on, the more he felt like he was just going to snap and kill everyone in the Great Hall. This had to stop!

“Oh for the love of Merlin!” he shouted as he stood up. He stalked over to Pomona and snatched Harry out of her arms. He might have been pleased to see the Hufflepuff so flustered, but at the moment, he really did not care at all.

The instant baby Potter was back in his arms, the crying ceased. Everyone gawked at the Potions Master shocked, before he glowered at all of them. They all turned back to their plates as Snape sat back down. It took several minutes before anyone spoke again.

Settling himself down carefully, Severus picked up the bottle that had been set out for him once again, and fed the little brat. As he growled and grumbled, feeling his eye twitch, baby Harry had to calm his racing little heart. It had been very scary when those other weird people had held him. He did not like it! He liked this man so much better. With him, Harry felt safe.

“Little Evan seems quite taken with you,” the Headmaster remarked too cheerfully. Severus responded with a snort. “You are doing a wonderful job, my boy, is he not?”

“Oh! Yes, yes he is,” Filius smiled uneasily. “Like he’s been doing it all his life.” Minerva and Pomona were still too traumatized at not being able to stop the child from screaming.

“Heaven forbid!” Severus thought he might have heart failure. He could not put up with much more of this. He simply could not!

“Which reminds me,” Albus’s smile sent waves of dread shuddering through the Potions Master. “Little Evan seems too small to be very far away from you. I’ll call a house elf to help you manage him during your classes.”

“He is not coming with me to class,” Snape was horrified at the thought. The brat so close to a cauldron would be too much temptation.

“But the only way he seems manageable is being near you,” Dumbledore looked far too pleased. “You wouldn’t want the poor little thing to feel abandoned, would you?”

“He is not coming with me to class!” the Potions Master’s voice rose in volume.

At that moment, Harry threw up on him.

******

Racing through the halls, Snape came to his classroom and blew open the door. The large wooden door slammed into the wall, causing a loud bang, making more than a few students jump in surprise. They already knew it was not going to be a good day.

Not even bothering with roll call at the moment, or even looking at his class, Snape went to writing the instructions on the blackboard instead. There was absolutely no sound in the room, with the exception of the chalk scraping across the board. That is, until Ron Weasley had the misfortune to sneeze.

Spinning around, glaring lividly at the class, Snape’s black eyes burned hole through each and everyone of them. “Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Weasley, for interruption!”

For once, Ron had the mind not to argue. Everyone in the whole school knew that Snape was not to be messed with, especially now that he had the baby he was looking after. The only thing that the students wanted to know was who the baby was and who he belonged to. That, and why the parents left the innocent child in Snape’s care.

But where Ron had the grace to keep quiet, Draco did not. He snickered at the Gryffindors, much like he always did. “Mr. Malfoy,” the cutting bark of Snape sliced through the air.

“Yes, sir?” the Slytherin answered obediently, sensing that his Head of House was not as amused as Draco had just been.

“If I didn’t want Weasley to interrupt me, then what in Merlin’s bloody name makes you think I wanted you to?” there was only furry in the professor’s eyes.

“S-s-sir?” Draco stammered, never having been addressed like this from Snape.

“Ten points from Slytherin!”

The room was silent as the Potions Master went back up to the board to continue writing the instructions. The students, however, all sat in complete loss and total confusion. Had Snape just taken points from his own house? For once, both Slytherin and Gryffindor were at a loss and were feeling the exact same thing. They all knew that this day was not going to be a pleasant one.

Snape did not lecture that day, but gave short, choppy answers and clipped instructions before he had them all start to brew. While the students worked, the professor sat at his desk and tried desperately to catch up on his grading. He was never late when it came to grading, he always had everything done the next day, something he was very proud of, considering that he had to balance Death Eater meetings, but why was it that one little baby completely disorganized him?

Only about ten or fifteen minutes passes when Snape’s blood pressure began to lower and he was feeling better, when a house elf popped in. Closing his eyes tightly, the professor just wanted everything and everyone to go away. Not yet, it could not be that the little brat was whining already!

“Master professor, sir?” a little house elf asked timidly, shaking.

“What is it?” Snape snapped.

“Little Master is no doing so well,” the house elf looked up timidly, fear in her big yellow eyes.

Not doing well? What did that mean? Standing up instantly, Severus took out his wand and cast a large spell over all of the cauldron, suspending their potion until he returned before placing a sticking charm on all of the knives and any other sharp objects, just in case. After all, it was Slytherin and Gryffindor, anything was possible.

“Stay here,” the professor ordered the house elf before he rushed to his office where Potter was.

Entering, feeling much too worried for his own good, the Potions Master found the child wailing. But again, the instant the child saw Snape, he stopped and reached up for the Slytherin to hold him. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with the baby, but Snape knew that looks could be deceiving.

Picking up the little bugger, Severus inspected the child. He was not wet, nor would he be hungry so soon. “What’s wrong with you?” he demanded. “Why are you crying?”

Of course the baby never answered, but he did give a watery smile in response to the professor. “So,” Snape drawled. “You just wanted to disrupt my class? Even now you’re an insufferable brat!”

The baby smiled wider.

Sighing, Severus had no choice but to take the child back to class with him. Again, he felt his dignity slip down several notches as he walked around his class, looking at the potions with the baby on his hip. Merlin, he had to get rid of this brat! Potter was ruining him!

But to their credit, none of the students said so much as a word the entire classes with the exception of asking for another to pass an ingredient. They all knew what Snape could be like, and the all knew what he would probably do to them if they commented. Of all the teachers, Snape was the one not above hitting them with books or giving them grueling, manual labor in detentions. Angering Snape was just not worth it in the long run.

That whole day, Severus had all of his classes with baby Harry, had all of his meals with baby Harry, and took a walk around the school with baby Harry. The child was a leech, and he was slowly sucking the life out of the Potions Master.

By the time night came around, Severus did not feel like anything except passing out. After washing the little monster and changing him, Snape actually did flop down on his bed, fully clothed, and fell asleep. He was too exhausted to attempt anything else.

The Potions Master dreamed about being a housewife that night.

It was early in the morning that Tuesday, when Severus was woken up by the cries of baby Potter. The moan that escaped his lips was like the drone of the dead rising. It was more ghastly than the moans of the dead that haunted the school- who actually did not do a very good job haunting, as they seemed to have too much fun- but despite his groaning, the professor managed to sit up in bed, his eyes feeling as though they weighed two tons each.

Standing up, his boots still on his feet, the man lumbered over to the cradle where he took the baby in his arms. It was only four o’clock in the morning, but that was much better than the previous night where he had only gotten about two hours asleep together. Now he had gotten a blessed four!

But the child was surprisingly dry and did not seem to want anything but to be held. Little Harry refused to settle down, however, and from the mix between exhaustion and exasperation, Severus began to shake violently. His brain felt like it was going to explode!

Setting the child down on the bed, the Potions Master left the room without a single word. He went to the fireplace and threw in some Floo powder. Once he was sure his head was in Dumbledore’s fireplace, he bellowed at the top of his lungs, “I HATE YOU FOR THIS OLD MAN!” before he quickly distinguished the flames.

Tiredly dragging himself back into the room, Severus picked up the still screaming little baby, and, despite a promise to himself the other day, he transfigured a seat into a rocking chair. He could always change it back, after all.

But not caring nearly as much as he thought he would, the weary professor flopped down into the chair and began to rock the child back and forth once more. He felt like he was going deaf from all the screaming, so after a while, the crying did not bother him quite as much as it had the first day and a half. Now he just sat there, face void of any and all emotion, as he rocked the child steadily.

After another ten minutes, tears started to fall from the Potions Master’s eyes as well. What was he doing wrong? Why wouldn’t Potter stop his excessive wailing? Was there something medically wrong with the child?

Unable to stand it any longer, Severus stood up and held the baby away at arms length. “What do you want from me!” he cried. “I’ve given you everything you could need, and still you cry!”

His declaration was merely met with more tears.

Huffing in exasperating, Severus sat back down with the little baby. He leaned baby Potter up against his shoulder and began to pat the little back, hoping, praying, that it would make the child quite. Surely those little lungs could not sustain such volume for long? Eventually the child would have to get tired and quit, would he not? But knowing his luck, Severus knew that that might not be the case.

Eventually, baby Potter began to settle, and hiccupped, as he sucked his thumb. Snape was even too tired to scowl at such behavior, and he placed the child into the crib once more. But once he let go of the child, Harry began to sniffle again, and seemed ready to start in on a fresh wave of tears.

Unable to think too clearly, Severus grabbed one of his pillows and transfigured it into a teddy bear. It was a simple bear, as the wizard was far too tired to do much else, but he shoved it into the child’s grubby little arms. “Now, leave me in peace!” his voice was low, even as more tears came out of his eyes.

Once the bear was in his arms, Harry looked over to his guardian in awe. This man gave him a gift! This man was so good to Harry! He was going to have to name this man that he loved so much, but for the time being, he was tired and soon fell asleep with the bear securely in his grasp.

******

The next morning, Severus woke to his alarm and walked to the shower, with his clothes this time, to change into. He felt like he weighted fifty pounds heavier, as he felt stiff and miserable. Perhaps not sleeping properly had not been one of his more brilliant idea, but he had not had the energy to change! He was simply drained, and he did not know how he was going to function through the day. Was it illegal to drug babies?

Once out of the shower, and dressed, Snape looked at himself in the mirror. His face was paler than usual, and he had dark bruises under his eyes from lack of sleep. He also thought he looked a bit more drawn, which probably wasn’t far from the truth since he hadn’t had much appetite lately. So, while combing his hair and brushing his teeth, the Potions Master refused to look at his reflection again.

Out of the bathroom, Severus saw that little Harry was beginning to squirm uncomfortably. Knowing the sign all too well now, the professor rushed over to the child and changed him before the brat could cry. In record time the baby was changed, and Snape took the time to dress the little hell spawn for the day.

Revenge was not as sweet as Snape would have thought it would be when he decided to put baby Potter in Slytherin green. In fact, the little blighter seemed to like the color. How was he supposed to be cruel when the child liked everything the Potions Master usually did to punish Gryffindors? This was too unbelievable.

Lifting the baby in his arms again, Severus felt something tug at his heart when the child grabbed the sides of his face in his tiny little hands. The child smiled at him as he inspected the face, his green eyes bright. A smile began to form on the man’s face. Maybe parenting got better with time?

“Ouch!” Severus yelped in pain when Harry decided that he liked Snape’s hair and wanted it for his own. "Little brat!"

Looking into the chubby little fists, the professor realized that the demon baby had in his possession several strains of Severus’s hair. “I’ll remember that too, you little worm!” he growled. Potter giggled.

Snatching up the bear, the professor stormed out of his chambers and went into the Great Hall. Much like the previous morning, most of the students were there already. It occurred to Snape, even in his tired state, that they were all wanting to watch him! Little dunderheads! They wanted to see him make a mistake! He’d teach them.

With a straight back, the Potions Master marched down the isle of students up to the Head Table with baby Potter holding his bear in hand. Merlin, the kid had a teddy bear! And he was carrying said kid! It was amazing that the world hadn’t spun off its axis by now.

“Good morning, Severus!” the Headmaster called cheerily.

Sitting down, Snape’s face held absolutely no emotions whatsoever. Almost as though he were a zombie, the young professor picked up the bottle, and began to feed the little boy, much like he had the morning before. He did not see the concerned faces of his fellow staff members.

“Headmaster,” Dolores Umbridge’s annoying voice flittered through the air. “If I may, I do not believe that a professor here at Hogwarts, as such a pristine school as it is, should have a small child here. It distracts the students and the staff. Not to mention that it distracts the professor whose child it is!”

With his eye twitching, and his blood pressure rising, Severus tried desperately to keep himself calm. He could not give into the temptation of screaming at the odious woman, he could not do it! He could not let everyone see his real anger. He could not…

“Headmaster,” Snape spoke up. He waited for the old wizard to turn and look at him. “If I may, I do not believe that a professor here at Hogwarts, a school I’ve been teaching at for fourteen years, should have so many kitten plates, doilies, and pink rubbish in her office. It distracts the students and the staff. Not to mention that it distracts the professor whose office it is that all of those atrocities reside in!”

Everyone sat quietly as Snape growled viciously at Umbridge, glaring at her so fiercely that everyone began to pray that the woman would fall over dead, while Umbridge herself looked completely shocked. She opened and closed her mouth several times, looking much like the toad everyone believed her to be.

“Are you mocking me?” Dolores asked angrily.

“Oh! She figured it out!” Severus looked around at all of his other co-workers. “That’s twenty points to you!”

“Why-I-never!” she squeaked in frustration. “Headmaster, aren’t you going to say anything?” she demanded.

“Yes, Albus, aren’t you going to say anything?” Snape rolled his eyes. His head hurt.

For his part, Dumbledore looked between the two professors agitatedly. He never did like to get in the middle of his staffs squabbles… unless it was fun, that is. “Well, I don’t think that-”

Just then, Harry decided that he was not getting enough attention from his guardian. He reached up and yanked down hard on the professor’s hair. He wanted attention!

“Ouch!” Severus glared down at the baby in his arms. “What do you want now, you little monster?” he growled softly, as he sat the child up and began to pat his back.

“Headmaster,” Umbridge went on. “You’re methods of discipline here are-”

“Not to be discussed here,” Dumbledore frowned at the woman in pink. “If you have a complaint, you may speak to me privately.”

With a wimpy huff, Umbridge crossed her arms, pouting, while Snape could not help but think of terrible ways to kill the DADA teacher- a job that should have, by every right, been his, thank you very much. Casting Cruciatus Curse followed by the the Imperius Curse being cast to cause the vile frog to dipping herself into a boiling cauldron of hot oil and then taking the liquid and throwing it into the lake for the giant squid to lap up, was among one of the options that the Potions Master was contemplating. It was a start anyway...

But when Harry burped, the professor tiredly began rocking the child in his arms, to ensure that the baby would not start crying again. How he lived in fear for the moment when the Potter spawn would begin his ungodly wails! It was worse than any pain that the Dark Lord could inflict upon him.

Only having time enough to down a cup of coffee, the Potions Master made his way back into the dungeon to prepare for his class. First off, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. He usually liked these classes better, as Gryffindor and Slytherin were a bit more…boisterous and…unruly, but the Head of Slytherin hated any class dealing with these two houses now that he had to watch the baby. As Hufflepuffs cooed and fawned over the little brat, Ravenclaws only talked amongst themselves about the proper form of child care. He had taken many points yesterday.

Surprisingly, Severus was able to set Harry in his crib in the classroom as he furiously worked to catch up on grading before the class actually began. He was halfway through his work when the doors opened and his class slowly started to trickle in. The students were actually surprised to see the Potions Master in the room at all, since the Slytherin usually liked to scare them all by barging into the room. But for the timing being, Snape had abandoned that welcoming, as his nasty entrance was stunted by a baby on his hip.

So, cautiously, the students sat down, waiting for the class to begin. They watched anxiously as the professor continued on with his grading, before they dared to start to fidget. What was going on here? Why wasn’t the professor starting class?

But just as the thought occurred, Snape stood up abruptly and skulked over to the board. In much of the same manner as the day before, the Potions Master lectured only a minute before he barked at them to begin. He had too much to do, and he could not afford to talk to these dimwitted children all day. They never understood anything anyway. So the professor sat down to continue his grading.

When the class was about to end, the Slytherin teacher was infinitely pleased with himself for finishing his grading. He’d had to cut down on some of his sarcastic remarks and focus mainly on the idiots’ mistakes, but it was worth it to just be done! Perhaps things would get better?

Snape truly believed this. That is, until Harry started to cry.

Sighing, letting his head hang down in frustrated defeat, Severus wondered if he could just ingest a potion from one of the little dunderheads. He was certain it would kill him faster than the baby was.

******

At lunch time, Severus walked into the Great Hall with his little charge happily gurgling in his arms. The sight was positively an oxymoron! With sour, tired, grumpy, angry Potions Master with the sweet, energetic, happy, joyful little baby. It was too unreal.

Once more, sitting himself at the Head Table, Snape went through the motions of feeding Harry once again. If little Harry had known he was causing such distress to his guardian, he would have tried to be better for the man. But as it was, the child did not know that he was the bane of Snape’s existence, and so continued on in the manner that he was. After all, if he was happy, that meant everyone had to be happy. Right?

For once, however, it was not Harry that Snape was loathing at the moment, but Professor Umbridge. The despicably woman had managed to trade, or had just taken, seats with Minerva McGonagall. Growling, Severus grumbled to himself, glad that little Potter was still to stupid to understand some of the words he had just muttered.

“Severus,” Umbridge plopped down next to the Potions Master.

“I did not give you leave to call me as a familiar,” the younger professor hissed dangerously. He hated the way his name came off of the woman’s tongue.

“Professor Snape,” she corrected grudgingly. “I really must have a word with you.”

Rolling his eyes, Severus looked down at the baby to see the big green eyes sparkling up at him. He suddenly felt a little bit better about everything. “Alright,” he growled, “but only one.”

The joke was over the woman’s head as she took out her clipboard and quill. “Now then, I’ve looked up the rules regarding such matters,” the toad began. “And it say here in section twelve, paragraph seven, line fifteen of the Hogwarts Teacher’s Manuel, that all children under the age of eleven are strictly forbidden to live in the castle for longer than two night, unless, of course, that child is the offspring of one of the professors currently on staff.”

“I didn’t know we had a teachers manual?” Snape looked over to the Headmaster, completely forgetting the witch beside him, as his brain really was quite foggy at the moment. Dumbledore merely shrugged.

“Professor Snape!” Umbridge snapped the book closed in outrage.

“Professor Umbridge!” Severus could not help but respond automatically. He really did need more sleep.

“I am being perfectly serious when I say that that child cannot stay here any longer!” the witch huffed again. “Unless he is your immediate family member then-”

“Then,” he drawled. “I don’t see a problem.”

“The rules do not allow for nephews to stay around with their uncles, Mr. Snape,” she barked.

“Well, take the rules out of your arse and get over it, because this child’s mine!”

The words were out so fast, that Severus could hardly understand what he had just said. He looked from Dolores’s stunned face, to that of the staff members, to Dumbledore, to the students- who had been listening- before peering down at the child.

It was in that moment that little Harry decided on what to call his beloved guardian. “Dada!” the baby clapped his hands excitedly.

Severus thought he had just had a stroke. 

*Quick Commercial Break*

Of anyone listening, no one was more surprised with the Potions Master’s words and the child’s declaration than Severus Snape himself. He stared wide eyed at the child who had just declared him, his father.

“No! Bad Potter, bad!” he whispered urgently, unable to grasp the idea of someone actually calling him such a name.

But when the baby clapped again in response, the Potions Master knew that he was defeated. He had basically just claimed Potter as his son, and visa versa, Potter had just declared him father. It was about the weirdest thing that Severus had ever had happen to him. Even more odd than the time he walked in on Minerva and Filius “discussing proper protocol”. Although that particular memory would forever haunt Snape until his last day and after. But this one was much worse… he supposed… in a way...

As the Great Hall was quiet, with the exception of Harry’s claps of joy, Severus swore his heart was making so much noise that everyone else could hear it too. Merlin he was so stupid! That’s what he got for not sleeping enough, he just knew it! This was all Potter’s bloody fault! He’d never be able to live this one down!

“Your son?” Umbridge looked stumped for a moment, before she picked up her quill, which she had dropped at the proclamation. “And who’s the boy’s mother then?”

“That’s none of your concern!” Snape spat, cradling the child closer to his chest.

“My dear boy,” Dumbledore spoke up. “I think we should take tea in my office. If you would come with me please.”

Scowling his most terrifying scowl at the DADA professor, Snape stood up and walked around the table with the Headmaster and the two powerful wizards, and the baby, left the Great Hall, which erupted in chatter the moment the doors were closed.

******

Sitting down in an overstuffed chair, Severus found himself becoming too comfortable with little Potter in his arms. Perhaps if he just closed his eyes a little and listened; he could get through this meeting with Albus and then go back into the dungeon to prepare for class. Oh, but it felt so good to sit there and do nothing but close his weary eyes!

“Severus, I think it’s time we had a serious talk,” the old wizard’s uncharacteristic concern alerted the Potions Master that he would have to pay attention.

He sat up reluctantly, shifting Potter into a more comfortable position on his lap. “Look, if this is about screaming at you this morning through the Floo, I think I was justified b-”

“Oh, no,no, it’s not about that,” the Headmaster shook his head. “Lemon drop?”

The old Headmaster was flabbergasted when Snape actually took a lemon drop and popped it into his mouth. The sugar would help him stay awake…or so he told himself. Merlin, he needed sleep!

“Severus, what I need to tell you is something of the utmost secrecy,” Dumbledore stressed, locking eyes with the younger man.

Nodding obediently, Severus shifted Harry again. “Of course, Albus. What is it?”

“It pertains to Harry, my dear boy, and the fact that you just claimed him as your son,” again, Albus looked the Potions Master over sternly.

“I know. It was stupid and foolish of me to say such a thing. But when Umbridge started to nag me I-” Snape began, while still cuddling the child closer to his chest.

“Severus, Severus,” Dumbledore raised up his hands for peace. “I am not chastising you for your words towards Umbridge. Heaven knows I hate the banshee,” the Headmaster’s eyes twinkled with another kind of light, the kind that wanted to kill. “But I would tell you a little story.”

Sitting, while holding his breath, Severus knew that whatever this was going to be about, he was not going to like it. Without really thinking, the Potions Master grabbed a handful of lemon drops and shoved them into his mouth. He needed something to pep him up, after all.

“Now, Severus,” Dumbledore folded his hands neatly on top of his desk. “You will remember there was a time when you and Lily Evans were close-”

“What has that got to do with anything?” the professor felt himself blushing. Harry began to pull on his hair.

Raising an eyebrow at the interruption, ignoring the fact that Harry was jerking out the Potions Master’s hair completely, Albus when on. “When you were close, I understand that you and Lily would get together after you graduated to ‘make potions.’”

Wincing as he was trying to get the brat’s hands out of his hair, Severus growled, “So?”

“Well, I’m sure you recall that more than just potions making went on-”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about! Get OFF!” the professor finally lost his temper with the baby, and grabbed the little wrists with one of his hands, but not hard enough to hurt the sensitive flesh. Snape managed to free his hair without ripping all of it out.

“Oh! Yes, well, I forgot that you wouldn’t remember, as James was very jealous and careful to-”

“Just get on with it!” Snape shouted, while little Harry giggled merrily at the loud noises, while managing to capture another piece of the professor’s hair. It was just so fun!

“Well, you see, you are really, actually, biologically Harry’s father,” Dumbledore shrugged.

“Dada!” Harry cried delightedly, clapping his hands.

Severus fainted.

As soothing as the voice sounded at the moment, the wizard did not want to go into the light. There was something off, something wrong. Besides, he just wanted to keep his eyes closed, and never wake up. He had gotten so little sleep as of late, but why, he could not quite remember.

Suddenly, there was a noise that sounded all too familiar to the Potions Master, something…nightmareish. At first he thought it was the wails of some sort of terrible ghost, or perhaps a wraith, but it was no quite like that at all. In fact, it sounded a lot like… “The baby!” Snape bolted upright, almost smashing his head into the Headmaster’s.

“Whoa!” Dumbledore exclaimed, almost falling backwards. “Easy there, my boy,” he tried to calm.

“Potter’s crying again, and I’ve neglected him!” the younger wizard looked around wildly. “He’s probably hungry and I let the little thing starve! I told you I wasn’t good at this!”

“Severus!” the Headmaster put his arms on the other man’s shoulders. “Severus calm down. Harry’s fine. He’s with Poppy.”

Looking around in a daze, the professor realized that he was in his own chamber, surrounded by the soothing green bed sheets and covering. “What is everyone doing in my chambers?” he snapped, realizing the intrusion.

“He’s okay, Poppy!” Albus called over his shoulder, irritating the professor greatly.

Just then, Madam Pomfrey came rushing in, and in her arms, the wailing little Potter. “Thank goodness!” she cried, and proceeded to shove the child into the Slytherin’s arms.

Scowling, Severus could not get the image of a mother having just delivered a baby out of his head when he accepted the little boy, who stopped his screaming. Looking down into the little face, the Potions Master could not quite help the feeling that something was off. “What happened?” the professor asked tiredly, as the baby cuddled up close to his chest. He was beginning to dread something terribly.

“Do you not remember what happened?” the Headmaster asked lightly, as though he were amused with the whole situation.

“Apparently I don’t or I wouldn’t be asking,” Snape growled.

“Well, do you remember coming into my office?”

Thinking carefully, Severus did remembered walking to the Headmaster’s office, and then sitting down. Some of their conversations flittered into his mind as well, before everything went blank. “You were telling me that you didn’t care for Umbridge,” he nodded carefully.

Smiling, Albus turned to Poppy. “You may go now, my dear. I’ll talk to you later.”

Looking decidedly offended, the Medwitch nodded once, looking between Severus and the baby, before she left. The two wizards waited for the sound of the Floo being used before Dumbledore turned back to the professor.

“Well then, you don’t remember me telling you that Harry is actually, really, biologically you son?” the innocence of the sentence was sickening.

Turning a rather interesting shade of green, Snape thought he was going to be sick. How had he forgotten that part of the conversation? But the answer soon became clear. He’d been trying to repress all information with the words father, Severus, Harry, and yours in them. Everything was just messed up.

Groaning, Snape looked down at the Potter br- the…Harry…brat…? “Tell me you’re joking,” the Potions Master closed his eyes tightly. “Tell me this is one of your sick schemes to make me take caring for the boy seriously?”

Having the audacity to smile, the Headmaster shook his head. “Nope. I’m afraid not, my dear boy.”

“Oh! Well,” Albus shifted uncomfortable. “You see, when you and Lily were…um…taking ‘private’ time and you-”

“Oh, well, that’s a completely different question all together,” the Headmaster sagged in relief. “You see, Lily came to you a while back, and you two apologized for your behavior towards each other at the end of your Hogwarts careers.

“Lily began to fall in love with you, even though she was engaged to James, and I believe that you were quite eager to get her away from him. But when James found out, he found you and wiped your memory and told Lily you were dead so she’d stop fantasizing over you so things would get back to normal between the two of them.”

Severus had two minds about the whole story. The first being that he thought Dumbledore, the crazy coot he was, was making the whole thing up, as Snape did not recall any of these events. The second was that he was angry that he did not remember everything. Why couldn’t he get to keep the memories of his good times with Lily?

But then another thought crept into Slytherin’s mind. He had somehow out-charmed James Potter. He had somehow turned Lily against the Gryffindor, and had made her love him. And in the end, all of Potter’s legacy that was in the child came to not, and it was really Severus that won the day. Oh, it was too delicious for words!And as he thought about that, the Potions Master was suddenly struck with another, not so pleasant thought.

“How long have you known about this?” he demanded.

Looking down guiltily, Albus looked at the floor. “I’m afraid from the very beginning.”

“What!” Severus would have killed the old man right there if there hadn’t been a baby in his arms. Sometimes babies- well all the time really- got in the way. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Looking sort of like a wounded dog, but a lot less cute, Dumbledore met Snape’s eyes. “Well, you see, James was so upset, and Lily too, really, and you were in no position to care for a child at the time, and well, the prophecy had to be-”

“Hang the prophecy!” Snape shouted. “Albus, you’ve hidden this from me, your most loyal member! I…I can’t even begin to…to…!”

“Please calm down, my boy,” the old wizard tried to sooth. “Remember that you still have Harry in your arms.”

“But, why?” the professor could not think of anything else to say.

Sighing, the Headmaster sat on the end of the bed, annoying Severus to no end. “Because everyone expected it to be James Potter that would win the day, not Severus Snape.”

The words stung more than the Slytherin would have liked them to. “And since Lily hid that Harry was really your son, you could not have expected everyone to doubt her, could you?”

“But why didn’t you tell me?” Snape hissed. The old man was just trying to go around in circles.

“Like I said, you were in no condition to care for a child, and Lily held me to the utmost secrecy. I could not tell,” Dumbledore’s eyes looked on sadly.

“But she thought I was dead, thanks to Potter, and she probably would have wanted me to know that I had…that I had a…a…”

“Son?” the Headmaster filled in.

“Yes, yes, one of those,” Snape spat.

“Severus, my dear boy,” Albus smiled sadly. What he always found to smile about, the Slytherin would never know. “It was for Harry’s safety, not because I did not trust you, that I hid all this. If Harry really believed that he was the son of James Potter, then so would everyone else. If he had been left in your care, then questions would have been asked, and things would have been more complicated. You could not hide that he was your son for long, and then the Death Eaters would have come after you and the boy. In the end, it was for the greater good.”

“Noble intentions? That’s what you’re going to blame it on?” Snape growled. “Well, know this, oh might Headmaster, I am insulted, and furious that you’ve kept this from me. You had no right!”

“I know,” the old man looked down. “It was one of my greatest regrets actually. But here you have a change to raise Harry as you could have all those years ago!”

“Your enthusiasm is sickening,” the Potions Master hissed. “An accident doesn’t make up for everything that you’ve done! And what makes you think that we’re both safer now?”

The Headmaster’s eyes twinkled brilliantly. “Because no one will suspect that this is Harry Potter.”

“I thought you said he wasn’t a Potter?” Somehow hearing this baby, the one that he had just recently found out was his, go by the name of his most hated rival, really burned the Slytherin. “And why’s that? People will wonder where…where Harry has gone. He’s already been missing for several day.”

“Poppy, Minerva, and I have already taken care of that,” the old man looked quite confident.

“Oh really?” Snape could not help but get the feeling that the ruse was juvenile and poorly planned.

“Yes!” the Headmaster said proudly. “We even employed Dobby to help.”

“Dobby?”

“That house elf that used to be the Malfoy’s but then became infatuated with Harry?” the old wizard said casually.

“Oh, yes, however could I have forgotten that?” Severus rolled his eyes. “But honestly, Albus, what now?”

The Headmaster took on a solemn look, causing Snape to feel quite uneasy. Unconsciously, he, again, snuggled Harry up closer to his chest, as though the bad news would harm the little creature. Albus looking somber was infinitely more trouble than the Albus with twinkly eyes…in most cases.

“We wait for Harry to change back,” the old wizard stared at the child. “And then we go about as usual.”

“What?” Severus’s mind felt like it was going to implode. “Just like that? But how do I tell the boy that I’m his father?” he asked desperately.

There was a deafening silence that hung in the air. Black eyes met blue as the two wizards just sat staring at each other. At first, Severus found it hard to digest the words, but as they sunk in, he was more horrified about keeping the secret from Harry now that he knew that he was the boy’s father. Even though he did not like the boy when he was a Potter, even Severus knew it was wrong to hide something of this size from the child.

“I…don’t?” the professor asked carefully, his voice scathing.

Again, the old man sighed. “Voldemort can’t find out about this, my boy. You ought to know that! And Harry can’t afford to worry about anything else at the moment. He can’t worry about a long lost father while he’s fighting the great dark wizard of our time.”

Looking down into the emerald eyes of the child in his arms, Severus could not help but feel something for the boy, something…caring. This child was his, whether he wanted the boy or not, Harry was his. And even though he had had murderous thought about the child more than once, it was much different now to learn that he was plotting the death of his own son. It was just too…morbid, even for the Head of Slytherin, to entertain thoughts of killing his own child. It was too old fashion for his tastes.

And when the little boy, who had remained surprisingly quiet throughout the entire exchange, smiled at the adult wizard, Severus found that he did not want to let the boy go. After all, the boy was his. He was entitled to the child. No one should have been able to take Harry away from him. And now that Harry could not talk, and did not understand much, Severus could not help but like the boy a lot better.

“But it’s not your say anymore,” the Potions Master said shortly. “It’s mine. After all, I am the boy’s father, and if that be the case, then I have say over what the boy does, and what he knows.”

“But would you really sacrifice him to satisfy your own ego?” the Headmaster looked at the younger wizard disappointedly. “You’ve admitted that you’re not good with children, Severus, and although I find that you are perfectly capable of caring for them for their immediate well being, I do not think you have the sight to see what’s good for them in the long run.”

“Oh, and you do?” Snape challenged. “You who wants the boy to march over to the Dark Lord and have him say, ‘Hello, I’m Harry Potter, you killed my family, prepare to die?’”

“Severus, please,” Dumbledore actually looked angry. “This is different, and you know it. We need to keep Harry as safe as possible before he faces Voldemort. He is the only one that can defeat him.”

Seeing nothing but red, the Potions Mater thought he might kill his mentor. “Get out,” he hissed. “Just get out of here.”

“Don’t be like this, Severus.”

“And how would you have me be!” Snape’s temper finally got the better of him. “I’ve been extremely patient with you over the years, and you stab me in the back! And when I finally get something out of my life, you want to rob me of it!”

“It’s for Harry’s own good,” the Headmaster looked pleadingly at the younger wizard. “What more can I say? It would be foolish to throw Harry’s safety away so carelessly.”

“I would protect the boy!” Severus growled indignantly.

“You would,” Albus nodded in agreement. “That is why I must ask you to not tell the boy of your relationship when he changes back.”

Looking down at the baby, who again smiled up at him, Severus could not suppress the sigh that came out. Would he do anything to protect the boy? Yes, even before the Potter brat became his brat, Snape knew that he would have done anything for Lily’s son. But it was still hard to let go of something he had just found.

Dejectedly, Snape nodded once. “Perhaps you’re right,” he said softly. “But I am not happy about this arrangement,” he growled. “Nor the previous one.”

“I understand,” the Headmaster looked somewhat relieved. “I hope in time you will forgive me for that.”

“Perhaps,” Snape said coldly. “But not now, nor in the near future.”

“Fair enough,” Dumbledore nodded in acknowledged defeat.

Looking around the room, Severus again found that he had no idea how he had gotten here. But that thought was suddenly pushed aside by the thought of something else. “My class!” he began to untangle himself from the covers, only to realize that he was in his pajamas and that it hard to fight with blankets with a baby in his arms. “I need to get to my class!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Albus came and sat Severus back down on the bed.

“Why? What time is it?” May be he had enough time to actually eat and take his time to get to class?

 “It’s about seven o’clock,” the old wizard smiled.

“I missed all of my afternoon classes?” the professor was appalled with himself. “Why? What happened?”

The Headmaster shrugged. “You fainted.”

As the horror of embarrassment colored itself on his cheeks, Harry laughed merrily. “Dada!”

The Headmaster smiled, and held out a little case to the Potions Master. "Lemon drop?"

Severus groaned loudly.

The next day, after a rather peaceful night, with only a few hiccups along the way, Severus took Harry down to the Great Hall. Except, he had to remember that he had given P- Harry the name of Evan. He had to call the child Evan, especially around Umbridge.            

Feeling self-conscious- after all, he had fainted yesterday, and never returned to class- Snape made sure that he wore an extra nasty scowl today. No one was going to mess with him and live to tell the tale…er, perhaps they might live, but they’d wish that they died! He would see to that. Albus can’t protect them forever, the Potions Master thought evilly, a smile coming easily to his face as he glided through the halls.            

Harry, on the other hand, had no such fantasies about torturing other classmates. He gurgled happily in his dada’s arms and liked to watch the way the man’s long hair moved as it dangled tantalizingly above him as they walked on. If only Harry could have that hair! It was wonderful to play with!           

Entering into the Great Hall, Snape took the time to glare at each and every student that looked over at him, whether it was shyly done or otherwise. After his fall out with Umbridge, he did not think that he should be seen being soft today. But then, how hard could he really look with a drooling little cracker-muncher hanging all over him? Sighing, the professor decided that there was nothing he could do at the present except deal with it.            

Taking up his usual seat, Severus was at least pleased to see the Minerva was sitting next to him today. She nodded towards him with a “good morning,” like she always did, while Snape, in returned, only dipped his head slightly. He was not much of a morning person, even if he did wake up early. But with Harry around, the professor did not quite know what he was anymore, since he never slept! 

Dumbledore was seated talking animatedly with Filius, much like he usually did, while the half-goblin’s eyes were glazed over as the Headmaster went about his usual rants. A spark of amusement shot through the Potions Master as he could quite sympathize with the poor little man, but he was infinitely glad that it was Filius enduring the Headmaster’s ungodly talking instead of him. At least that was good.           

Snape found himself surprised that things were actually quite calm that morning. Harry hadn’t fussed much, and he was sucking away happily on his bottle. His big green eyes were staring up at Severus adorningly, much like they always did. And for the first time, the professor found that he was able to enjoy that look. Perhaps children weren’t so bad after all? Well, certain ones weren’t bad…maybe…

“My dear boy!” Dumbledore’s joyous shout caught the Potions Master unaware, and startled the poor man, causing him to shake the little baby in his arms.            

“Fool!” Severus hissed hotly, worry spiked through him.            

As if not ashamed at all, Albus smiled openly, a damned twinkle in his eyes. “So sorry, my dear boy. But on this delightful morning, how is your dear boy?”           

“He was better before you began to talk,” the professor sneered, still fussing over the little boy in his arms, hoping that nothing terrible had happened.            

“Aw, no harm done,” the Headmaster smiled easily.            

Harry suddenly got a look about his little face, a look that Severus had come to know and fear. An evil thought struck the younger man’s mind, and he could feel horns growing out of his head. “Headmaster,” he said smoothly. “Would you look him over? I really am still quite new at this, and that jolt you caused might have made something happen to him.”           

“Give him!” Dumbledore held out his arms, much like a little child himself, making Severus wonder if it was a good idea to give Harry to such a man. But the thought of vendetta forced all worry aside for a moment, and he passed the baby on.           

The instant Harry did not feel his father’s hands holding him, he began crying. The whole hall looked up towards the Head Table, and gawked amazedly. Not even Dumbledore the figure of Father Christmas himself could please the little one as much as the Potions Master Grinch. It was inconceivable!            

“What’s wrong, little one?” Albus cooed. “Are you unwell? Do you not like me?”           

But just as the Headmaster held the child up close to his face, to see the green eyes, Harry lurched back, and threw up in the old man’s face. The whole hall was silent.            

That is, of course, with the exception of Snape, who proceeded to throw back his head, and laugh hysterically.            

“Finally!” the Potions Master laughed. “Finally! Now you know how it feels!”           

The other professors were horrified by their colleagues’ reaction, but they could not dwell upon that as they were finding it quite hard to contain their own laughter at their employer’s plight. The students, who had not heard exactly what the Potions Master had said, but saw his reaction, could hardly believe their eyes. Again!           

Slowly, the Slytherin began to follow their Head of House’s lead and began giggling, at first, before they were all rolling on the floor laughing. Next, surprisingly, where the Gryffindors, who could not help but find the humor in the whole situation. Then the Hufflepuffs, and last the Ravenclaw. Soon the entire hall was flooded with laughter, even the teachers.            

Spitting up the spit up, Albus held the baby at arm’s length, before he held Harry out in the direction of Severus. Taking the baby away from the messy Headmaster, Snape felt a bit lightheaded from his laughing. Merlin, he’d not laughed like that since…well…when was the last time he’d laughed? Truly laughed? Ages, he decided.            

“Haven’t you ever hear the saying, don’t shake the baby?” the Slytherin tisked before he began to clean off Harry’s face, delighted that the old man got the worse end of the deal. At least Harry liked to be clean, or it appeared that he did. If he could just pass the brat around to others when the child decided to be messy, perhaps parenting wouldn’t be so bad?           

Umbridge, forgotten for a time, was the only one that did not laugh or smile. Instead, she gave rather nasty looks over to Dumbledore and Snape. When the Head of Slytherin caught it, he sent his own, nastier scowl right back, undeterred. Two could play it that game!           

When breakfast was done and over with, the Potions Master went to his classroom, hoping to actually get something done. He set Harry inside his little crib, before he went about straightening his desk. Merlin, who’d subbed for him? They were more disorganized than a hippogriff locked in the Ministry! He’d have to have another talk with Albus about his sub.            

As he was moving vials around, the professor happened to look over to see little P- Harry’s eyes widen in awe at the sight of the shiny containers. Even though he had vowed to hate this child forever, Severus found himself, yet again, smirking at the innocent wonder. “Like them do you?” he asked. “Perhaps I’ll make a Potions Master out of you?”           

In response, Harry giggled and clapped his hands. Again, Snape smirked.            

The seventh year Gryffindor and Slytherin class came in after that, and the professor wanted to groan. Why, in all of God’s green creation, did he have to deal with the despicable Weasley twins? Of all the children in the school- other than Harry Potter…and maybe little Weasley boy and the Granger girl- Severus hated the twins the most. He was convinced that they were nothing by genetically mutated monsters that were made and designed to torture him.            

“Oy! Professor Snape,” Weasley one called, the moment he sat down, his hand in the air.            

“Ten points from Gryffindor, for your disrespect, Mr. Weasley, and a detention too,” the Potions Master growled, not even bothering to look up. “And a detention for your brother as well.”           

“What! What’d I do?” Weasley two cried out in outrage.            

“Nothing, at the moment, but you will soon enough,” the professor sneered. “And it would be a pity to have only one Weasley brother and not the complete set.”           

The rest of the class went by surprisingly smooth, with Harry’s sneeze being the only interruption. Although that one little sneeze had almost given Snape a heart attack when he thought that the child had become ill. It never occurred to him that there might be dust in the air. But he had had to push his panic aside in pursuit of watching the other children’s cauldrons to make sure nothing exploded.            

When the class ended, the Weasley twins began to mutter about the unfairness of Snape. “Why’s it always him?” Weasley A asked.            

“Don’t know, bro,” Weasley B answered. “And to think, that Dumbledore actually hired that guy to deal with kids!”           

“Well, he’s got his own now, apparently,” A sneered.            

“Yes, the poor little guy,” B shook his head sadly. “Could you imagine having Snape for a dad?” he shivered dramatically.            

“Ah, but at least with the little guy around, Snape’s finally the ‘dada’ professor!”           

As the twins laughed hysterically, they did not see the great, looming black shadow that had come up behind them. If they had, they probably would have lowered their voices into an acceptable range for speech. Only when the hands of said looming figure placed themselves on the shoulders of the two teens, did the boy realize that they were in trouble. They turned around slowly, icy dread in the pit of their stomachs.            

“That’ll be detention with Filch, Weasleys,” Snape sneered down at them. “And a week’s worth of detention.”           

“For what?!” the boys cried together.            

A wicked smile spreading across his face, sending absolute dread through the twins, the Potions Master looked each of them in the eyes. “I’ll come up with something. Don’t you worry about that.”           

Both boys groaned. Since when had Snape ever developed a sense of humor?

******           

As the day went on, the students all vowed never to give their Potions Master an excuse to be ‘happy’ again. After the man’s son had thrown up on the Headmaster, Snape’s ‘joy’ had quickly spread throughout all his classes. The man was throwing out detentions like they were rose petals! He even graciously offered to walk each of them to their detentions before threatening to lock them in a small room for the rats to gnaw on.            

One Ravenclaw actually had to nerve to inform that professor that Hogwarts was spelled against having rats inside the school, with the exception of pets. Snape had not seemed overly concerned. Which, of course, was a very bad thing.            

He had leaned in close to the boy, so that their noses were almost touching, before he had answered, “Well then I’ll make some.”           

Everyone had believed him.           

And Severus was actually have a fairly good day. It was almost like normal. Harry had been very well behaved. Snape actually had to admit he had had a hard time keeping up appearances when Neville Longbottom blew up yet another cauldron and Harry had started to giggle and clap when Snape had begun to thoroughly chastise the other boy for his failure and incompetence.            

When Severus looked down into the gleeful little face, he decided that perhaps they were related after all. He too would have laughed at such a scene if it had not wasted so many expensive ingredients and his valuable time. Children could be so inconsiderate sometimes!           

It was when he was going to dinner that night that the entire good days events were all but washed away when Dolores Umbridge came strutting over.

“Professor Snape, I need a word with you,” she did not look pleased.            

Having to stop himself from rolling his eyes, Severus complied and walked off to the side of the hall, in an out cove with the intolerable woman. “What is it?” he snapped. “Evan needs to get to dinner.”           

“It’s actually about your Evan that I wish to speak to you about,” she put her hands on her hips.            

“Well, what about him?” Severus asked defensively, instinctively cuddling the boy closer. After all, this was his son now, and he was not going to let this toad near him.            

“Although the Headmaster seems to think that having the boy here is fine, I do not. Nor does the Ministry,” Umbridge growled. “His embarrassment at that little…monster’s stunt at breakfast this morning was deplorable! How is he to keep order when none of the children respect him?”           

“How dare you!” Snape hissed, his voice a soft silk. “How dare you insult my son like that, and to my face, no less! The only one I find deplorable, madam, is you!”            

“Why yo-”           

“Do not interrupt me,” the father snapped. “You have the audacity to come up to me and call my child such a despicable name, and then you proceed to speak out against the Headmaster? Madam, the only reason you are teaching here is because the Ministry placed you here. You were not hired for your skill or intelligence. You were hired here out of force. And let me tell you, that even if you had actually put in an application, you would have been on the bottom of the selection list!”           

“Why I never!” the witch huffed. “I have never been spoken to in such a manner!”           

“Really?” Severus quirked an eyebrow. “That’s surprising.” Harry giggled. He liked it when dada made his eyebrows move.            

“The Headmaster and the Ministry will hear about this!” Umbridge huffed. “You’ll see! The Headmaster will be sorry for hiring a Death Eater who brought his whelp!”           

It all happened so suddenly, Severus hardly remembered it at all. The next thing he knew was that he had his wand in hand and that Umbridge was tired up, her mouth gagged, hanging upside down from the ceiling. An unattractive sight, really.             

It was at that moment that the Weasley twins came walking down the hall, and they froze when they had seen their Potions Master all but attack their DADA teacher. Turning around, Snape and the twins merely stared at each other for a very long moment, neither party really knowing what to say.            

At last, Snape put his wand way calmly, and shifted Harry in his arms. “Take the blame for this and I’ll monitor your detentions,” he said smoothly.            

The twins, quite taken back by the fact that not only had Snape attacked Umbridge, but was bartering detentions with them was quite surprising…but in a good way.            

“Or, we could just not tell anyone-”           

“And you monitor our detentions-”           

“And we not have to get in trouble for this.”           

Looking up at his handy work, Snape shook his head. “No. I want people to see this. You not tell and take the blame, and I’ll throw out your week’s worth of detentions.”           

“Done!” the twins said in unison.            

With that taken care of, Severus cast a memory spell on Umbridge before he looked back at the boys. With a small nod and a flip of his cap, he walked off for dinner.

In his arms, Harry smiled up adorningly at his father, even more thrilled to see the smile on the stern Potions Master’s face. Justice was done. Nobody called his son such a name and would get away with it!

That night, there was a terrible calamity about Professor Umbridge, and how she had gotten turned upside down, floating on the ceiling. But the bigger question yet was who had done such a thing to the professor? Filch claimed that he had not been in the vicinity when the crime occurred, nor had any of the ghosts been around when the tragedy struck.

Soon, the Weasley twins stepped forward and announced that they had been the ones that had committed the crime, but for the first time in their young lives, no one blamed them. Instead, the professors, excluding Snape, who stood towards the back with little Harry snoozing in his arms, announced that the Weasley boys could not have done such a thing because the spell was far too advanced for their level of magic. Not to mention that the spell was little known.

But as the students began to whisper and chatter amongst themselves, while Professor McGonagall told the twins that they would not be receiving detentions. The Transfigurations teacher looked her identical pair of miscreants over, wondering why they had desired detentions so much.

“What do you make of it, Severus?” her voice was low as she leaned in towards the Potions Master. “That is your spell that has been used, is it not? Can you get her down?”

“I can,” Snape nodded, but making no move to draw his wand.

Again, Minerva nodded approvingly, showing no more concern for the other woman that was still hanging unconscious up in the air. “And the boys? I think they might be covering up for someone. But I don’t know how to get them to talk,” she huffed in frustration.

His face impassive, Severus bore his steely eyes into his coworker’s. “Allow me,” he said quietly. “Weasleys!” he bellowed over the chatter. Both twins looked up, the smiles vanishing from their faces. “Detention. Now. With me.”

It was a sad thing to watch as the normally smiling, happy faces crumpled into shock and disappointed anger. “But professor-!” they started.

“Now! Weasleys,” Snape snapped. Aware that Harry was still in his arms, Severus cursed himself for the harshness and volume of his words. But as he looked down, he found the baby looking up at him sleepily, a tired smile on his face. Something within the Potions Master jumped. He did not know what it was, but he resolved to think on it better in the morning.

As Snape stalked down into the dungeons, twins in tow, he threw open the door for them, and allowed them to enter first. Once in, Severus slammed to doors shut and proceeded to skulk up towards his desk. The twins were not feeling so well anymore.

Once in the front, the professor, with a sharp turn, faced his victims, his robed swirling around him majestically. He looked at the Gryffindors from down his nose, and gave a slight sneer. “That was very well played,” the complement hurt. “You have successfully fooled the mob.”

“Does this mean-”

“We’re not really-”

“In trouble for this?” the twins asked.

“For this,” Snape raised an ominous eyebrow. “No. But,” he cut in before the Weasleys could let out a sigh of relief, “should you tell anyone the truth of the matter, I will not only deny your claims, I’ll wipe your memories, and then I’ll keep you in detention even after you graduate. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir,” they said in unison.

“Now,” the professor moved to sit at his desk, adjusting Harry accordingly, “you may leave. Tell them I interrogated you. However, take your time while going back to your common room. I have no desire for Professor McGonagall to question you two later because she believes that I was insufficient.” That thought made Severus’s lip curl in disgust. As if he would ever do an interrogation half-heartedly.

“Yes, sir!” the twins exclaimed merrily. They liked keeping secrets from everyone. They liked it so well, that it was what was keeping Snape from just wiping their memories now. It was, of course, against the rules to use magic on students, but Severus thought that he could wait to break that rule until something more important came about.

After waited several more minutes, the twins left, and once he was sure that they were away, Severus let out a sigh. Who knew being a parent could be so exhausting? Having to cater to the little brat’s every whim and then protecting them because they couldn’t do anything for themselves. “You own me big, Potter,” Severus said tiredly seeing that once again, the baby was asleep.

But then another jolt shot through Severus at his words. This child was Harry Potter, the glorious savior of the Wizarding World. Except that he wasn’t. This child was not the son of James Potter. This child was his son.

A sadness enveloped the professor at the thought of having to give the child up once the potion wore off. Why had Dumbledore told him he was the father at all? It would have been so much more simple if Severus had never known his true relationship with the boy. Snape was convinced that he could have kept on hating the Gryffindor after all of this if he had not know the child was his son.

Standing up, Severus stalked off to his chambers. Once there, he changed Harry’s diaper before changing the child for bed. Unwilling to let the child go just yet, even though he had held the heavy little monster most of the day, the father sat down and began to rock the baby in the rocking chair he had made, just to make sure that the boy would sleep well.

After an hour, Snape could no longer think of a practical reason as to why he should still be holding Harry, and gently placed that baby into the crib. Giving the child his teddy bear, which, in his sleep, the baby reached out and took hold of, Severus walked out of his bedroom and into his sitting area. He flopped down upon a couch and stared off into space.

When the time came, he would have to give Harry up. He did not want to give Harry up. The thought surprised him even more than it would everyone else in the school if they had known about this. No, no it was not right for the old lemon drop bastard to do this! It was not fair and it was not right!

“I am Slytherin, after all,” Severus said quietly to himself. And with that, the Potions Master spent the night forming a plan on how to keep the child that was by all rights, his.

********

The next morning, while Snape was in his office before breakfast, Harry sleeping in his crib, there came a soft tapping at his door. Frowning in confusion, he tried to think of who it could be at this hour. The professor waved his wand and opened to door to find the youngest Weasley boy and the Granger girl standing nervously outside the door. Jerking his head in irritation, Snape indicated that they should come in.

Both Gryffindors shaking with fear, giving great satisfaction to the Head of Slytherin that two of the three members of the Golden Trio were shaking in their boots, the friends of Po-… his son?- stepped in.

“What is it?” Snape growled, not wanting them to wake Harry.

“Um, Professor Snape, sir,” Granger was the first to find her voice. “Ron and I, well, we have a question.”

Scowling deeper, the professor made sure to show the two idiots just how displeased he was with his looks. It worked when both Gryffindors flinched. “I had surmised that, Granger,” Snape drawled. “Now what do you want?”

“We were, uh, wondering if…if you knew what happened to Harry,” she blurted out.

The question made Severus’s insides turn to liquid. Dear Merlin, they know! It was such a startling revelation that Snape thought he might become sick. Dumbledore, that old fool, he must have told! “What?” he snapped instead, not wanting to give anything away yet.

“Uh, we-we were just wondering,” Granger hurried. “He’s not been in class for a while, and every time Ron and I go to the hospital wing to see Harry, Madam Pomfrey won’t let us see him, and since you are the Potions Master, you’d be the one making Harry’s medicine, and we were wondering if you’d tell us what it is he has exactly.”

It was said so fast, that it took a moment for Severus to actually get the meaning of the words straight. Folding his hands on top of his desk, the professor sneered down at the children before him. “Couldn’t get anyone else to talk, so you come to me?” he drawled. Both children nodded. “That was a very stupid move on your part,” he sneered again. “Why would I tell you?”

“It’s not like you really care about Harry,” Weasley spoke up. “We thought you’d love to go around telling people Harry’s misfortune.”

Becoming exceedingly angry, Severus was having a hard time keeping his anger in. How dare this delinquents come barging into his room and asking him all of these ridiculous questions and expecting him to be glad of another child’s misfortune! Granted, he might have been with Potter, but things were different now! And these brats needed to be put straight.

“That will be a detention, Mr. Weasley,” Snape hissed. “For talking so disrespectfully to your professor. And to answer you, Miss. Granger, you were not told of Mr. Potter’s condition for a reason. Has that ever occurred to you? You two were not told because the Headmaster, Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, and myself thought it best that you not know.”

As they listened, the two Gryffindors could not believe that they were getting this lecture from Professor Snape of all teachers! In his own, prickly, nasty way, the man was making a lot of sense surprisingly and Hermione and Ron found themselves thinking that perhaps there was more to Harry’s condition than just being sick. If only Harry’s Head of House, the Headmaster, the Potions Master, and the nurse, knew full details about this, then perhaps things were more serious than they had originally thought.

“Sir, please,” Hermione stepped up, her fear for her friend overriding her fear of the professor. “Can you tell us anything about Harry? Is he alright?”

“Of course he’s alright, you silly girl!” Snape snapped. “He is being well looked after, now, if that is all you want, then kindly leave me alone. I have work to do.”

Trying his hardest to ignore the children, Severus looked back to the essays he had been grading, finding it a lot harder to dismiss the children’s presence more than usual. Why did they all come to him with problems? Hadn’t he always giving the impression that he hated all of them until the end of time and after? So why then did they all come crying to him? He’d have to work harder at keeping them all away. Heaven knew he was good at it with people his own age.

When the two annoying children had gone, Severus looked up and waved the door shut. Although he hated both of those Gryffindors, he could not help but think their concern…well, rightly placed. No one else had commented on Harry’s disappearance, even though it had been days since anyone had last seen Harry Potter around. The professor was just glad he taught such dull children. If he had taught anyone brighter, someone would have made the connection between Harry Potter and the new little boy Evan Snape.

Just then, said child began tossing and turning restlessly. Knowing the boy needed to be consoled, Severus picked up the little boy carefully and began rocking him, as was becoming second nature. “We’re going to need to keep quiet, child,” Severus spoke gently to the baby. “If we do, then perhaps I have a chance at keeping you.”

The little eyes opened and peeked up into the familiar face of his guardian. Realizing that his dada was holding him, Harry just felt safe. There was nothing in the world to be compared to the strong hold of his dada. Here, Harry felt safe, he felt warm, he felt loved.

Once the child was asleep, Severus sighed once he looked at the clock. It was time to go to breakfast. He did not want to go to breakfast. People always stared at him at breakfast, waiting, watching for him to make a mistake. It was as though the children wanted him to fail in his duty as a father, as though they wanted an excuse to crucify him. But he would not give them the chance. He would succeed, even though everyone was against him, even Albus. He would not let them take his son. Not again.

As he stood, the Potions Master was consoled with the fact that he would get to see Dolores this morning and see what lasting damage he had done to her. The thought was cheery, so Severus stood up, Harry in arm, and proceeded to the Great Hall. He wished fervently that his little “prank” would drive the crazed maniac away, but he knew it wouldn’t happen in all reality. Umbridge was Fudge’s “bitch” as they were saying in some places. She would do what the Minister asked of her.

Once in the Great Hall, Snape glided to his place at the Head Table and nodded to the co-workers that were already assembled for breakfast. All the other teachers, Severus noted, looked a little too pleased that morning, with the exception of Umbridge, who wore a disgusting outfit of pink plaid with flowers embroidered here ant there. The Potions Master sneered at the outfit, not quite being able to use last nights little fiasco to cheer him in the face of that atrocity.

“Good morning, Severus,” Minerva said a bit too smugly.

Sending a sideways glare at the woman, Severus proceeded to fill his plate, since Harry wasn’t awake yet, and he found himself very hungry. “Minerva,” he nodded to her.

“Haven’t you noticed something?” she purred.

“What, that Umbridge looks like something Witch and Gloss threw up?” he drawled angrily, just wanting to eat his food in peace.

Chuckling, the Head of Gryffindor shook her head. “While that statement is true, Severus, I was referring to the fact that someone awarded Gryffindor twenty points last evening.”

“So,” he growled, wishing that Minerva wasn’t so competitive for once. The woman really needed to get a life.

“So?” she sounded a little surprised. “That means that Gryffindor is ahead of Slytherin by ten points. We’re winning to House Cup as of now.”

“Then that means I’ll just have to deduct fifty points from your house today to compensate the error,” he growled.

“You wouldn’t dare!” McGonagall hissed, knowing full well that Snape did not have the…more honorable sense of fair play that she did, to put it lightly.

“Oh, I think I would,” he grinned wickedly at her. “I can always come up with an excuse, Minerva, you should know that.”

Although Minerva McGonagall was also known for a temper, Severus could not help by string her along. Really the woman was too competitive and self-righteous. He knew she was constantly angry with him for his treatment of her students, but at the same time, she would never contradict his claims of disrespectful students on the base that may of Snape’s favorite targets were notable to be disrespectful at times, and did not like the Potions Master. So, in that sense, he was safe from Minerva’s wrath, and his Slytherin’s points would not be jeopardized because of the Transfiguration professor’s sense of obligations and upholding of the rules. Minerva really was Headmaster’s pet.

“If you do,” she threatened animatedly, “I’ll deduct one hundred from Slytherin.”

“Would you?” Severus asked, smirking.

Flustered at having been caught and not angering the younger professor, McGonagall huffed and crossed her arms. “Maybe.” She never lied very convincingly, and so Snape chuckled evilly. Yes, it was good to be Slytherin!

“Oh, Severus. My boy!” the gaiety ended when the Headmaster spoke, bringing the Potions Master crashing back into the dark, dismal world.

“Yes, Headmaster?” Snape asked patiently, noticing Umbridge’s glare.

“Since Professor Umbridge has expressed a wish to remain behind after last night’s commotion, it means that you get the delight of going to Hogsmeade this weekend to watch the children!” Albus said delightedly.

“I do not want to go to Hogsmeade, Headmaster,” Snape growled, and he did not truly want to. Not with the baby anyway. There were all kinds of germs and nasty people, and loud noises that might frighten the little one. Besides, it would a lot of work lugging the little creature around everywhere.

Smiling, unscathed by the wicked glare, Dumbledore did not seem to understand any of Snape’s feelings on the subject. “Oh, come, come now Severus! Your name was next on the list, and as such, that means you are required to go in and watch the students.”

“But I have other concerns to look to, concerns that you yourself have prioritized my time with,” he fervently hoped the old fool understood that he was talking about Harry.

As though all argument went in one ear and out the other, Albus seemed oblivious to the potential disasters that could occur if Severus took Harry down to the village. “Nonsense! You need to get out of the castle. And I’m sure little Evan would appreciate the sights just as much as you would!”

It was then that Harry woke up and demanded food. But when the baby began to cry, it startled Professor Flitwick, who accidentally flipped his fork up. The eggs on the other end went flying into the air and landed almost strategically on Severus’s head.

Wanting nothing so much as to scream, the Potions Master sat still, watching as both the students and the other teachers watched him, horror written on their faces. Reaching up with a napkin, Snape removed the offending pieces of breakfast out of his hair and held the napkin out to the half-goblin professor, all the while still holding the screaming baby.

“I believe this is yours,” he ground out, black eyes burning.

So much for not letting the baby make a fool of him.

It was also then that Severus realized Granger was staring at the baby in his arms, a quizzical look about her face.  "Dear Merlin," the professor sighed.

After the stressful day, Severus was glad to be back in his beloved little home in the dungeons away from stupid co-workers and noisy children. That Granger girl was far too nosy. She needed to be punished for it. No child should be that inquisitive all the bloody time!

Putting Harry to bed was a challenge that particular night, as the little imp simply did not want to sleep. He wanted to stay up and cuddle with his dada. But Severus was sorely convinced that he was not the cuddling type. In fact, he wasn’t the caring type really. He had jumped a woman and suspended her from the ceiling for Merlin’s sake! And Albus would leave a baby in Snape’s care?

Well, Harry did belong with Severus after all. It was only natural that the baby be with his birth father, right? Besides, if Harry had a chance of survival, it would be with him. Severus could teach the child so much! He could make a better brewer out of the little creature, could teach him spells far more advanced than any of the other students, could give him all the advantages that he never had. When Harry grew up again…

“What are you thinking?” Snape asked himself in shock. Harry was not going to simply re-grow up. The boy was going to turn back into his normal, bratty fifteen year old self soon enough. And when that time came, Severus was going to have to give Harry up, let the boy believe that nothing changed between them. Let the boy believe that Snape still hated him.

I do hate him! Severus thought in a panic. I hate him and I wish I could just chop him up and use him in potions!

But when the Potions Master looked down into the peaceful face of the sleeping child, he knew, deep down, that he would never harm the boy. Deep down, there was something else there, something…warm? Dear Merlin, when had he gotten soft?

After putting Harry to bed, Severus went through his nightly routine and changed into his pajamas. He was far too tired to do any grading. If the students didn’t like it, they could kiss his ass… On second thought, the professor wasn’t sure he’d like that very much. Who knew where those kids have been? They’d probably give him rabies or something.

Laying down, closing his tired eyes, all the professor could do was picture Miss Granger staring at him and the baby, her dark eyes quick and formulating. Merlin’s beard, what if she actually figured it out?

*******

The next morning things went much the same as they had been going. Except Dumbledore called a meeting for the Heads of House for that afternoon. What could Albus be up to that would involve all the Heads of House? It couldn’t be about Harry, as Flitwick and Sprout didn’t have a clue on what was going on, and not even Minerva knew the whole truth of the matter. So what had he come up with so suddenly? And how was he going to look after Harry during that time? He was sure the other three professors wouldn’t mind having Harry in the meeting, and everyone knew the Headmaster wouldn’t give a hoot, but Severus still wasn’t sure he wanted to have the child there. There was a lot that could happen, after all.

But as Minerva and Filius tried to wheedle out more information form the ancient wizard, the Headmaster utterly refused to speak further on the matter. That, in itself, scared Severus at least. What was going on that Albus wouldn’t even talk? The old man was not always as inconspicuous as this. Something important was going on, and Severus was determined to do his part… even though he still had an infant to watch out for and he was running on little sleep nowadays.

After breakfast, which went about the same as always, Severus took his charge and went down into the dungeons to prepare for his class. Although, he would have to clean up first, as Boo-boo, the Amazing Vomiting Child, had decided to once again throw up on Severus’s shoulder. Now, the Potions Master had actually come to expect this, and he had tried to set up protection for himself by placing a cloth on his shoulder so that if Harry did decide to give back his breakfast, Severus wouldn’t get caught in the blast and could easily get rid of the stuff before it soaked through his clothes. However, that idea had not worked so well, when Harry had actually managed to throw up on the opposite shoulder. How the little bugger had managed it, Severus was still trying to figure it out.

Setting the sleeping infant down in his little “pen” as everyone had started to call it, Snape went about setting out ingredients for his class. The “pen,” why’d they call it that with such a negative tone? If they had to look after the little brat that hated everyone but them then they would find relief in getting away from the child too. Besides, Harry’s little crib was actually quite comfortable, with Slytherin green pillows and a blanket with the Slytherin crest on it, and his teddy bear that Severus was sure that if it had been a living thing, it would have been dead by now as much as Harry hugged and cuddled it. It was so cu- disgusting. Yes, yes that’s what Snape thought of it. It was disgusting. It certainly was not cute!

The students filed in one at a time, much like they had over the past couple of days. It seemed they were still not used to the idea of the Potions Master being in the class before them. But Severus was actually starting to find the pleasure in it as he had once again thrown the students off. Even Malfoy seemed perplexed with Snape’s actions lately. That was always fun.

Snape’s joy was cut far too short when the Weasley boy and Granger came walking into the classroom, seeming to be in a heated debate. The professor’s heart jumped as he watched. What could they be arguing about? Was it about Harry? Severus made mental note to tell Albus about the little brats later.

If they figured it all out, there would be no way the Potions Master could keep Harry then. Severus could just imagine the whole scenario now; Granger would tell Weasley, Weasley would tell his parents, his parents would tell Black and Lupin, and Black and Lupin would storm here to Hogwarts, murder Snape, and then take Harry away until he changed back. And Harry would never know anything! ...But Severus was not supposed to tell, isn’t that what the Headmaster said?

Giving a quick glance over at the sleeping baby, Snape contented himself with the knowledge that Harry was safe and with him for the time being. And as a professor, Snape intended to keep an eye on the two pesky Gryffindors and throw them off scent.

*******

That afternoon, Severus, Minerva, Filius, and Pomona all met at the Headmaster’s office. The two wizards and the two witches were all still confused by Dumbledore’s request for a meeting as they walked in. When they saw Umbridge sitting there, however, things started to make much more sense. “Wonderful,” Severus rolled his eyes.

“Please sit down everyone,” Albus invited while Umbridge scowled.

“What’s this all about then, Albus?” Minerva asked crisply. “None of us have that much time to spare.”

Snape scowled in agreement. Wasn’t he already busy enough with classes, grading, potions, and the baby?

“Very well then,” Dumbledore nodded, folding his hands on top of his desk. “Professor Umbridge has expressed her feeling dissatisfaction with all of you.”

“What!” Filius stood up on his chair in outrage. “And what, Madam, is that supposed to mean?”

“That, Professor Flitwick, is what I am dissatisfied with,” the toad croaked. “As the Heads of House, you are supposed to be the ones that have the most impact on the students and their behavior towards the other professors, and none of you have been showing me any respect, and therefore the students are not listening to me anymore.”

“The students were never listening to you,” Severus muttered drolly. Merlin, this was a waste of time. Hadn’t she learned that quarreling with him got her nowhere?

“You have been the worst, Professor Snape!” Umbridge pointed an accusing finger at him. “Your snakes haven’t been paying the least bit of attention to me!”

“That’s because they all know your teaching is a bunch of Ministry crock,” the Potions Master hissed, becoming defensive once again. No one messed with his brood and got away with it!

“Please, please,” Dumbledore intervened. “I called this meeting to settle differences and hopefully to let each of you come away with a better understanding of one another.”

None of the professors looked pleased, but the Headmaster went on. “Now,” the old wizard said happily, his eyes sparkling. “Severus, since you and Dolores seem to be having the worst time of it, let’s start from the beginning. Reintroduce yourselves.”

Shooting the Headmaster a look that could have slew a thousand men, Snape resettled Harry and waited for Dolores to make the first move. Merlin, he didn’t want to shake her hand. Who knew where it had been? Up Fudge’s ass, perhaps?

Umbridge stuck out her hand, and only with some encouragement from Albus did Snape actually take it. “Professor Snape,” Dolores nodded a greeting. “It’s nice to meet you. I see from looking at you, you take pride in looking professional.”

“Professor Umbridge,” Severus greeted in return, but drew a blank at what to say next. “Every time I look at you, I get the fierce desire to be lonesome.”

While McGonagall and Sprout were trying to hide their laughter, Flitwick saw no problem with laughing. Even Dumbledore began to chuckle while Umbridge sat in shocked outrage. “Headmaster!” she shrieked.

“Now, now, Severus,” Albus smiled lightly. “You were supposed to think up something nice to say back to Dolores.”

“Nice?” Severus looked doubtfully at the Headmaster.

“Yes, Severus, something nice. Let’s try again,” Albus grinned. “Now, my boy, give Dolores a complement.”

Staring at the frog woman in pink, Snape, for the life of him, could not think of anything pleasant to the woman. She was utterly revolting, and he did not know how to give her a complement. There was nothing appealing about her, and it would be too much of a stretch at any given truth to simply exaggerate.

Refusing to speak, Severus glared over at the old man, an eyebrow raised in defiance. “Can’t think of anything?” the Headmaster said pitiably. “That’s okay. We’ll come back to you. Minerva!” the witch winced. “Give a nice complement to Dolores.”

Looking as though she were actually contemplating suicide, or murder, the Transfiguration professor took a deep breath. “Umbridge,” Minerva started off well enough. “You…always…seems so organized.”

Smiling, even though the complement was forced, Umbridge accepted the complement as though she had received an award. “Thank you, Minerva.” Severus noticed the way McGonagall’s eyes twitched as the other witch said her name.

“Now Pomona,” Dumbledore smiled broadly.

“Your clothes are… always match so wonderfully,” the Herbology teacher actually managed a smile. Only a Hufflepuff.

Filius seemed to be thinking all this time, as though trying to come up with something else to say. Snape knew that Flitwick was just wanting to get out of here, the same as him. The half-goblin hated the DADA professor and had even come up with a few charms that he would use if the woman got on his bad side. So when his turn came, the Charms professor sat up straight. “You necklace is very beautiful,” he said quickly. “Did you get it over seas?”

“Why, thank you, Filius!” Dolores exclaimed excitedly. “And yes I did, indeed! It comes from Wales.”

There was a moment of awkward silence that fell over the room as everyone thought over what the witch had just said.

“I can’t believe that out of the ten thousand sperm, you were the quickest,” Severus sneered.

Realizing her mistake far too late, Umbridge stood up from her chair and stormed out of the room. There was another silence before everyone, except Severus, burst into laughter. Filius even slapped the young man’s back in approval. “Very good, Severus, very good!”

Raising an eyebrow, the Potions Master scowled at everyone when Harry woke and began to squirm and fuss. Realizing that they might get in trouble, Sprout and Flitwick left quickly, not wanting Severus to yell at them for waking little Evan. The younger professor seemed to be in one of his “moods” today.

And as Snape began to rock Harry again, hoping the child would calm, Minerva watched silently, her lips in a thin line. “Severus, I would have a word with you, if I may,” she said after a minute.

“I really am busy, Minerva,” Snape growled, while Harry once again found delight in pulling his father’s hair.

“It won’t take long,” the witch promised.

“Very well,” the Potions Master sighed. “What is it?”

“I just wanted to know how Harry was getting along,” she stepped towards the wizard and the baby. “Have you been treating him alright?”

“What?” Severus exclaimed in outrage.

“What I mean is, have you been taking care of his mental needs, not just his physical?” McGonagall specified. “Have you made him feel loved? Safe? Have you read him any bedtime stories?”

Although Severus understood her concern, he was still insulted at Minerva’s assumptions. Did everyone here really think that he would not make a good father? Merlin, first the students, then all the staff, and last Dumbledore! It was getting tiresome.

“Oh, sure,” Snape rolled his eyes. “I read to him out of only the classics, such as; You Were an Accident, You Are Different and That’s Bad, Fun Four-Letter Words to Know and Share, That’s it, I’m Putting you up for Adoption, Daddy Drinks Because of You, and of course who could forget Strangers Have the Best Candy.”

Horrified, but realizing Severus’s mood, Minerva growled low in her throat. “You think this is all a game, don’t you?” her eyes flashed in anger. “But just remember, Harry’s in my house, and if he comes away from this experience in emotional, mental distress, you’ll be the one to pay.”

“Of course,” the Slytherin drawled. “To make it clear, I’d like to be disemboweled so my organs go to good use.”

Huffing, the Head of Gryffindor spun around on the Headmaster. “This is your fault!” she hissed. “Why didn’t you give Harry to me? Why’d you give the boy to someone that doesn’t even like him?”

“Come, come now my dear,” again, Albus looked far too old and weak. “Severus is the youngest staff member. Besides, I think Harry really likes him.”

“Heaven knows why,” Minerva growled before she stormed out of the room.

Dumbledore followed his Deputy Headmistress out, leaving Severus alone at last. Looking down at the big green eyes that stared up adorningly at him, the professor had to sigh again. “Well kid, you are going to get me into a lot of trouble,” he scowled. “But you’re stuck with me and I’m stuck with you, so let go get everyone pissed at us. Sound good to you?”

Harry giggled merrily and clapped his chubby hands in glee. Actually smiling, Severus grabbed a lemon drop, popped it in, before leaving.

It was unfortunate that he did not notice the letter from St. Mango’s on the Headmaster’s desk, or the announcement of accepting the experimental potion that would be looked at for further investigation.

~“Severus Snape!” came the shrill shriek of pure rage, the one that stopped the heart and pierced the soul.

Severus, for all the terror and panic of all the others, stood perfectly straight, his shoulder’s square and his expression cool. He did not flinch like all the others, he did not cower in the face of evil itself. Composed and unafraid, the Potions Master waited as he watched the other wizard in black charge forward towards him.

Gripping his wand tightly, the Death Eater waited as the Dark Lord came towards him, furry and hatred radiating off of the man everyone feared the most. But Severus was not afraid. He watched indifferently as the dark wizard thundered towards him with the intent to kill. No, Severus was tired of being afraid, he was tired of his masquerade, and now, he knew that he would no longer have to hide, and he was glad of it.

“Snape!” Voldemort spat. “Is it true? Have you been, all this time, a spy for Dumbledore? Betraying your brothers here in my Death Eater family?”

Standing up at the Head Table, the other professor’s frightened beyond action and the students weeping in fear, Severus looked down at the Dark Lord from down his nose, a sneer of disgust in place. “It is true, Voldemort. I am only surprised that you did not have the wit to discover me sooner.”

Shrieking in rage once more, the Dark Lord sent a curse at the Potions Master. But Snape was too fast, he dodged the curse easily, and rolled under the table. Standing up, he sprinted out the door, away from the others, not wanting an innocent lives to be risked while he battled the Dark Lord. Predictably, Voldemort followed, sending curse after curse at the Potions Master until finally Snape stopped in the Main Hall.

“You cannot run from me,” the dark wizard hissed maliciously. “I will find you, and I will kill you!”

“I’m not running,” Severus growled. “I’ve never run from a fight.”

The Dark Lord threw back his head and laughed, a bone chilling noise. “Going Gryffindor on me, are you Snape?” he chortled. “Think you can win? Well, what makes you think you can? Even if you do find a way to defeat me here, what makes you think you can get rid of me forever?”

At this, on Snape’s grave countenance, there came an malicious smirk on the Potions Master’s lips. “Because,” he drawled silkily, “I’ve already destroyed all your horcrux.” Then the spy dropped all of the ruined horcrux onto the floor from where he had kept them hidden. Each one broken.

Voldemort’s inhuman face took on a look of pure shock, before terror started to filter onto his reptilian face. It was in that moment, that Severus raised his wand and shouted at the top of his lungs. “Avada Kadavra!”

Dark Lord’s body crumpled to the floor, the only noise that sounded before the room descended into a deathly silence. From the door, Dumbledore, Minerva, and the other professor’s could be seen, their faces expressing their shock, while there were students peeking through shocked as much as any of their professors. When he felt every eye turn to him, that was when Severus put his wand away, trying his best to ignore the stairs.

There was another moment of silence before the room burst into cheers. Suddenly the hall was flooded with people, all of them crowding around Severus the Great, the Defeater of Voldemort. Everyone was trying to talk to him, touch him, cry on him. Suddenly reporters blended into the mass, all of them trying to take his picture, talk to him, get one word from the Hero.

But while Severus tried to get away from the crowd, one voice stopped him. “Severus!” came the halting cry. “Severus!”

Looking around wildly, the Potions Master began pushing people out of his way, still looking. “Severus!” He knew that voice, he did! He loved that voice. “Severus!” He was getting closer. “Out of my way, rat!” Snape shouted over the crowd.

Just then, he saw who he had wanted to find, and she wasted no time by flinging herself into his arms. “Severus!” she cried in his arms. “Severus, I love you! I always have!”

Stroking her long red hair, the Hero of All hushed Lily and held her tightly to him. “Hush now my love, you are safe with me.”

“Oh Severus!” she cried. “I am such a fool! I always loved you and not that arrogant arse Potter! I love you! Please don’t leave me!”

“I never will,” he whispered happily into her ear, even as the crowd continued to shout and sing his praise.

“Let’s go somewhere,” Lily looked up, her green eyes glistening with tears, but looked beautiful none the less. “Let’s go somewhere, and I will treat the hero to what he deserves,” she smiled wickedly.

Instantly alert and excited, Severus, with his arm around Lily’s waste, began pushing through the crowd before Headmaster Dumbledore and Minister of Magic Fudge, began clearing the mob. “Make way for Severus, the Greatest Wizard of our age!” they cried.

Once away from the throng of people, which had been a task, Severus took Lily to the Dungeons and into his chamber. It did not take long before clothes were off and they were on his bed. Holding each other and kissing madly, Severus looked over Lily’s body longingly. She was absolutely beautiful. She would have been perfect had she not still been wearing clothes.

“Are you ready for your spoils, oh my hero?” she asked tantalizingly into his ear.

Not bothering to answer, Severus grabbed Lily and threw her gently onto her back on the bed. “Severus?” he was too busy try to get out of his shirt to look over at her. “One minute love,” he said, undoing the buttons.

“Severus?”

“Half a moment,” he said, furiously working to get the buttons undone, but there were so many!

“Severus!”

“Please hold on!” he exclaimed frantically. Every time he unbuttoned one, there seemed ten more in its place. What horror was this?

“SEVERUS!”~

***

“SEVERUS!”

“What!” the Potions Master jumped a foot in the air, and landed on something hard: the floor.

What happened? Where was he? What was going on? Where was Lily!

Snape’s questions were all answered when he looked up to see Headmaster Dumbledore standing by the bed, looking down at him with a smile on his face. “Bravo!” the old man clapped. “I’ve never seen someone jump out of bed like that. Really very good.”

“What the hell are you doing in my room!” Severus stood up and screamed. He instantly regretted it when Harry woke up, screaming right back.

Cursing several rather unique sounding curses, Snape ran to the cradle and picked up the shrieking child that the deaf could hear. Rocking the baby back and forth for a while did not seem to help much, so he tried to sit the child up and pat his back. No such luck, so the Potions Master ran to the kitchen to fetch a bottle, which he heated instantly, and gave it to Harry. He had already found out at what temperature that they child liked his formula.

The moment the baby took his bottle, he settled after fussing a few more minutes. But eventually, Harry took the bottle without complaint and sucked passively. He did not like being woken up, but when food was offered, he did not usually refuse. Besides, dada was actually awake first at this time for a change. How unusual.

Once Harry was quite, Severus turned burning eyes upon the Headmaster, who was still wearing his own night clothes. “What are you doing in my rooms?” fire almost came out as he spoke.

Looking innocent and old, Dumbledore merely let his eyes shine in a pathetic light. “I was merely going to talk to you about something important.”

Sighing impatiently, Snape stormed to the couch and sat down, gently, all the while glaring at his employer. “What is so important that you would wake me at five in the morning?”

“I always thought you got up at five anyway,” the Headmaster went on making his excuses.

“Not since I have a little leech that I’m supposed to take care of,” he growled. “Besides, it’s Saturday! I don’t have to get up as early as I do when I have classes.”

“Yes,” Dumbledore nodded. “It’s Saturday. And that’s exactly why I’ve come to talk to you.” When it dawned on the old man that the younger wizard was not going to speak, he went on. “Yes, well, I was dreaming a very pleasant dream; the one about the lemon drop fields with the smoothie trees and the happy little marmot name Tim that-”

“Please!” Severus cried. “Please, just get on with what you are going to tell me.”

“Oh, yes, that,” Albus paused before looking thoughtful. There was a moment of silence. “What was I going to tell you?”

“Dear Merlin!” the Potions Master literally thought his heart was going to give out.

“Oh! Yes, that was it!” Dumbledore found his thought. “Well, you see, while I was dreaming, my dream was interrupted when I woke up and needed to use the loo, so I went and used it, feeling ever so much better when I realized that today was Saturday.”

It was at the moment that Severus began looking around his chamber for poison to ingest. “And being Saturday,” the old man went on, oblivious to the pain he was causing, “I remembered that it was a Hogsmeade day. And remembering it was a Hogsmeade day, I remembered that I need to get more lemon drops. And remembering that, I remembered that you are chaperoning in Dolores’s place.”

There was just the briefest moment in which the thought of killing the old fool, taking his wand, over throwing the Dark Lord and taking over the world on his own flashed through Severus’s mind. And for just about the same amount of time he believed that it was possible to do such a thing, but while his thoughts were on murder and world domination, his face remained blank, bordering on exaggerated bored disbelief.

“Really?” Snape’s voice was annoyed. He was too tired to be furious at the moment. “Really, that’s all you wanted? You woke me up after your great bathroom journey to remind me that I have to go to Hogsmeade? At five in the morning, when I’m taking care of a baby? Really?”

The old man had the nerve to confused with the Potions Master’s anger. Hope you choke on your lemon drops! the Head of Slytherin thought viciously.

“Why Severus, I-” Albus began.

“Out,” the professor shook his head tiredly. “Just get out of my sight. Just let me alone so I can go back to sleep.”

“I was merely re-”

“OUT!” he hissed so hatefully that the Albus Dumbledore cringed and jumped in fear.

“Very well, very well,” the old wizard held up his hands for peace. “If that is how you feel. Goodnight then, Severus.”

The Potions Master didn’t even bother to get up, nor did he even acknowledge the older wizard. Instead, Severus decided to burp Harry, who had fallen asleep by now, and gently stood to put the baby back to bed. Once he heard the Floo sound, the Slytherin looked over his shoulder, just to make sure that the old man had really left.

Walking back to his room, his intent to put the baby to bed and then get back to sleep himself, Severus found that his legs were not cooperating, and instead, they walked to his bed, where he sat down. Instead of going to sleep, the wizard found himself staring down into the little face that he was supposedly supposed to have made… he and Lily, together.

Tears formed in the Potions Master’s eyes. He had dreamed of Lily, had dreamed about his own physical desires and fantasies that he knew would never be real. But here, in his hands, was something real, something that he and Lily had made out of their love for one another. Here was something that was alive, something tangible, something… his.

With a great sigh, Snape stood up after several more minutes before placing little Harry into bed. As he turned to walk away, the wizard found that he had turned on his heels and was back at the crib. Without thought, Severus leaned over the crib and placed a soft kiss on the baby’s forehead. “Goodnight little one,” he crooned tenderly. “Sleep well.”

In his sleep, baby Harry smiled.

*******

The next morning, at Hogsmeade, Severus held a very bundled up little Harry in his arms protectively. The little baby had on a very puffy green coat that the Potions Master had insisted be brought lest the child catch a cold. Professor Trelawney had commented, saying it would be a beautiful day, but she had only received flames from out of the father’s mouth. He was not going to risk his son’s health. What kind of father would do that anyway?

While Harry wore nice, soft shades of greens and blues, Snape was still his usual pillar of darkness, wearing all black. There were many people there that stopped to gawk at the stern professor who held the little baby boy close. If any stared for too long, the Head of Slytherin sent them such a cold glare that none could rival it. The Potions Master protected the baby much like a jealous dragon protects its horde.

While standing outside the Three Broomsticks, Severus spied Draco Malfoy coming over to him. “Merlin’s Beard, what now?” he muttered. Harry was playing with a strand of dada’s hair.

“Professor Snape?” Draco inquired, looking at Harry, before returning his gaze to his professor.

“What is it?” Snape snapped, not wanting to tolerate anyone this morning. He had had an interrupted night’s sleep, and not just from Harry either.

Looking less courageous, Severus watched as Draco swallowed his fears and said, “Sir, I was wondering about…uh…well about that baby. Is it really yours?”

“Of course he’s mine!” the Potions Master hissed. “You think I would randomly take care of a child this young?”

“No, sir,” the younger Slytherin agreed. “But, um, sir? Then you are married?”

The only reason Severus restrained himself from hexing the hell out of his little blond inquisitor was because Draco not only happened to be his godson, and godfather’s are supposedly not supposed to hurt their godchildren, but also because the little snots father happened to be Lucius Malfoy. It was an unfortunate thing really, but Severus restrained himself admirably. Although it was hard.

“No, I am no longer married,” he answered tightly.

“No longer?” Draco’s ears perked up. “You were then?”

“Of course I was!” Snape hissed terrifyingly. He did not like playing twenty questions, but found that he had to tolerate it.

Wincing at the harshness of the tone, the young Malfoy looked away from his godfather’s eyes. Those black eyes were hot as coal and ten times more deadly. “What happened to her?”

Here, Severus found that his heart, which he had not thought had been touched at all, broke into a million pieces, and he felt like crying, even though his eyes were too dry for tears. “She died,” he said blankly, his whole body stiff.

Even though Snape could be a royal pain in the arse, Draco was not unmoved by his godfather’s display of pain. It dawned on the young boy that Snape, the sarcastic, cruel Potions Master had been in love, but had lost his wife. Snape had cared about someone. It was strange, and yet fitting some how.

“What was her name?”

Here, Severus snapped out of his sulking, and almost thought to telling the little brat to bugger off when he realized that Draco would keep asking unless he satisfied his curiosity. “Ivy,” Snape said finally. “Ivy Sellan. Now,” he snapped, “I’ve had enough of your pointless questions. Don’t tell anyone anything I’ve told you or I’ll deduct one hundred points because of you, and don’t think I won’t.”

Draco did not doubt his Head of House’s word. Snape usually did not deduct points from Slytherin, but that did not mean he would not. The man was strange that way, and a threat from Snape was as good as a promise. “Yes, sir,” the young Malfoy said before he hurriedly ran off.

“Go,” Snape muttered as he watched the boy go. “Go scamper off to tell daddy. I’ll be waiting for you then.”

As he turned the corner of the building, it did not really surprise the Potions Master much when he almost literally ran into the youngest Weasley boy and Granger. Both of the Gryffindor’s eyes got hug as they backed away from the professor with fear.

“You heard everything I assume?” he asked candidly.

Both children nodded numbly. “Then you would not think it unfair of me to take points away from your house, the same as I threatened Mr. Malfoy?”

“That is unfair!” Ron yelped.

Raising an eyebrow, Severus really felt like squishing both Gryffindor. “Oh?” he asked silkily. “I believe I was talking to Mr. Malfoy in private, telling him things for his ears only. It’s only befitting I punish you children for your lack of respect.”

“Professor Snape, sir?” Granger stepped forward. “We were only going to ask about Harry. That’s all. We really did only catch the end of the conversation.”

“You are not a very good liar, Miss Granger,” Snape drawled. “You have a tell,” he sneered at her. “And I told you that Mr. Potter’s condition was none of your concern. He is being well looked after. Madame Pomfrey is doing her best to get him back around, up to his usual stupid antics.”

“But we went to see Harry, and Madame Pomfrey kicked us out before we could really see him!” Granger cried. “All we saw was a glimpse of him sitting in bed. He hasn’t responded to any of our notes.”

“Would you respond to notes if you felt seriously ill?” the Potions Master growled. “I told you brats once, don’t go snooping about. Not everything’s a mystery needing solving. There is no mystery here. The facts are that Mr. Potter is sick and he needs his rest. There is no conspiracy, no crime, nothing. Get that through your thich skulls. Now,” he straightened up, looking quite terrifying as he shielded the baby from sight so Harry would not ruin his dramatic effect. “Leave me in peace.”

Granger began to cry and Weasley took her way. Why did the girls always have to cry? There was no sense in the tears, but as long as it got those two out of his hair, Severus was content. For a brief moment he wondered if there was any business in bottling children’s tears. He would be quite good at it.

Harry, now sensing his father’s return to normality, reached up and began reaching for more hair to play with. Looking down at the baby, Severus flipped his hair back, out of the infant’s reach. “You really need to stop that,” the sneer was pathetic and soon fell away. Harry grinned up at his father. “You’re an odd little one, you know that?” the professor cooed quietly. “But I suppose you’re my little odd one.”

Deciding to go back into the Three Broomsticks to get a drink and sit down, Severus walked with his baby securely in his arms into the building.

In Hogshead, Dumbledore watched his Potions Master enter into the building. It was then that he decided that perhaps he should not have told Snape about Harry after all. Things were moving very quickly, and the Slytherin was becoming far too attached.

“He may not give him up!” Dumbledore whispered in horror. He was so preocuppied with this realization that Dumbledore did not even hear Minerva's complaints when one hundred points showed up missing from Gryffindor.

The following day, the students were all joyful and giddy as they talked about their fun at Hogsmeade and everything that they had bought and seen. Professor Snape, as strange as it seemed, was pleased with the day he had had as well. Harry had been the model of the perfect baby. He had enjoyed watching the other mothers that were there with their screaming brats while his brat was quiet and respectful of other people’s ear drums…but he was not a mother…and the sooner Potter turned back into a fifteen brat the better…right?

Sitting to breakfast that Sunday morning, Severus could not help but feel almost giddy. Harry had been a very good baby the following night, only waking him two times, and not for very long either. Not to mention that Umbridge was still looking a might frightened of all the students that sat at the tables before her. Severus would have chuckled if the Headmaster and Minerva hadn’t been right there. They would have known he had something to do with the recent tragities in Umbridge's life.

As he fed the baby, Snape could not help but wonder how much the child would look like him if left un-tampered with. The boy had looked remarkably similar to James thanks to Lily and Albus, so did that mean that they just covered up was noticeably Potter? Did that mean that Harry would look like a clone of Severus instead of James? Thinking about it, Severus wasn’t too sure he liked that idea much.

“Open, little one,” Severus coaxed the baby, who watched him with wide eyes. Obediently, he opened his mouth for his dada like he was supposed to.

“Seems you’re settling into fatherhood nicely,” Filius remarked with a smirk. “Didn’t think you had it in you,” he chuckled.

Not taking his eyes off of his son, Snape sneezed a curse that sent the half-goblin’s drink flying and landing in Dolores’s hair. The witch cried out, startled, and everyone looked at Flitwick in accusation. Smirking, Severus only looked up when he heard a sufficient amount of laughter and chatter.

“I didn’t…I couldn’t…you can’t honestly believe that…It was Severus!” the Charms professor cried in dismay when the Headmaster looked over at him crossly.

“Me?” Severus growled, as though he had never heard of such a ridicules thought. “I was feeding Evan.”

While Ubridge cried and the students laughed, Severus went about the task of feeding Harry quietly as all the professor’s went about arguing and all the students giggled. Staring down into the eyes of his son, the Potions Master decided that he really did not want to give Harry up. No matter how many times he tried to convince himself he did, deep down, he did not. Odd, considering he spent the past four and a half years hating this kid.

“Severus,” Dumbledore broke the father’s musings. “Can you come to my office this afternoon? About noon on the nose?”

He did not have a very good feeling about this, but Snape had no choice but to agree. With that done, he went about taking care of his son with the weight of knowing something was going to happen, for better or worse, that after noon. Unconsciously, he drew his son closer to him.

*****

“That baby’s Harry,” Hermione said flatly.

“The baby’s not Harry,” Ron glared at his friend. Hanging out with just Hermione the past week had started to wear on his nerves.

“It has to be Harry,” she glared right back. Hanging out with just Ron the past week had started to wear on her nerves.

“No, it can’t,” Ron growled. “You honestly think Harry just randomly turned into a baby?”

“Stranger things have happened,” the witch shot back. “Almost anything’s possible with magic.”

“If Harry did turn into a baby,” Ron stared at his friend doubtfully, “then how and why would he do it?”

“I don’t know!” Hermione threw up her arms in exasperation. “But that baby is Harry. I know it.”

Rolling his eyes, Ron glared back at the moody witch. “Even if that baby was Harry, which I’m not saying it is, then why would Dumbledore leave him in Snape’s care?”

Crossing her arms defiantly, having already thought about all of this already, Hermione came back, “Because Professor Snape’s the youngest of the Hogwarts staff.”

“So?” Ron frowned.

“So? You can’t expect elderly witches or wizards to take care of a baby!” she rolled her eyes. “That would be too much for them, even with their magic.”

“But Snape hates Harry!” Ron shouted back. “Why would he agree to take care of him?”

“Because Dumbledore told him to,” Hermione put her hands on her hips.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” the wizard growled. “I bet if that baby really was Harry, Snape’d’ve cut him up and put him in some potions by now.” His face scrunched up in revulsion.

“You know, not everything Professor Snape does has to do with potions,” Hermione stated very mater-of-factly.

“Yeah, he’s an outright git the rest of the time he’s not making potions.”

“He’s a member of the Order of the Phoenix,” Hermione hissed.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Ron crossed his arms. “He could be really spying on Dumbledore just as easily as he could be spying on You-Know-Who.”

“You are so immature!” Hermione screamed before walking away agitatedly.

Ron watched her go frustrated and confused. Why did she just yell and leave like that? She was such a mystery sometimes. What was her problem anyway? There was no reason to get so mad. Couldn’t she have just admitted that he was right and she was wrong? It really wasn’t that hard.

“Witches, eh?”

“Tell me about it,” Ron groaned. But then he paused.

Spinning around, the youngest Weasley boy saw Draco Malfoy standing behind him, also frowning, looking the way Hermione walked. Surprised and alarmed, Ron grabbed Draco by the front of the shirt and slammed his back against the wall in the hall.

“Malfoy, you bloody creep! How much did you hear?” he demanded.

Sneering down at his attacker, Draco merely glared at the redhead before him. “Do be careful of the shirt, Weasley. I don’t think your parents would be able to afford another one if you ruined it.”

“Shut your bloody mouth!” Ron barked, turning bright read.

“My, my, you do have a temper, don’t you?” Draco drawled lazily. “But really, Weasley, get off my shirt. There’s no need to act like savages.

Releasing Draco, reluctantly, Ron pushed the Slytherin away. “Get outta here, Malfoy, before I punch your face in.”

The Slytherin merely raised an eyebrow. “Not even a Mudblood, and you speak so foul. Must rub off from them, I suppose,” he sneered.

“Shut your mouth, Malfoy!” Ron balled his fist up so tight his knuckles whitened. “Don’t you use such foul language with me.”

Smiling a rather nasty looking smile, Draco nodded in acceptance. “Fair enough.” He enjoyed confusing the other boy. It really was far too easy. “But I did not come here to pick a fight or insult your girl-friend.”

“Hermione’s not my girlfriend!” Ron blushed fiercely.

“Sure she isn’t,” Draco frowned at the other boy. Was he really so blind that he could not see how much he liked the filthy Mudblood? “But I came here to discuss a different matter.”

“That being?” Ron crossed his arms over his chest, hoping he looked threatening.

Smiling coolly again, Draco began walking, and Ron found himself following. “What you and Granger were discussing rather loudly just a moment ago.”

“What, about Snape and his kid?” the redhead frowned.

“Yes, exactly that,” the blond nodded.

“So, what about them?”

“Don’t you see anything wrong with the picture of Snape having a family?” the Slytherin stared at his Gryffindor age mate as though he were an idiot.

“What’s so weird about Snape having a kid and wanting to hide it?” Ron scowled back.

Nodding, Draco paused outside of an empty classroom. “Fair enough. I see your point,” he acknowledged. “But I happen to know Snape on a more personal level. He’s my godfather, and my father and Snape have been friends for years.”

“What’s your point, Malfoy,” Ron growled. “I’ve got better things to be doing then just listening to you talk.”

“I don’t like this much either, Weasley, but this issue is too important to let slide,” Draco hissed. “You heard me and Professor Snape talking yesterday, right?”

“How did you-”

“And his explanation was not very convincing,” the blond went on. “It was pretty poorly organized…for Snape, that is.”

“What exactly are you saying?” Ron eyed the Slytherin suspiciously.

“All I’m saying is that I think there is something going on here that Snape, and maybe even Dumbledore’s, not telling us,” Draco frowned again in thought. “I’ve never known Professor Snape to just go out and meet girls, let alone do it while teaching and randomly get married to one. Maybe Granger was on to something...”

“What!” Ron’s eye widened. “Stop! You don’t think that that baby’s really Harry, do you?”

“Under normal circumstances, Weasley, I’d agree with you,” Draco admitted. “But now Potter’s ‘sick’ and Snape suddenly has a son.”

“But that can’t be,” Ron insisted. “Hermione and I saw Harry sitting in the hospital bed the other day.”

“Are you sure it was Potter?” the Slytherin scowled. “Do keep in mind that this is the Wizarding world. You can always change someone’s appearance easily enough.”

Gaping at the blond for another moment, Ron had to lean against the wall for support. “So it’s…it’s…true then?”

Leaning back against the wall a bit more fashionably, Draco crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t know,” he shrugged. “It seems more than likely true, but there’s always that little hint of uncertainty, isn’t there?”

“Wait…why are you so interested in this?” Ron asked the other boy. “You don’t like Harry and Snape’s a professor, why should you care what they do?”

“I have my reasons,” Draco shrugged once more. “Let me know if you find out anything and I’ll do the same.

“Why are you helping me?” Ron asked, scowling. “What’s in it for you?” he demanded.

Looking quite innocent, Draco stared at the redhead for a moment. “I just want to know what Professor Snape, my godfather’s, up to. He hasn’t talked to me much lately.”

Ron looked over his enemy with a critical eye, but the Slytherin did not flinch. “Alright,” he said at last. “Alright, I see what Hermione and I can come up with.”

“Excellent,” Draco smiled and held out his hand. “For now, a truce.”

“Truce,” Ron agreed. It did not occur to the Gryffindor that the young Malfoy was gathering information for his father to take to the Dark Lord.

*****

Walking into the Headmaster’s office, Severus saw that the old man was not there at the moment. Taking a seat, Harry in his arms, the Potions Master took a moment to scan the room, just to make sure that the old man wasn’t planning anything too off the wall. Dumbledore was pretty good at annoying the hell out of Snape after all.

Realizing that there was nothing too strange, Snape relaxed just a tad, but still kept pretty tense. Who knew what Dumbledore was going to throw at you? The old fool was crazy! Although he knew it was inevitable, he hoped that the conversation was not going to be about Harry. Maybe the Headmaster was just going to tell him that he was being too mean to the students again? Snape could handle that, but he was not sure he could contain his temper if the old man went on talking about not telling Harry the truth. The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortably Severus became with the idea. The boy had to live with enough lies, he didn’t need another one…

“Ah, Severus!” Dumbledore stepped into the room wearing a ugly purple robe with blue and red blotches here and there. “Glad you made it,” he smiled as he took his seat. “You brought Harry?”

“I could not very well leave him alone in my chambers, now could I?” the Potions Master snapped back.

“You could have left him sleeping with a house elf,” Albus raises a long eyebrow. “I’m sure Dobby wouldn’t’ve minded watching him.”

“Harry doesn’t like any of them,” Severus growled.

“But if he were sleeping-”

“Harry stays with me!” Snape hissed.

Despite the promise that he had made to himself from the very beginning, just over a week ago, Severus realized that he had gotten attached to Potter…to Harry…his son. And it was then that he understood what the meeting was all about. Albus still wanted Harry to go on living without the knowledge that he had a living parent, and that his parent was Severus Snape. What was he going to do now? He did not want his son to not know who his father was.

Looking down at the baby in his arms, Severus found that the thought of letting the boy go, lying to the child, made him ill. He did not want to let the baby go for his own, selfish reasons. Harry was the last thing of Lily that he had besides some old pictures and a few notes and a ribbon. The thought of letting her son go…it hurt.

“I don’t want to lose him,” Severus said softly.

“Severus,” Albus sighed. “We talked about this. It would be best for Harry to-”

“How do you know?” Snape glared at the older wizard fiercely. “Why do you always know best?”

“Do not start something, Severus,” Albus warned steadily. “It would be a shame to wipe your memory.”

The Potions Master’s lip curled in disgusted outrage. How could Dumbledore really threaten that? “He is my son, Albus,” Severus’s voice dropped into almost a whisper, but it lost none of its venom. “You truly have no right over him.”

“Do not do this, Severus,” the Headmaster’s eyes were cold. “I have no desire to get into a fight with you over something like this.”

“Then you should leave me alone with my son,” Snape spat. “I’ve finally got something, something that’s mine, and now you want to take it away from me?”

Standing up out of his chair, Dumbledore walked around his desk and sat in a chair next to where Severus was sitting. Discreetly, Severus pulled his wand out of his pocket, just in case. “Severus, I know this is hard for you, but do you not recall how I had to make you take Harry?”

“So?” the Slytherin tensed.

“You never wanted to take care of a child, Severus. I think that deep down you still do not. You’re only wanting Harry because you think he belongs to you.”

“That’s not true!” Snape almost stood up in outrage, but stopped himself for the baby’s sake.

“Isn’t it?” the Headmaster challenged. “I don’t think you really want a baby, Severus. Especially on your own. That’s why I sent a sample of the potion that exploded to St. Mungo’s.”

“You what?” Severus was outraged. “I’m the Potions Master here! I was supposed to be the one to look at the potion and come up with a cure.”

“And when would you have had time?” Albus challenged. “You’re looking after a baby, teaching, going to meetings, and grading papers. There’s no way you could handle experimenting with an unknown potion on top of that.”

“I could have tried!” Severus shot back, his pride hurt. “I’m the best there is, Albus, and you know it. No fool at St. Mungo’s is as good as me. What if what they come up with is deadly to ingest? They’re too stupid to do anything right.”

Frowning at the younger wizard, Dumbledore knew he could not really rebuke his Potions Master. Snape was actually the best Potions Master that the Headmaster had ever run across. Albus had yet to run into a witch or wizard with as great a skill in potions as Severus. And even though he would have liked Severus to actually find a way to revert Harry back into his normal fifteen year old self, there was no way the younger man could find the time anymore. Snape already looked worn thin.

“I am sorry, Severus,” Dumbledore apologized, “but you know that you don’t have the time. You can barely keep up with your grading as it is. When St. Mungo’s gets their experiments complete, Harry will be a fifteen years old again, and he will be Harry Potter once more.”

“That’s-!”

“No more fighting, Severus,” the Headmaster scowled. “Now, you had better go finish your grading and get some rest. Classes begin again tomorrow. Hopefully Harry will be able to attend sometime this week.”

Dumbledore stood up and went to look out the window, his hands clasped behind his back. Realizing the old wizard was not going to say anything else, Severus stood up carefully and readjusted his son in his arms. With a boiling temper, the Potions Master left the room. Stalking down the halls, he made the students jump out of his way in fear, even with the baby in his arms. They knew enough about Snape to know that he was still a nasty, cranky professor even with a baby, so they had no desire to see what else he would do.

Going back to his chambers, the wizard carefully laid his precious cargo into the crib before walking into the parlor. He shut the bedroom door and cast a muffling spell over the room before letting out a long, loud scream. He saw nothing but red as he ranted and raved in his anger. He hated Dumbledore, he hated James Potter, and he everyone and everything that kept him from keeping what he did have.

After about half an hour of yelling and flipping over furniture, Severus collapsed to the floor panting and sweating. He was surprised at himself for losing his temper so badly, but at the moment he was too tired to particularly care. He wondered at himself though for losing such control. Usually Occlumancy helped him maintain composure.

Not really caring, about the state of the room, Severus got up and went back into his room. When he opened the door, he saw that Harry was still sleeping. His face void of expression, the Potions Master collapsed on his bed and fell asleep.

He dreamed about teaching Harry how to walk.

That night, when Severus awoke to change and care for Harry, each time he looked down at the child in his arms, a little piece of him began to chip away. This child was his, why was it so bad for him to keep Harry? Why was everyone against them? True, Severus himself had hated the idea of having a child a week ago, but things were different now. Somehow, someway, Harry had wormed his way past all of Severus’s defenses and had gotten into his heart. Looking into the trusting, green eyes, Severus had to admit that he lo-

Suddenly, the Potions Master felt an intense burning in his left arm. It was hot and painful, but it only grew worse. Clenching his teeth, Snape put Harry back into his crib just in time. His arm screamed in agony and Severus almost gave voice to his suffering, but he could not disturb Harry. Not after he had just calmed the boy.

Severus ran to the floo and threw in green powder and screamed, “Albus Dumbledore, come to Severus Snape’s rooms now!” He managed not to trip over everything he had broken the night before.

It felt like fire was burning his flesh slowly, and Severus thought he would get sick from the pain. He quickly changed his clothes and dressed into his Death Eater robes before he grabbed his mask. Just then, the Headmaster came through the floo, looking very disheveled. “Severus, what’s-” he tried to get out.

But Severus ignored him and pushed past the old wizard. Grabbing the floo powder once more, Severus threw it into the fire. “Watch Harry,” he commanded before stepping into the flames and disappeared with the cry of “Malfoy Estate!”

*******

Several seconds later, Severus was rushing out of Lucius Malfoy’s fireplace and hurrying to the center of the room where he saw a gathering of Death Eaters. It was actually difficult for Snape not to start panting. He had been taken by surprise and the pain in his arm was extreme, but he willed it to go away. He knew it would once everyone was present and accounted for at the meeting.

In the middle of the fold of Death Eaters, there sat the Dark Lord himself. Severus did his best to disappear into the background. The last thing he wanted to do was go away from this meeting injured or worse. Who would look after Harry then? The boy did not like anyone else!

It took all of Severus’s will power to shove Harry from his thoughts and occlude his mind. The Dark Lord could try to penetrate his mind at any moment. He had to be ready all the time. Not just for the Order anymore, not for Dumbledore, but for Harry. The boy need him…the boy needed a father.

“Are we all accounted for?” the Dark Lord’s high, inhuman voice said rather cheerfully. “Very well, we can begin.” Severus held his breath.

The meeting went on rather smoothly, Severus thought. He stayed closer to the back of the group and watch silently, dispassionately, as the insane, snake-like man torture several of his followers for no real reason whatsoever. Snape had seen scene so similar to this so often, that he had formed a rather thick skin for such casual torture. Just as long as it didn’t happen to him, he knew he’d be fine. Merlin, he did not want it to be him that got injured!

The meeting came to a close, and Severus felt rather good and had begun to think that he might get out of this scot free when he heard the Dark Lord say, “Snape! Stay a moment. I have things to discuss with you.”

Blanching, Severus was glad for his mask, otherwise everyone would have seen him wince and turn a rather sickly shade of green. But determined not to let on that anything was wrong, he decided to occlude him mind once more before he turned to meet the eyes of the Dark Lord. “Yes, master,” Severus said respectfully.

Once the room had been cleared of everyone save the Dark Lord, Lucius Malfoy, and Severus, Voldemort began to speak. “Lucius here has told me some rather interesting information,” he said indifferently, but there was a shining in his crimson eyes that alerted Severus that the Dark Lord was interested all the same. “Do you know what he told me?”

Thinking fast, Severus removed his mask, as was expected when the Dark Lord so graciously singled you out for discussion, the Potions Master bowed his head in respect, but kept his voice strong when he said, “That I have a son?”

Chancing a glance up, Severus saw Lucius’s surprised expression, and the Dark Lord’s thoughtful one. “Yes, that’s right,” Voldemort said distrustfully. “Why have you not told me of this before?”

“You have only returned last year,” Severus answered evenly, hoping that it did not sound like disrespect.

“True,” the Dark Lord rose from his seat, Lucius was careful not to get in the way as the snake-man began to circle his prey. “But you could have told me. You had a wife? An Ivy Sellan, I believe the name was?”

Closing his eyes, letting his hair curtain and hide his face, Severus took a silent breath. “Yes, my lord,” his tone was soft, yet firm.

“Why didn’t you tell me about her, Severus?” the Dark Lord sounded hurt, but Severus really knew he was mocking him. “Did you think I would hurt her?”

“I did not, my lord,” Severus answered quickly.

“Is she a Mudblood?” there was no mistaking the sneer in the insane “man’s” voice.

“No, my lord. She was a pureblood from Romania,” Severus said, thinking of the first place that came to mind.

“I see,” the Dark Lord said thoughtfully. He sensed no dishonestly in Snape, as there was nothing unusual going through the man’s mind. It seemed all Snape did was think about events of the day, about the idiotic children, and his hatred for the children he taught or the like. But it was odd that he was not at this time thinking of his wife or son. “Why, then, did you not tell me about her?”

“I did not think that you would particularly care, my lord,” Severus responded, and then brought a picture of a woman to mind, one with long, black, wavy hair and piercing green eyes and pale skin. He did not know if such a woman existed, but he labeled her “Ivy” in his mind.

Voldemort looked down at his bowing servant thoughtfully. “I see,” he said again. “You were right of course,” he said after several minutes. “But I am concerned with the matters of this child you seemed to have spawned,” he sneered. “I was told that you are looking after the boy now. Why not leave him with your wife?”

“My wife, Ivy, is dead, my lord,” Severus tried to bring sadness and anger up in his mind. It was really easier than he would have thought, as he thought of losing Lily, but instead of bringing her up in his mind, he brought the picture of “Ivy” so that the Dark Lord could see. Severus knew he was being watched carefully.

“I see,” the dark wizard said slowly. “Died of illness, I see. Too bad you left her in a hospital full of Mudblood doctors,” he sneered again, thinking that he was reading the Potions Master's mind.  

Severus stiffened, as was expected of him. Really he was getting anxious and wanted to get back to Hogwarts so he could make sure that Harry was alright. No telling what Dumbledore was doing to him...

Merlin! He had left Harry with Dumbledore! Would the old man take Harry away while he was gone? Damn! How could he have been so stupid to leave his son with the Headmaster.

Voldemort sensed Snape’s anger and anxiety, but confused it for something else entirely. “Fear not, my loyal and trusted servant,” he crooned deadly. “I will see to it that your wife is avenged when my time comes to attack.”

Slightly confused at first, Severus pushed that back in pursuit of faking relief. “Thank you, my lord. Your generosity and kindness is really too much. I would have never dr-”

“Yes, yes,” the Dark Lord waved off the thanks easily, although Severus could see that the man actually enjoyed every ounce of praise that he received. The strangest thought came to the Potions Master’s mind, and he had to wonder if the Dark Lord had ever been hugged as a child...

“But,” Voldemort went on, “there is something you must now do for me.”

“Anything, my lord,” Severus responded quickly. He wanted to get out of here as quickly as he could. If he got back and Harry was missing, Dumbledore having taken him, he just knew he’d run to the Slytherin Dorms, beat the living daylights out of Draco for talking with his father, and then go tracking the Headmaster and kill him for taking his son away. He already had it all planned…

“You must make a special potion for me,” the Dark Lord smiled cruelly. “Here are the instructions.”

Snape looked up to see Lucius coming toward him with a small book. Taking it from the other man, Severus realized that there was a specific page marked. “Thank you, my lord,” Severus bowed deeply.

“You are welcome,” Voldemort smiled sickeningly. “You are to have it prepared by the end of this week.”

“My lord?” Severus looked up, surprised at the short time he had to complete his task. Snape had this book in his own private library, and he knew that every potion in the book took at least six days to brew. “I have no wish to contradict your word, as it is good, but I do not believe that I will have sufficient time to complete this-”

“Crucio!” Voldemort screamed.

Severus fell to the floor, agony coursing through his entire body. He did not scream, he was above that, but he could not help the twitching spasms that wracked his body. He was held under that curse for a full minute.

Lying there, panting on the floor, Lucius came over and kicked Snape over onto his back dispassionately. “You will not contradict me!” the Dark Lord screamed. “I demand that that potion be complete by this Friday, or you may say far well to that little bastard of yours forever!”

“Y-yes…m-my lord,” Severus gasped out before he could not say another word and had to concentrate solely on breathing.

Voldemort went out with Lucius then, and Severus felt the Dark Lord’s cloak pass over his face, as the dark wizard stepped on him on the way out. Then, the room was silent, all except Snape’s gasping as he laid there on the floor in agony. It took him a long moment before he was finally able to sit up. Shaking, he crawled to the fireplace, and with a shaking hand, pulled out some floo power he always kept in this particular cloak, before inching into the flames and saying weakly, “Hogwarts; Severus Snape’s chambers.”

*******

Dumbledore had been taken by surprise when Severus had called for him in the middle of the night. But when the Potions Master left so abruptly, Albus had had no time to really say anything at all. And in the blink of an eye, Severus was gone, and the Headmaster was left alone with the infant Harry. Not that he really minded.

But what the Headmaster was confused about was the fact that Severus’s living room was a complete disaster. It looked as though someone had let loose a bull. What had the man been doing down here? And with Harry? Perhaps he had been in greater haste then Albus had thought, and had barreled through his home to get to the Death Eater meeting as fast as he could?

Alone in Severus’s room, Albus shrugged off the Potions Master’s mess and decided that he should go see to Harry.  

Walking into the dark bedroom, the old man looked around his employee’s bedroom. It would probably still would have shocked many people to see a cradle, teddy bear, and rocking chair in Severus Snape’s room, even Albus still had a little trouble believing his eyes. The room was classic Snape; black bedding, green and silver wall hangings, a black, silver, and green rug, and all the wooden furniture was stained a dark, almost black, reddish color. In short, it was a Slytherin’s den. But the sight of the few things that belonged to Harry contrasted so starkly with what everyone knew to be the Potions Master that it still blew the Headmaster’s mind that his employee wanted to keep Harry.

Looking at Harry sleeping soundly, the old man had to smile. The child was so innocent and needed to best protection. Why couldn’t Severus see that the best way to take care of Harry was to let him go? If anyone ever found out that Harry was Severus’s son, or if Severus decided to keep Harry, things could get disastrous. Merlin, what would the Dark Lord do to both Harry and Snape then?

Sitting on the end of the unmade, but still fairly neat bed, Albus began to rock the crib gently. Harry, in his sleep let out a contented sigh. He was having a very pleasant dream, one where his dada took him out into the open air and flew around through the clouds. Harry liked to look at the clouds, and he liked his dada. It was a perfect dream as far as he was concerned. He had no way of knowing that above him was a man that was trying to break his happiness.

But the rocking soon became too much for the little infant, and he peeked open his eyes with a lazy grin, expecting to see his daddy above him; like usual. It came as a complete unwanted shock when he looked up and saw the long beardy man that his dada always seemed to talk to above him. Where was dada?!

When Albus saw the little green eyes peek open, he smiled warmly. But that smile only lasted a moment when the child’s eyes snapped open wide and he let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Alarmed and surprised, Albus picked up the wailing infant and began rocking the child in an attempt to calm the little boy. But instead of soothing the tike, it only seemed to worsen the situation. The more Albus tried to comfort, the louder Harry got. All Harry wanted was his dada! Was that too much to ask for?

“Hush now, Harry, it’s alright,” the Headmaster crooned while his eye twitched. “It’s me, Albus Dumbledore. The Headmaster? You loved me, Harry.”

But that did nothing for Harry. All he knew was that this man often made his dada sad and he did not like this man with the long beard. In an attempt to get away from the old wizard, Harry wrapped his hands into the Headmaster’s beard, and yanked as hard as he could, using all of his little might. He just wanted his daddy to come back and save him. He was so scared!

Yelping in pain, Albus worked for about five minutes to get Harry’s hands to let go of his beard before he placed the still screaming child back in his crib. “A bottle!” the old wizard thought desperately.

As he ran to the kitchen, in his haste, Dumbledore forgot about the mess Severus had made the previous night. Not expecting it, as the Potions Master was such a perfectionist and a clean freak, Albus was completely taken by surprised when he rushed through the door and tripped over the coffee table. “Bloody Merlin!” he shrieked as he fell, but was able to catch himself in the nick of time. Although, he was going to have a rather nasty bruise on his shins now. I’ll have to go the Poppy later when Severus gets back.

It was Harry’s renewed screams that brought the Headmaster back into the present, and he waved his wand, sending the room to rearrange itself back in order, the old wizard rushed to the kitchen to fetch a bottle for the wailing child. Gracious but the child had good lungs! He wondered if Severus had been like this as a child...

More screams. “I’m coming, Harry!” Albus called, while grabbing a bottle, and magicing in the milk and heating it before rushing back into Snape’s bedchamber.

He picked Harry up and tried to feed him, but the baby stubbornly refused to drink. Only dada was allowed to feed him. How else was Harry to know that the milk was not bad? Dada would have known how to make it safe. This old wizard was just…not dada!

Sitting with the ear-piercing child in his lap, Dumbledore waited anxiously for when Severus would return. No wonder Severus had been so tired and snippy lately!

*******

It was at three in the morning that Severus rolled out of the fireplace and into his chambers. He was in severe pain everywhere, and he was not sure he could make it to the couch, let alone his bed. He laid there in misery for a moment, concentrating on breathing, trying to forget to pain, when he heard a familiar cry. “Harry!” he gasped.

Summoning all of his stubbornness, Severus managed to sit up, and clenching his jaw, he managed, somehow, to stand up. There was a moment when he thought he would get sick and add a lovely accent color on his nice clean rug, but he managed to hold it in. He shook frightfully, but he refused to let his son cry and think he was abandoned. Poor little thing!

It was a miracle that Severus was standing at all, and he managed to take a few steps before he fell to the stone floor when his weak legs gave out. He cried out in pain as he hit the stone and he thought that he heard a suspicious cracking noise, a noise similar to that of breaking bone…

“Severus!”

Looking up, the Potions Master saw the Headmaster standing in the doorway of his bedchamber with a screaming Harry in his arms. “Dada!” the little boy wailed.

Sweating, pale, and miserable, Severus tried to sit up again. “Harry,” he gasped.

It only took a second before Dumbledore had his wand out and levitated Severus into his bed, despite the other wizard’s objection to being treated like a rag doll. Really! Snape might have been hurt, but he still had his dignity!... wait, no, he had traded that in for Harry, hadn’t he?

Closing his eyes the moment his body touched the mattress, Severus let out a hiss and a sigh all in one. “Give me Harry,” he demanded once he was able to find his speech.

Albus gave the little baby to the injured man and was astonished that the moment Harry was in Severus’s arms, he stilled. Sniffling and gurgling, Harry relaxed for the first time in an hour. Dada was back, dada hadn’t forgotten about him! He took in the familiar sent of his father and settled before he closed his tired little eyes, exhausted.

Just holding Harry to his chest, Severus felt relief. The weight of anxiety lifted when he felt his son in his arms. Dumbledore hadn’t done anything to the boy, Harry was still here. And the Dark Lord was too stupid to figure anything out just yet. Harry, Severus just then realized, was his own personal Calming Draught. In an irritating way, the baby soothed him.

Severus did not know when she had come, but the next time he looked up, he saw Madame Pomfrey’s concerned face looking him over. He was no longer in his robes either, but in his nightshirt. When had that happened?

“Severus, can you let go of Harry, please?” the medi-witch asked. “I need-”

“No,” Snape hissed so deadly that the witch was forced to realize that she was not going to win. Even Dumbledore was a bit scared of Snape at that moment.

So, with Harry still in his arms, Severus relaxed as he was treated from his torture. Harry was safe and with him now. And he was certain that tomorrow he would be able to figure out how to better protect his son…and he would start by working on that potion for the Dark Lord.

Falling asleep, Severus realized that he was going to have to come up with some way to repay Lucius and Draco for their “help” this evening. Yes…even in agony, Severus’s Slytherin mind was making plans…

Severus fell asleep seconds later. He dreamed that he could kill anyone he wanted…legally.

The next morning, Severus peeled open his eyes to find that he was rather stiff and sore. He thought about the night before and how he had had a Death Eater meeting; he’d been tortured… again. It was not the first time he had needed medical treatment after a Death Eater meeting, but it certainly was the first time he had to worry about an infant when he was being treated.

Sitting up stiffly, the Potions Master looked about the room to find it empty of everyone save Harry, who was happily snoozing away in his crib, unaware of how much pain his father was in. Getting up, Severus found that the action made him nauseous, but he fought to keep the contents of his stomach in his stomach. But when he was sure that he would be all right and would not get ill, he walked, slowly, over to where the baby was sleeping. Looking down, the stern Death Eater’s heart was melted when he beheld the angelic face of who he was told was his son.

The Potions Master’s heart grew three sizes that day.

Lifting the baby out of the crib ever so carefully, Severus cradled his son in his arms as he sat back down on his bed. Little guy had not given him any trouble last night. In fact, he could not really remember anything about last night after he got away Malfoy Manner. Strange, Severus usually remembered everything...

Looking over at the clock, the wizard realized that it was only four in the morning, much too early for sane people to be awake, but here he was. Sighing, Severus realized that he was going to have to get up soon anyway and start brewing for the Dark Lord. The lunatic was never considerate when it came to personal lives or physically possible tasks. Spoiled brat, the professor snorted to himself.

Setting Harry back down in the crib, Severus decided that he should get a jump on that potion. But as soon as he thought about it, he began to snicker insanely at the thought of actually jumping in a potion. No one could do that…unless they wanted to die or something. But then realizing where his thoughts had gone to, he was disgusted with himself and vowed to never have such utterly idiotic, frivolous thoughts again! Well…if he could help it. Lately his sanity had been slipping…a lot…

Turning around to place a monitoring charm over Harry, the Potions Master went to work, knowing that if he did not get done on time, there’d be hell to pay, and this time, he could not bear it himself, as the Dark Lord would surely go after Harry now too.

*******

At the breakfast table, Severus scowled at anyone that happened to look his way, be it man, woman, or child. He was always grumpy after a night of Death Eater meetings and after being tortured. Can’t imagine why, he thought moodily as he sent a wicked glare over to a Hufflepuff girl that had pink ribbons in her hair.

She dissolved into tears.

Snape smiled.

“Severus,” Minerva’s voice grated on the Potions Master’s ear and he found it was quite annoying.

“What?” he snapped, but the effect was lost as he was bouncing Harry on his knee, sending the child into a giggle fit.

Raising an eyebrow to the behavior, Minerva tried hard to ignore her Gryffindor student, but found that she was smiling none the less. No one could resist the power of Harry’s cute apparently. The baby was manipulative. Severus couldn’t be prouder.

“Severus,” Minerva tried again to force a straight face. “I have been wonder, as well as Poppy, how Harry’s physical development is coming along.”

Sneering, Snape turned away from his co-worker in resentment. “Obviously he’s fine or he wouldn’t be a live... or giggling, would he?”

Although it had been over a week, it was still strange to hear the dark Head of Slytherin commonly use words like “giggling” or “nursing” or “nappies”. It had been assumed that the Potions Master did not know the definitions of such words. To hear that deep, sinister baritone casually (more or less) use such words really did shock everyone who heard, no matter how many times they had heard him say it before.

“I did not mean like that,” the Transfiguration professor frowned, knowing that she had in some manner offended the younger man. “I meant how has his motor skills been developing? How much does he crawl? Has he even tried to walk yet?”

“Crawl?” Severus blinked. Awe yes, baby’s were known for their crawling, or so he had read. He had quite forgotten about that aspect of raising a child. The whole process of learning to walk had escaped the wizard as he was use to getting children that could at least walk when they came to school. He had forgotten about having to teach someone to walk. Although he believed he would be an excellent teacher as he himself had been walking for almost thirty –four years.

“Yes, Severus, how does H-Evan, crawl,” Minerva rolled her eyes.

The Potions Master scowled at the witch’s almost slip. “I do not know that he does crawl,” he did admit though. “I have never seen him do so.”

“What?” McGonagall looked as though she had swallowed a bug…only different. “Not seen him crawl? I thought you kept him by you all day?”

“I do,” Snape hissed defensively, noticing that the Toad was looking over at him now too.

“And you have never once seen him crawl? Not even when you set him on the floor at night while you work?” the Gryffindor woman was relentless.

Becoming somewhat embarrassed, Severus sat up straighter and stiffer than he usually did, giving off the sense of angry pride. “I don’t put him on the floor,” he scoffed at the woman. “Do you know how many germs are on the floor? He could find something unsuitable to eat, or get sick from something. I would never put him on the floor. Besides, the floor is stone and it would hurt him to crawl all over it even with the carpet on top.”

By the end of his speech, Severus instantly knew that he had done something wrong by the expressions on the other professors’ faces. He did not know what they were thinking, but Dumbledore, at least, was thinking of how protective the younger wizard had become over his charge. Was Severus acting like this because he had the knowledge that Harry was his true son? Would it have been different if Dumbledore had not told the other of his hidden child? Would Severus still be acting like this even if he still thought Harry was a Potter? The Headmaster did not know, but he was almost certain now that it was going to be extremely difficult to keep his Potions Master away from the Gryffindor boy once things got back to normal.

“So…what do you do with him all the time?” Filius asked after a moment. “Do you…you know…just hold him all the time? Carry him around?”

Feeling like a schoolboy again, his face even getting hot, Severus glared at them all and was satisfied that the majority quickly turned away from him in fear. “I do,” he nodded once, trying to act as though he did not see anything wrong with it, which was true. “He’s just a baby, after all.”

The image of Severus Snape, Potions Master, Head of Slytherin, dotting mother was not something that the others could grasp at the moment, but there were a few that could not help but smile into their serviettes or hands at the image. Who knew Snape had a heart after all? Had not all the students complained that the man was too harsh, not understanding? Who knew that it would only take a baby to change such a sour attitude?

Almost running out of the door once breakfast was over, Severus stormed down to the dungeons in a rage, little Harry sleeping in his arms. How dare they try to critique his parenting! What did they know about children anyway? Everyone else here either had never had children of their own or they were too ancient to remember what it was like to raise a child, especially such a young child like Harry. Who were they to judge him? He wasn’t doing anything wrong. Harry was still alive, wasn’t he? He was giggling, eating, pooping, slobbering just like any other baby, and by Severus’s standards, he was doing a pretty damn good job! He didn’t even have time to get use to the fact of fatherhood; it had been thrusted upon him. I’d like to see them do any better, he thought angrily.

Potions class was not fun for anyone that day. Snape was in such a horrid mood after the night before and breakfast, that he ended up failing just about every student on the spot when he walked around to check on their potions. He would hurl vicious insults, such as, “What do you keep in the place where your brain is supposed to be?” or “Are there any limits to your ineptitude?”

One little Gryffindor first year was having a particularly difficult day and Snape smelled the fear like a hungry jackal. “What is this?” he barked after silently gliding up behind the boy.

The child jumped so badly that he nearly knocked over his cauldron. Snape smiled on the inside. “P-please, sir, I’m trying!” he looked up with watery brown eyes.

“Do you know what ‘try’ starts with?” the Potions Master glared down at the child, who was shaking by this time.

“A ‘t-t’, sir?” the boy whimpered slightly.

“That’s right,” the master wizard sneered. “And do you know what else starts with ‘t’?” his voice dropped into a menacing whisper.

“I-I don’t k-know, sir,” the child admitted dejectedly.

“You’re grade!” the Potions Master hissed, before waving his wand to banish the ruined concoction of…mess… out of the child’s cauldron before stalking away. As he walked away, he said over his shoulder, “‘Tears’ also begin with ‘t’, Mr. Creedy, and I do not want them in my class, so get out.”

 Little John Creedy grabbed his things and ran out of the class so fast that he just seemed a blur as he went out the door. The rest of the class did little better under the hateful attention of the Potions Master, but then again, Severus did so enjoy their terror, their wide-eyed expressions when he glided past them. And, of course, it meant that if anyone of these little nose pickers had a problem, they wouldn’t come crying to him about it in the future. He couldn’t give the first years a bad impression, now could he? He did not want them to think he had gone soft now that he had a baby. If he lost control, Snape knew that he would have to work very hard to get it back, and frankly, he did not have the energy to fight at this time. For a moment, a picture of Stalin ran through his head, but he shook it off. He, at least, wasn’t killing anyone…yet…Dumbledore would probably be the first if such an event were to happen. .. but that was just imagining. Severus would never kill the old man...

That day at lunch, Severus shunned the Great Hall and instead went into his chambers. Harry gurgled and talked nonsense words all the way down cheerily, happy to be in his dada’s arms. He liked being in his daddy’s arms, for the view was so much better from up there. Harry could see everything. His dada was so great because he protected Harry from all of the other scary people that he had seen. His daddy always came to his rescue when he was scared and there were mean people about. His daddy was perfect.

If Severus had known his son’s thoughts he probably would have been in a better mood. But as it was, he was not in a very fine mood, and instead mumbled under his breath, too low for Harry to have ever distinguished one word from an other, so the baby was soothed by the baritone rumbling of his father. How could they all expect him to know a baby Harry’s age was supposed to be crawling?

When he got to the door of his chamber, Severus paused as a thought struck him. He had seen Harry crawl before, the very first day he had found the boy as a baby. The little trouble maker had crawled onto his robes and had proceeded to tug on them.

Opening the door, Severus found himself very much relieved with remembering that information. Without really knowing it, he had thought he had failed the child by not helping him crawl, and therefore had put Harry a step back in his development. Minerva was such a nose prod, he thought angrily. He did know what was best for his own son, for Merlin’s sake!

Walking into his lab, Severus shifted Harry onto his hip as he went in to see how his potion was doing thus far. It would have to simmer for at least another five hours before he would have to add in some other ingredients as well, but so far it looked pretty good. He would have to check over the instructions again even though he knew he was right. After all, it would not do to make a mistake for the Dark Lord!

As Snape looked over his potion, Harry began to fuss. Looking down at the little wiggle-worm in his arms, Severus frowned. Harry had never been unwilling to sit still with him before, and it frustrated the father more than he would have liked. So the child was showing that he too thought that Snape was not doing a good job raising? But before his offense could solidify, Severus realized the child was simply wanting to touch one of the beakers that was sitting on the table.

“No, Harry,” Snape said sternly. “That is not for touching.” The child looked up at him and blinked before smiling widely.

“You think that’s funny?” the Potions Master asked sternly, sitting the baby down on a table to look him in his beautiful green eyes. “Well, I’d wager you won’t when you break it and cut yourself all up and you’re bleeding everywhere and your cuts sting and then you get them infected and can’t find anything to put on them and then, since the cut will be so bad, you’ll die of infection!” By the end of his morbid rambled, Severus found himself near panic, while the baby simply smiled on.

Sighing, the Potions Master took several deep breaths. “Well, I suppose I was being a little dramatic, wasn’t I?” Harry laughed and clapped his chubby hands. Snorting, but unable to keep that grin off his face, the Slytherin shook his head. “At least I was entertaining to you,” he rolled his eyes.  Again, Harry grinned.

Picking up the baby, Severus realized that the little guy had put on some weight since coming to him. When he had first held the baby, Snape was certain that the little bundle of terror had not weighed as much as he did at the moment. An evil smirk appeared on the man’s face as he looked down at his son. “Careful now Harry, or you’ll be getting too heavy for your broom to carry you, let alone me carrying you.” Predictably, little Harry laughed.

Chuckling as well, Severus went and sat down on the couch, his son resting in his lap comfortably. Although taking care of a baby was just about the most stressful, aggravating, inconvenient job Severus had ever had, including spying, he found it becoming more and more- dare he say it- enjoyable. Getting into the swing of things, he felt like Harry was getting less and less annoying as time went on. Perhaps Harry had not been such a bad kid after all, perhaps he just needed to stop acting like a Potter and be left alone to act like a Snape. Looking down at the cooing baby in nothing less than affection, Severus smiled softly as he thought he could see some Snape features presenting themselves in the boy’s face.

Indeed, for besides the green eyes, Harry did seem to have inherited his own black hair. The baby’s skin was still pale, but Severus could tell that it was not going to end up as pale as his. From the looks of it, the Potions Master would not be surprised if it turned out to be a mix of his and Lily’s skin tones. Studying the little features more intently, Severus could also tell that Harry was going to end up looking a lot like... him. It was slightly unnerving thinking that James Potter’s clone was going to turn into his clone instead…and yet it was oh so satisfying.

“Well,” he sighed after his pleasing inspection. “I suppose I should feed you before…” but he trailed off when he noticed something on Harry’s forehead…Or rather, something that was missing from Harry’s forehead.

Sitting up straighter, sitting Harry’s up as well, Severus pushed back the baby’s soft black hair, even as Harry leaned into the touch. Ignoring the sentimental feelings that sprung in his chest, like normal, Severus studied the baby’s forehead and as if for the first time, noticed that the infamous Potter scar was gone! The curse scar was simply… simply… gone!

Taken aback, Snape stared down at the baby in his lap as though seeing him for the first time. What had happened to the scar? Even de-aged, the scar should have remained as Harry had just been turned into a baby for the time being. Unless…

Unless Harry had not simply turned into a baby, but had reverted back into the baby he had been! Back into the little child he had been before Lily and James had died, before the time that fateful Halloween night. There truly was no Harry Potter anymore…there was no chosen one.

Staring down at his son in the utmost shock, the baby simply giggled up at his father’s face, as though he were taking his revenge out on the world for having laid all their hopes on him in the first place.

Although Severus Snape was considered one of the brightest students to have ever walked the halls of Hogwarts and was considered a rather wise wizard, there were some questions that not even he had the answer for. For instance; he did not know how to accurately describe the distance and expanse the universe, he did not know if there were really aliens out in space, and he sure as hell did not know what a Hufflepuff really was, but at the moment he pushed aside all of these troubling, unanswerable questions in favor of looking carefully at the big question that was staring him in the face. Literally.

Lifting baby Harry up in his arms, Severus looked at the child’s forehead carefully. Where the infamous Potter scare had been, it was no longer there. A thrill of panic surged through the Potions Master as thought after thought bombarded his brain. How could this have happened? What did it mean? What was going to happen to them all? There was really no chosen one? But there had to be a chosen one! There simply had to be one!

“Dear sweet Merlin,” Severus gasped, his eyes wide with horror.

Harry, for his part, was not sure he liked being suspended in the air with his feet dangling. He began to squirm, hoping that his dada would put him back down in his lap again. But when Severus failed to comply, the baby clasped his hands on either side of Severus’s face, hoping to get his father’s attention. After all, Harry was hungry and he did not like the position he found himself in.

As though Harry had hit him instead, Severus jumped feeling the child’s hands on his face. Looking the baby over, the professor suddenly felt two distinct different feelings; one, that a weight had suddenly been lifted off his shoulders, that he realized Dumbledore couldn’t use his son anymore as a living pawn. The second was that half of his brain had been corroded away. For years Dumbledore had been making plans for Harry, had been working everything out so that Harry would be the one to destroy the Dark Lord…but what would happen now?

Snape had never liked the idea of sending a child to destroy the Dark Lord. That was an adult wizard’s job as far as he was concerned, but after a while, Severus was ashamed to admit that he had just accepted Harry’s fate, had just grown use to the idea that someday a child would go up before the most powerful dark wizard of the age, and fight him to the death. Eventually it had all seemed natural.

Setting Harry back down in his lap, Severus stared off into nothingness for a moment or so, wondering why he hadn’t noticed anything different about the baby before now. No wonder no one had really questioned where Harry Potter had really gone to and who the baby really was. They had probably all just looked for the scar, and when they did not find it… It was the perfect disguise for the child without the child actually having to have a disguise! Every last link that had connected this boy to Potter was now gone. Harry Potter was really gone!

Unconsciously, Severus began stroking the top of the baby’s head much like a cat, giving him the appearance of an evil mastermind plotting his revenge…only he had a baby instead of a cat…his thought really did make him feel rather stupid, but he did not much care at the moment. All he could think about was the fact that there was no more chosen one. Harry was free!

“Do you know what’s happened to you, Harry?” Severus turned the baby to face him.

Bright green eyes lit up upon seeing Severus and the child gurgled merrily. “Dada!” Harry cried in delight. “Fo’!” the little Snape demanded.

“Yes, yes, in a minute,” Severus could not even comprehend that his son was on his way to his second word at the moment. “You don’t have the scar anymore, boy! You don’t have to be the chosen one. You’re free you bloody brilliant little imp!”

Sensing his father’s delight, Harry could do nothing else but clap his own hands in excitement. He was happy that his daddy was happy. He could put off eating for another few minutes if it meant that his dada was going to smile more. Even a baby as young as Harry realized that his guardian needed to smile and laugh more, like Harry always laughed and smiled! Harry knew he was very good at doing both of those things.

Standing up, Severus set Harry down on the couch and went into the kitchen, feeling as though he were high on life. This was brilliant! This was perfect! Now Harry didn’t have to face the Dark Lord, now Severus did not have to worry about that! Severus could not wait to rub this in Dumbledore’s face! The old man would likely choke on his lemon drops! Oh the wonderful time Snape would have, proving the entire wizarding world wrong. How he would laugh!

Getting the bottle ready, Severus began to think. This was a cause for celebration, what was he doing? Giving the baby a bottle! Harry always had a bottle. It was time to break out the baby food as far as Severus was concerned. Going to the cabinet, he opened up to find that the house elves had stocked it full of baby food. The Potions Master scowled when he realized that he had not asked for baby food. Albus had probably had the elves come in and stock the cabinets anyway. Meddling old coot!

Changing one of the table chairs into a high chair, Severus got everything ready before walking back into the living room to find baby Harry rolling around on the sofa, looking nothing short of adorable. Smiling, the Potions Master scooped up the little boy and, in a moment of inspiration, began giving the baby zerberts on the child’s stomach. The little one squealed in absolute delight, giggling and laughing, filling the whole room with cheer.

Chuckling, Severus carried the little baby to the high chair and plunked Harry down. “You get a new food today, little monster.” The baby giggled. “We’ve got some mushed up carrots I know you’ll…might like,” he amended.

Placing a bib around the baby, Severus underwent to task of feeding baby Harry. It proved to be more difficult than the professor ever imagined. Half the food didn’t even get into Harry’s mouth at all, but instead ended up all over Severus’s face, arms, chest, and lap. His legs got away scot-free though. (A real blessing indeed.)

After the odious task of feeding Harry was complete- and after taking several vows never to feed the child carrots again- Severus only had enough time to change into fresh clothes before he had to get back to teach as lunch was coming to a close. It was unfortunate, but he knew he had to get back. It came as a shock that Severus found that all he wanted to do was stay here in the dungeons and play with Harry. When had such thoughts entered his head before? Where had the infamous Potions Master really gone to?

Shrugging it off, Snape took Harry and went back to the classroom where he set the baby in his playpen. As he was organizing his lesson plan, and idea struck the professor; a horrible, nasty, mean idea. One that was sure to bring him endless delight while scaring the student’s sensitive minds. “Care to watch something funny, Harry?” Severus asked the baby, who was busy chewing on his teddy bear. But when hearing his father’s voice, little Harry grinned toothlessly around his bear’s ear.

Taking that as a yes, Severus went to his office and grabbed a jar off his shelf and brought it back to his classroom. It was a Christmas present Albus had given to him last year, one that Severus hadn’t even thought about ever using, but couldn’t just throw away. Grinning in happy wickedness, the Potions Master gingerly placed the jar in his bottom drawer before getting the potions supplies out and ready for the next class. It was going to be fifth year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs…it was going to be so much fun!

When the students began filing in, Snape made sure to glare at each of them, making his eyes burn with anger. He was pleased to note that most of them looked like they were going to shit their pants. Sometimes it really did work to his advantage to look like a vampire because the whole class, once seated, did not dare look up, let alone speak! Keeping his delight under his false mask of fury, the Potions Master flicked his wand and put up the instructions on the board.

“Today’s potion,” his voice was a dreadful whisper, “is particularly difficult and must be made exactly as the instructions state.” The entire class waited in fear as they watched the professor walk in front of the board. “You will have exactly one hour to complete this potion. Or else…” he trailed off menacingly.

The students all but jumped the moment Snape barked the, “begin!” As the students feverishly began to work, Severus happily stalked about the room, standing behind the students he knew got nervous and glaring at those who were not bothered normally being watched. As the students worked, however, the Potions Master could not really think of anything except the fact that Harry no longer had the scar. What would it be like, he wondered, raising a child, a normal, happy, healthy little boy? Would Lily have wanted him to raise her son? Obviously she had wanted his child, or she would have put the boy up for adoption…but would she approve of this whole situation?

Glad that he had the chance to raise a child of his own, Severus decided that Lily would have liked this situation better than having her child parentless. And what a parent Severus promised to be! More and more that day he found himself think about the best way to raise Harry. Of course he was sure he would have to read tons of parenting books and perhaps have to consult experts from time to time, but Severus vowed to be the best father he knew how to be. Now that Harry Potter was no more, and there was really no use for a disguise or any such nonsense, the Potions Master had nothing really to hide, except the boy’s mother, but he had already created someone else in his mind, and since the boy seemed to take the majority of his looks after him, there really was no reason to worry about.

Five minutes before the class was finished, all of the nervous children placed a sample of their potions on the Potions Master’s desk. Just looking at the vials, Severus could tell that none of them were very good. There was only one that looked to be about the color it was supposed to be, but then again, it was still a shade or two off. A wicked delight surged through the nasty professor, but he showed it with a scowl. While he thought it was funny that the students all failed, at the same time he was exasperated. Could none of the little idiots read? The potion could have been done correctly within the time frame given. Why did they all rush so much?

“Well,” Snape sneered. “It would seem that you’ve all finished. But you will remember what I said before; you all had exactly one hour to complete or else,” he looked about the room with a glare and a dramatic pause. “Or else you don’t get a lemon drop.”

 A grand total of three students fell out of their chairs from shock while one slammed his head onto the table top and several others gave uneasy chuckles before bursting into tears. But the overall atmosphere was simply stunned. Severus Snape, Potions Master of Hogwarts School or Witchcraft and Wizardry was handing out lemon drop? For Merlin’s sake, wasn’t that Dumbledore’s bit?

Delighted that the students were at a loss of what to say, Severus took out his lemon drop jar and placed it on his desk. He smiled nastily at the students before him. With a flick of his wand, Severus set a lemon drop before each one of the students before closing up the lid. “While you all finished in the time restraint,” he went on, “I must inform you all that your potions are a disgrace,” he scowled as he looked over the sample on his desk. “So, enjoy your candy while I fail all of you.”

Every child in the room (except baby Harry, of course) stared up at the Potions Master in fear. There had been set up a list of do’s and don’ts with regard to Snape. For instance, you did not ever make the man mad if you could help it; students sometimes came away the worse for wear on that one. You never brought up the time in Professor Lupin’s class when Neville’s boggart turned into a cross-dressed Snape. You never exploded a cauldron when it belonged to Snape or you would feel his wrath and have to buy a new cauldron to replace the other. You absolutely never called him anything but professor or sir, never just his last name and certainly never his Christian name. And last, unless you wanted to die, you never ate or drank anything Snape gave you! The bloody candies were probably poisoned by the deranged professor!

Several more students began to cry as they stared down at the innocent looking yellow candy and then back up at the Potions Master who was staring at them all intensely with a wicked grin. If they did not eat the candy what would Snape do? He would probably give them all a detention and humiliate them in front of the whole school! But if they did eat the candy, they would surely be poisoned and would probably end up in the hospital wing and end up dead. Although detention was bad, none of the students wanted to die.

When it was time for the class to be over, Severus dismissed them and was amused to see that everyone in the room, excluding Harry, jumped to their feet and was out the door in a matter of moments. The trash bin was full of yellow candies. Chuckling, Severus turned back to look at his son, and found the little boy standing on unsteady feet, gripping the bars of the play pen. As usual, the baby was smiling.

“You liked that, did you, Harry?” Severus chuckled again, delighted that he had made his son smile, even though he knew the baby didn’t really understand what had taken place. “I’ll have to remember to do that in a few more year.”

Lifting the bundle of giggles, Severus could not keep the smile off his face. Today had been a relatively good day. His son was free from that infernal curse, and  Severus had had some fun again in class. A nasty grin shadowed on the Potions Master’s lips as he thought about how the rest of the day was going to turn out. He could not wait until after dinner.

“Come on, little one, let’s go ruin Albus’s life.”

Like so many times before, Harry giggled and clapped his hands excitedly, as though he really understood what was going on.

It was unfortunate that Severus did not hear or see someone that had been waiting outside his door.

 Severus locked the door to his classroom before turning to walk down the hall, baby Harry in arm. There was just something about the idea of ruining all of Dumbledore’s ideas that pleased Severus beyond all measure. After so many years of manipulating everyone else, the old man was finally going to see what it was like to have his plans ruined for a change. It was going to be splendid.

It was too early for dinner and surprisingly Severus did not have to supervise any detentions that night, so he found himself floating towards that Headmaster’s office to spoil Dumbledore’s hopes and dreams. How Severus would laugh!

So, down the hall Severus strode, bouncing the giggling baby in his arms as he went. There were a few students here and there that saw the Potions Master as he acted very un-Snape like and gawked openly. They were struck dumb, especially since they had heard how he had tried to kill an entire class earlier that day by poisoning them! Perhaps Snape had finally snapped? Seemed possible since he always told them that he hated them all, and maybe being forced to be around all of them had finally done him in? It seemed probable anyway. The poor baby though, had to have a father as cruel and crazy as Snape.

Harry’s shrieks of laughter echoed off the stone walls as his dada walked down the big long halls. Harry had no idea where they were going, but he was happy that his dada seemed happy too, and as long as he had his dada, he did not care where he went. With dada, Harry was safe, with dada, nothing could harm Harry.

Lazily, Severus stated the password to the Headmaster’s office and went up the stairs still tickling the baby who was gurgling and grinning merrily. “I hope none of those little nose pickers told Albus about our prank yet,” the Potions Master whispered to the child when they were outside the Headmaster’s door. “That would ruin my fun in telling him that you’re not the chosen one anymore.”

But before Snape could push open the door, he heard someone speaking rather loudly to the Headmaster. “I saw him, Albus! He had a baby in his arms and I distinctly heard him say the name Harry!” Severus paled. “Is that baby really Harry? Is that why Harry has been missing classes? Is this why Hermione wrote to me the other day?”

The little color in his face that Severus could boast about drained completely as he listened to what was being said. He knew that voice, the one that was talking to Dumbledore. He knew that that someone would demand answers, and possibly demand that Harry be taken away from him. No! Severus’s mind spun as he tried to think his way out of this. He couldn’t lose Harry, not now! Not after he had just found the boy! He simply could not! Sure, the baby was a pain in the ass sometimes, waking up every few hours, throwing up on him, crying for no real reason, pulling his hair, generally just being messy, but Severus had adapted! He could adapt to being a father! He had adapted worse things! He…he liked being a father…he found that he really did love Harry.

Bursting through the door, Severus strode in, Harry in his arms, ready to defend himself and his child to the death. His stance was defensive and his eyes burned with a protective fire. If he could stand up to the Dark Lord, he could certainly stand up to these two nitwits. There was no way Severus was going to let them take his baby away from him again.

“Severus!” the other two wizard looked up in surprise.

“I’m not letting you take him from me,” the Potions Master hisses venomously.

“Severus, won’t you sit down?” Dumbledore motioned towards a seat.

“Is that really Harry?” Remus Lupin asked, his ember eyes wide and full of curiosity as he took a step forward.

“Back off, Lupin!” Snape growled, pulling out his wand, just in case. He didn’t trust the werewolf with the baby, and he certainly didn’t trust the lying old man behind that desk either.

“Severus, please sit down,” Dumbledore sighed. “No one’s going to take Harry from you.”

“So that is Harry?” Remus looked back over at Albus with surprise.

“Why the hell are you even here, wolf?” Severus spat. “Just enjoy spying?”

“SEVERUS!” the Headmaster bellowed.

Snapping his head over towards his employer, the Potions Master was actually a bit shocked by the old man’s outburst, but then, so was Harry. After the initial shock wore off, the little boy began to wail, not at all liking the loud noises or the people that made his dada’s smile go away. They had to be evil people if they made his dada not happy. They just had to be mean.

Absolutely stumped, Remus watched as his surly peer with the bad temper did a complete turn around and forgot himself and his anger and went to devote all of his attention to the baby in his arms. The former professor could not quite believe that he was really seeing Severus Snape rocking and cradling a little baby, let alone cooing and saying sweet nothings to the child. And this wasn’t even any old child, this baby was Harry Potter! How on earth could Severus Snape care for the son of James Potter?! It was just too confusing, and for a moment, Lupin wondered if he had been sucked into some sort of parallel universe.

“I-I’m sorry,” Albus said, putting his hands over his mouth. He really had not meant to yell. He just wanted to make sure Severus actually heard him that time so that the other wizard would listen and sit down. But it would seem that his initial plans were not all that well thought out as he had forgotten about the little boy that was in the room. He should have remembered that Harry did not seem to like loud noises.

While still rocking the baby, Severus sent the wickedest glare over to the Headmaster, severe enough to melt stone and making both Remus and Albus very uncomfortable. But the Potions Master did not look up again until the baby was quiet in his arms. And once the little boy was asleep, he turned to the other two wizards in the room.

“Sorry’s not good enough,” he hissed.

Still in a stupor, Remus looked between the Headmaster, Severus, and the baby before slouching, hang his head defeated. “So this little one is Harry?” he asked again, racking his brain to try and make any sense out of what he was seeing.

Letting out a big sigh, the Headmaster nodded. “Yes, Remus, this is Harry Potter.”

“And Severus is taking care of Harry?” the werewolf’s head cocked to the side as though his brain was about to self-destruct.

“That’s right,” the Headmaster nodded once. “Going on two weeks, I believe.”

Going on two weeks? Remus’s head snapped over to the Potions Master who was still holding baby Harry securely in his arms rocking the child gently from left to right in a calming manner. Snape was not looking at Remus or the Headmaster, and what the former professor saw on the face of his peer’s normally harsh, hate filled features was nothing short of affection and protectiveness. No, it was more than that, it was love…

That big of difference in not even two weeks?! Remus’s mind screamed for the world to make sense again. The Severus Snape he knew hated Harry Potter! How many times had Lupin heard his former colleague complain about the Gryffindor, about how arrogant he was, self-centered, annoying, bothersome, stupid, and of course, very James like? And likewise, Remus had always listened to Harry complain and tell him all about how Professor Snape was unfair and hated him. Yes, Harry had always used the word “hate” when he spoke of Snape’s feeling with regard to himself. So why this sudden, drastic change? Why would Severus even consider looking after an infant, especially if that infant was Harry Potter? None of this made any sense!

“I…I don’t believe I understand this,” Remus grabbed his head, feeling a headache coming on. “Severus why…why would you want to look after Harry? I thought you didn’t like him?”

“That’s none of your concern,” Severus shot back, though quietly, learning from experience that to yell would cause Harry to cry again, and no matter how much Severus liked the baby, he did not like the screaming. “Why are you even here anyway? Just wanted to skulk about? I thought that the counsel banned werewolves from stepping foot on the grounds?” he sneered.

“I came mainly because I was out of wolf’s bane potion and no one could get it for me, and when I asked Albus if you could maybe send it over, he said you were busy,” Remus’s eyes automatically went to the sleeping baby. “Which I can see you are.”

“I would have gotten the potion to you on time!” Severus hissed.

“Well, I also came because I got a letter from Hermione Granger,” Remus went on, not at all liking the dreadful feeling he was getting in his stomach as he looked at Severus and Harry, and seeing how at ease they were with each other; a natural pair.

So, this was Granger’s fault, was it? Draco and Hermione suddenly moved up several notches on Snape’s hit list. He had both for class the next day and oh, how he would make them suffer. The insufferable little know-it-all just had to tell someone about it. She had probably gone to the Headmaster first before contacting Lupin. A girl as smart as Granger would have thought that she would find an allie in the Headmaster only to figure out that he was part of the conspiracy too. And since she was a student and could not dig much further legally, she went and contacted someone that could.

But the only question was why didn’t she write to Black? The mutt was Harry’s godfather, after all, and she could bank on Black not to quit until he had found out everything. But just looking at Lupin, Severus realized that even a girl that could be as thick as Granger sometimes was could see that Black was obviously the worst choice out of anyone. The mutt would have barged in and started screaming and yelling and carrying on until he got all the answers he wanted. But then no one would be willing to cooperate with him because he was too violent and unstable. Lupin was calm, and could sit and listen for more than five minutes put together. Lupin was the most logical choice.

“Ah,” Albus spoke up. “So, here is the answer to all our questions then. Miss Granger has been very worried about Harry ever since he has gotten ‘sick’,” the Headmaster looked at both younger wizards. “She and Mr. Weasley have been pestering Poppy, Minerva, and I constantly, always wanting to know if Harry was all right. It seems they were impatient to wait, like I had said, and wanted someone else to figure thing out for them.”

“I…I don’t really know what to say,” Remus shook his head. “I’m just…confused.”

“Well, let me tell you both a little story that should clear some things up,” the Headmaster smiled and folded his hands on top of his desk. “Once upon a time-”

“Oh dear God,” Severus rolled his eyes.

“-there was a boy, and there was a girl,” the Headmaster went on.

“Albus, is this strictly necessary?” Remus asked softly.

“-and they seemed to be the happiest couple in the world.”

“Merlin, Albus, must you bore us with your sure to be lengthy narrative?” Severus growled.

“For the sake of the story, let us call the boy James, and the girl Lily,” Dumbledore smiled sadly. Remus and Severus immediately shut up to listen. “The boy, James, was known for his cool manner and his bad boy reputation. But at heart, he was really a ‘good boy’ but he tried desperately to seem cool and tried to rebel. He was not really that good at it, come to think of it, but he did try. The girl, Lily, was known for being well behaved and being, by all reason, a good girl. But there was another side to her, a side that loved a rebel, a man that did as he chose and lived on the edge.”

Both Severus and Remus exchanged glances, not quite knowing where this was going to go. Remus could boast that he knew the real James almost better than anyone else, and Severus could claim the same for Lily, so neither one felt comfortable with this story. They both still cared deeply for the friends that they had lost fourteen years previous, but they stayed quiet, too curious to find out where the Headmaster was going with this. Although Severus had a pretty good idea.

“Now, James proposed to Lily, and Lily accepted, both misunderstanding the true nature of the other,” Dumbledore went on. “James believed that he was marrying a woman that could save his reputation, a woman he could blame his calming down on, while Lily believed she was marrying a man that would be exciting, a man that she believed she could blame a wild streak on if she so chose. However, there was another complicated matter on Lily’s part.”

Severus found that he was holding his breath as he snuggled Harry closer to his chest. “You see, in Lily’s past, she had fallen in love with another man, a man that had been her constant friend almost all her life, but the friendship was severed while at school due to House rivalry. I will not go into detail about that,” the Headmaster looked sympathetically over at Severus, and so did Remus.

“Now,” Albus went on, “when she got engaged to James, she suddenly found that he was not the man she had wanted him to be. The more she looked at James, the more she found him wanting in many areas. For you see, she had never really fallen in love with James at all. She still held on to her previous love, a man that she blamed herself for casting away.

“Now, several weeks before her marriage to James, she met her first love in Diagon Alley. He was just how she remembered him, and she could not have loved him more. He, on the other hand, was not quite sure how he felt about her. After all, she had spurned him in pursuit of James and had not forgiven him even after he had apologized many times to her. There was also the fact that she was engaged and added with that, he was a Death Eater. But when he saw his beloved’s tears, he took her away to a place where they could talk without being seen.”

“Albus,” Remus pleaded quietly when he saw Severus’s face crumple into misery and despair over the narrative.

“Alone,” Dumbledore went on as though he had not heard Remus at all, “the two talked of many things; about the past, the present, and the future. Lily soon found that she could not see herself living without this man and declared boldly that she loved him more than anyone else in the world. Likewise, the man also declared his utmost devotion and love. The two began to meet privately while James was away in auror training. As you can imagine, a love as fierce as Lily and her lover’s could not be demonstrated by words only, and they soon fell into temptation.

“While committing the sin of love, James happened upon them and was outraged,” Dumbledore’s face took on the look of concern and sorrow. “Finding his rival and his fiancé together was too much, and in a fit of rage drug off his rival, leaving Lily alone and he obliviated the Death Eater’s mind. James was going to send Lily’s lover to Azkaban after, but while the he was obliviating the Death Eater’s mind, the other man somehow broke free of the mind spell and fled.

“James married Lily a few days later, leaving Lily to believe that her lover was dead. And when she conceived a son soon after, at first no one was surprised. But while James believed he had won, that he had been victor, Lily and her lover were the real victors. For you see, the son that she carried was not the son of James Potter, but the son of her lover, Severus Snape.”

Both Severus and Remus sat a bit stunned; Severus because he had not remembered how he had actually become Harry’s father, and Remus because the whole idea that James Potter was not Harry’s father had never even entered into his head. Looking over at Snape and Harry, Remus just stared at the pair for a very long moment, trying to wrap his mind around the idea that the baby in the other man’s arms was really the boy he knew and had taught, and the fact that that boy had never been James Potter’s son, but Snape’s.

Severus sat pensively, going through the story in his head, trying to recall something from his time with Lily, but he could not. Maybe Dumbledore had something that could take or use to regain those precious lost memories? Perhaps it was time to ask for help…at least this once. After all, he wanted to know every detail so that he could explain how he and Lily had gotten together when Harry was old enough to understand.

Still trying to figure everything else, Remus kept shaking his head. “What?” he asked, the shock still clear in his voice. “S-Severus, what is the Headmaster talking about?” he looked over desperately at the other man willing the Potions Master to discredit the old man’s story.

Sitting up straighter in his chair, Severus looked down his nose at the werewolf before him. “Did you not hear him?” he spat. “He told you plain as day; Harry is my son, and I’ll be damned before I let you or anyone else take him from me.”

Remus’s eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted. Albus levitated Lupin onto a couch where he could sleep until the Headmaster could have a talk with him. “I’ll tell him to keep it secret, Severus,” he reassured the rather ridged looking father.

“See that he does,” Snape snarled before turning on his heels and racing down into the safety of the dungeons, all plans of telling the Headmaster about the lack of the lightning bolt scar forgotten.

Frowning, Albus watched the younger wizard storm away. It was going to be extremely hard to get Harry away from Severus now, but deep down Dumbledore knew Snape had a right to know the full story. But he would figure something out once Harry turned back to normal.

Sitting down at his desk, Dumbledore took out the letter from St. Mungo’s and reviewed it. “Within the next week,” the Headmaster said to himself. “Then all will be back to normal.”  

That night, Severus sat up cradling Harry, watching, waiting for something to happen. He just knew that at any moment the Headmaster was going to come and talk to him, or that the werewolf had gone and told Black, and the animagus was on his way, ready to come take Harry away from him. But Severus did not intend for anyone, be it werewolf, animagus, or Headmaster, to take his son away from him. No, Harry really was the only thing Severus had, anything that matter anyway, and he would be damned if he let someone take his son from him.

Each time Harry woke during the night, Severus was right there, always holding his son. It seemed almost impossible that almost two weeks ago the Potions Master had hated the very sight of this child. Perhaps it was mainly due to the fact that Severus had thought that the boy was the spawn of James Potter, and therefore a thing of evil, but that was all in the past now, right? After all, this child was perfect; Harry was the mix of Lily and Severus. Such a combination could be nothing short of perfect in the professor’s humble opinion.

It was not fair! Nothing was ever fair for Severus! He had had Lily, he had lost Lily, he had gotten Lily back, he had lost Lily forever, he had found a son, he was certain he was going to lose that son. It just wasn’t fair! There was no way Severus was ever going to let anyone take his Harry away again! Not EVER!

“I promise you this,” Severus vowed to the sleeping child that was cradled to his chest.

*******

Over the next several days, Severus became more reclusive and temperamental. He did not eat in the Great Hall anymore, nor did he attend the teachers meetings. When invites to have tea with the Headmaster came his way, the Potions Master flat out refused to go, and was content with locking himself away in his chambers in the dungeons. Detentions were not monitored by Snape that week and he absolutely would not stay after class if anyone had questions. The only thing the professor did was attend classes, teach, and then leave immediately before the Headmaster or anyone could talk to him. The only human contact that Snape had for days was with his students in class, which he kept to a bare minimal, and Harry. He did see house elves every so often, but they weren’t people in Snape’s opinion, so he did not count them.

Rumors started flying left and right about the Potions Master and his odd behavior. The students knew that something was going on, and that it had all started with the disappearance of Harry Potter and the appearance of Snape’s baby. Professor Lupin could also be seen back at the school every once and a while, adding to all the suspicion and wonder. Had Snape killed Harry Potter? Was the baby Harry Potter? Was Lupin back to find Harry Potter?

But of course none of these rumors lasted long as there was no real weight to any of them. But to Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, the rumors were all getting uncomfortably curious. Draco and Ron had had several meetings, but each time neither boy had come up with any hard evidence. And since Professor Snape had, for some reason, turned against Draco and Hermione, the smart Slytherin boy and the smart Gryffindor girl found themselves in detentions almost every night.

One evening, when neither Hermione nor Draco had detention, they fled to the library where Ron was waiting for them. “I just don’t get it,” the Gryffindor scratched his head. “Why’s Snape hate you all of a sudden?” Ron wondered out loud.

“I don’t know,” Draco growled, sneered slightly at the redhead’s crude manners. “But I’d say it’s because he doesn’t like us snooping about.”

“And it’s obvious he’s angry with me for writing to Professor Lupin,” Hermione frowned. “But what I can’t understand is where Harry’s gone to. Professor Lupin told me not to worry about it.”

“And did he tell you where Potter is?” Draco asked, having become somewhat comfortable with the two Gryffindors over the past two weeks. At first he had been following his father’s orders and trying to find out everything he could, to play spy, just like his ‘Uncle’ Snape did for the Death Eaters, but after a time, Draco began doing it to fulfill his own curiosity, actually forgetting to report back to his father and the Dark Lord.

“No,” Hermione sighed. “He just said that Harry was fine and that he was going to get better really soon and be back in time for the end of term testing.”

“Lucky him,” Ron rolled his eyes.

“So we’re really no closer to figuring out anything,” the blonde sighed. “All right. I’ll go try and see if Professor Snape will talk tonight. He hasn’t been seeing anyone over the last several days.”

So with that agreed, the three children went their ways, each one not really realizing that they were actually working together even though they were in two different Houses. They were either worried or curious or both, enough so that they did not stop to think about much else. Had they known that they were working together, they might have stopped instantly just to keep the rivalry going. After all, rivalry was a tradition too.

But while the school was chattering and the all the other professors were frazzled, Severus was actually quite content to ignore the outside world. He had Harry, and that was all he really needed. Harry was a good companion, a lively companion. The boy only cried when he needed something, and the Potions Master had the greatest satisfaction of watching the boy crawl around and even try to stand on his own. Of course Severus had carpeted and padded every square inch of his chambers to make sure that Harry didn’t hurt his little hands or knees and even cleaned his chambers every day. He did not want the boy getting sick after all. But, alas, Harry always did seem to find some sort of mess to get into…

There was also the…task, of teaching Harry how to eat his food without spitting it back out or trying to fling it across the room. The first few times Severus attempted to feed his son, Harry had had the joy of making himself and his father so messy, they were hardly recognizable. But after about the fifth or so try, and after Severus had used a sticking charm on the baby’s hands so the little guy did not get so delighted he flung peas everywhere, the meal was a relative success, and both father and son had more or less come away unscathed.

Once that that skill was learned, Severus and Harry underwent the crown jewel of father/ son bonding; Severus took Harry into his private potions lab.

And although Severus actually found himself wanting to take Harry into the lab, he was also more than a little worried. The potions lab was full of all kinds of dangerous, poisonous, and over all explosive things…but then again, Severus had not really stepped foot inside his private lab for a while, and he did have to finish brewing that potion for the Dark Lord, and Harry did need to be looked after…

Transfiguring a stool into a highchair, Severus plopped little Harry into the seat and kissed the top of his soft, baby fuzz head. “Now you will see how dada works,” he smiled down at the grinning little boy.

Harry gurgled and smiled back at his father. And although he did not quite like the smell of the room, he thought he would be okay since in a strange way these smells reminded him of his dada. Besides, he liked being with his daddy. He did not like it when his daddy left him in his playpen and went into this room alone. It was much more fun to be where his dada could look at him all the time.

Looking over his potion, Severus frowned in concentration as he looked at the dark, boiling brew. He felt cold as he realized just what it was he was brewing, but he could not fake the potion, after all. Even the slightest tampering with and the potion would not only not work, but it would look different, and if it looked different, then the Dark Lord would suspect Severus of trying to poison him. And then were would Harry be? The Dark Lord would kill Severus and the poor little boy would be an orphan again. Severus just couldn’t let that happen.

So, devoting himself to the problem at hand, Severus set to work, forgetting about all the grading he still had to do, all the people that wanted to talk to him. He began chopping and dicing ingredients left and right, began his work, looking very much like the wizard in old Muggle stories. There was nothing that mattered save his work, and that was why Snape was a Potions Master.

While dada worked, little Harry watched. What his father was doing looked like such fun! But Harry was a little sad that his daddy was not letting him help. Harry was a good helper! He really was! So, to improve himself, the little boy watched and soon began to think that what his father was doing was not so very hard after all.

When Severus had his back turned was when little Harry thought that he could be of use. Reaching out with his chubby little hands, the baby grabbed a handful of he knew not what. It was squishy and made him giggle. And with all his might, the baby threw the squish maroon thing into the big pot that he had seen his dada throw things in. Harry clapped in joy when the cauldron steamed and gave a slight hiss after dissolving the eagle heart.

Hearing his son laughing, Severus looked over his shoulder from where he stood rereading through the instructions, just to make sure he was brewing the potion correctly. But when he looked, all he saw was Harry smiling happily, clapping his little hands. The father could not help but smile back. Severus felt his heart glow at the thought that Harry was enjoying watching him brew. “Want to be a Potions Master someday too, do we?” he grinned at the baby. Harry’s giggles turned into shrieks of laughter. Severus laughed, not knowing that Harry was pleased thinking that his father had seen just what he had done and was pleased with him.

Since that was the case, when Severus turned away again, Harry grabbed for something else that he might add into the pot. It was very easy, after all, and his dada did seem to need all the help he could get! So, the little boy grabbed for something else. He could not quite reach it, so he tried harder. He struggled and struggled, but he could not reach it. But just when Harry began to pout, the jar came over to him, as though it were magic!

Taking the jar, Harry grabbed some of the powder that was inside. With a giggle, he tossed that stuff into the potion too. It didn’t seem like it would hurt anything, so he added more in, just for good measure. But that was when Severus turned around. “Harry!” the man yelled, rushing over to the baby. “What are you trying to do? Ruin daddy’s potion?” But the Potions Master froze. Had he really just referred to himself as daddy? “Bloody hell,” he rolled his eyes.

Taking the jar from the little boy, whose lower lips was starting to quiver, Severus set it aside and went over to his potions, praying that by some miracle, the potions was not ruined. As he inspected it, however, the professor could not tell that there was anything wrong with it. He’d only ever brewed his particular potion once, and he could not quite remember how it was supposed to smell, but it looked right, at any rate, and that was fine with him.

Sighing in relief, thinking nothing had gone wrong and that he had caught Harry in time, Severus was comforted with the fact that he would not have to be tortured for failing to deliver the potion on time. He turned back around to look at his son. Big, watery eyes looked up at the Potions Master. “Dada, ang’y,” the boy sniffled.

“No, no, dada’s not angry with you,” Severus walked over to his son and picked him up. “And it’s angry, Harry, not ang’y.”

“Ang’y,” the boy mumbled into his father’s chest.

Severus sighed. He’d been trying to teach Harry how to say and pronounce words over the past few days, and the boy was a pretty quick study, but still had a tendency to mispronounce his words. But at least Harry was beginning to use words instead of just screaming all the time, Snape thought. The more adult-like the baby acted, the better Severus was sure his nerves would be… Although he could not deny he liked holding the child, something he would never even consider doing for another adult.

“No, I’m not angry,” the man began bouncing the boy in his arms. “I was just…concerned is all.”

Taking out his wand, Severus quickly cleaned Harry’s hands, making sure that when the baby stuck those little chubby fists into his mouth, which he was sure the child would, so Harry would not accidentally poison himself or something. Once that was done, the father rocked his son a little bit longer before setting him back into the highchair.

“Wait just a bit longer and soon daddy will be all done, okay?” Severus asked, as though the baby actually understood everything.

When Harry saw that his father was not angry with him, he smiled brightly up at the man. Harry was a very lucky little boy, and he knew it too. He loved having someone take care of him, someone that cuddled him and fed him and kept him away from the bad people outside. With his dada, Harry was safe, and no one could hurt him.  He was lucky had had a patient daddy.

While Harry entertained himself with his teddy bear and a few old boxes Severus had transfigured into blocks, the Potions Master went to finish up his potion. It would not be long now. That next night, Snape would be once again facing the Dark Lord, and giving him a potion that would make him stronger…at least for a short time. It was fortunate he did not know his son had tried to help him make this potion…

*******

The next day, after classes, Snape went to the Headmaster’s office. He did not like it, but he knew that he could not leave Harry alone tonight when he went to the Death Eater meeting. If something were to happen, and Severus would not come back…well, he did not want Harry to be left alone without anyone to care for him. Perhaps it was silly to be this paranoid, but then Severus had survived this long because of his well bred paranoia.

Severus knocked on the door, but no one answered; so he opened it and beheld not only Dumbledore, but Umbridge, and Lupin there as well. All emotions leaked off the Slytherin’s face as he stared at the group. Albus was sitting at his desk, like normal, while Umbridge was standing rather close to Lupin, her finger out as though she were scolding the werewolf. It would have been a laughable scene had Severus not had business to take care of, business he really did not want Lupin or Umbridge to hear.

“Why, Severus,” the Headmaster smiled. “What a delightful surprise! Please do come in.”

Walking in timidly, the Potions Master sent a vicious glare over to Umbridge while he dipped his head to Lupin; not that he liked the wolf mind you, but he knew being polite to the werewolf would royally piss off the old toad, so he was pleased to do it. He could always think up a good insult to say to Lupin later after all, just to remind the Gryffindor that he still hated his guts. And besides, he needed to anger the woman enough so that she’d leave, and then Severus could just demand that Remus leave too.

“What brings you here, my boy?” the Headmaster asked kindly.

“Headmaster!” Umbridge exclaimed. “We were in the middle of a…debate before Professor Snape rudely barged in,” she huffed.

“I did not barge in,” the Potions Master hissed. “I did knock.”

“Dolores, my dear, perhaps we should talk about this later?” Albus whispered, but loud enough so that anyone could have heard it.

The witch’s face turned bright red as she scowled at the Headmaster.“I will not be chased out of here while-”

“I did not say ‘chased out’,” Albus smiled. “Now be a dear and go to your office and spruce everything up. I’ll call you once I’m done talking to Severus and Remus.”

“But-!”

“Out you go!” the Headmaster looked far too cheerful as he literally pushed her out the door.

Once she was out, he sat back down in his chair and smiled back up at the two wizards that had remained in the room. “Lemon drop?” he offered, holding out the jar.

Neither Remus nor Severus moved to take the offered candy, but little Harry reached out to take one of the colorful candies. But Severus stopped the infant, foreseeing that the little one would probably choke on the sweet, and the last thing he needed at the moment was his son choking to death. Or if Harry didn’t die, then Snape was sure that he’d have a heart attack.

After no one moved, Albus shrugged, setting the jar on his desk and popping in a candy. “More for me,” he smiled happily.

“Leave, Lupin,” Severus hissed after a moment. “I need to speak with the Headmaster.”

“Well I need to talk to him too,” Remus frowned at his peer, but then found his eyes drawn to little Harry who actually graced him with a smile.

“This is important!” Severus growled.

“Mine is too,” Remus shot back.

“Well, I work here!”

“I was here first!”

“Boys!” Dumbledore chuckled. “Please. Remus, could you please sit down and wait just one moment. Severus, what is it you need?”

Angry that the wolf was being allowed to stay, the Potions Master grumbled under his breath. “There’s a meeting tonight,” he answered after a moment. “Someone will need to watch after Harry.”

“The boy doesn’t like anyone but you, Severus,” the Headmaster frowned, wishing very much that little Harry did like him.

“But I can’t very well bring a baby to a Death Eater gathering, now can I?” Severus rolled his eyes. Sometimes he thought that he was the only smart person left on the planet.

While Snape and Dumbledore talked, Remus watched the little boy in the Slytherin’s arms. Harry was smiling at him, and Remus found that he could not quit smiling either. The little boy was precious! And then something unheard of happened, Harry reached out his arms to Remus, as if expecting the werewolf to pick him up!

When Severus felt the child shift in his lap, he looked down at his son to see what the child was doing. What he saw horrified him. “Well then,” Dumbledore’s voice was light and cheerful. “Looks like we found a babysitter!”

“No! Absolutely not! I will not let have that wolf watch Harry!” Severus stood up, glaring between the Headmaster and Lupin.

“Now come on, Severus,” Albus tried to brush off the anger and annoyance the other wizard felt.

“NO!” Snape growled looking very much like a three year old that was set in his ways.

“Severus-”

“I’d have to agree with Severus,” Remus spoke up, shocking the other two wizards.

“But, Remus,” the Headmaster’s voice sounded suspiciously like a whine.

“Professor,” Remus shook his head, “I’ve never taken care of a baby before. I mean, sure, I held Harry after he was born and lots of times before Lily and James died, but they were always right there when Harry cried or if he needed something. I really have no idea what to do with small children!”

“Well neither did Severus, and he managed fairly well,” Albus’s eyes twinkled. “It can be a learning experience for you too.”

“Except that I don’t want him looking after my son,” Snape hissed. “Get that through your thick skull, old man!”

While the adults were busy being loud again, Harry tried desperately to reach out to Remus again. He did not know what was really going on, but Harry could just tell that the other man was almost as good as his dada and he wanted to find out. But dada was being too protective it seemed. Harry was old enough to help his daddy make his smelly liquid, which meant that he was old enough to be held by someone else too. Harry was no coward, after all!

Looking down at the little child in his lap, Severus watched in horror as his son reached out for the werewolf. A wave of jealously hit him hard, and he suddenly thought all kinds of nasty thoughts about killing the other wizard. Perhaps he could just poison Lupin slowly while hexing or beating him to a bloody pulp. That might work… Either which way, Severus was certain he would make the man regret ever having dared to gain Harry’s affections.

But there was the fact that the wolf had not gone to Black yet. Severus was certain that once the convict got involved things would be much worse. After all, once Sirius Black got wind that Severus Snape was taking care of Harry Potter, the mutt would not rest until his godson was taken out from under the Potions Master’s care. And that was something Severus simply could not handle. As crazy as it seemed, even to Severus, the potions professor loved this cubby little boy that sat happily in his lap. Perhaps Severus could bribe Remus in staying quite?

“Be reasonable now,” the Headmaster went on. “You need to be at that Death Eater meeting and Harry really does seem to like Remus. It’s perfect!”

Slowly, Snape looked over at werewolf with a shielded expression. Remus, likewise, looked at Severus with wide ember eyes. Severus stared at his peer, trying to decide if he could really trust the other wizard. After all, Lupin was in thick with the Headmaster; would he help Albus take Harry away from him? Would Dumbledore manipulate Lupin into some ridiculous plan?

Very slowly, Albus and Remus watched as Severus stood and passed little Harry over to Remus. Nervously, the Gryffindor took his former student and settled the baby in his lap. They all held their breaths, but nothing happened. Harry simply sat in the werewolf’s lap, smiling contently at the others.

“It’s settled then!” Albus cried.

*******

Stalking down into the dungeons, Severus was muttering and growling the whole way, while Harry was babbling nonsense baby talk and behind the two Snape’s was Remus, following nervously. There were a few students that were in the hall that saw their Potions Master and their former DADA teacher together, including Ron, Hermione, and Draco, and they all gawked, getting the feeling that something bad was going to happen. Hermione started to go over to Lupin, but one death glare from Snape stopped her in her tracks and she shrank back to stand next to the guys.

Deep in the dungeons, Severus lead Remus to his personal quarters and let the werewolf in. Tentatively, Lupin stepped in carefully, and looked around the dark abode in awe. He jumped when the door closed with a loud slam and turned around to stare at the livid face of Severus Snape.

“Let’s get a few things straight, Lupin,” the Potions Master’s voice was soft, but deadly. “You are responsible for taking care of Harry; you and you alone. That means you will not give him to anyone else. That includes Black,” his lip pulled back in disgust, “any Order members, or even Dumbledore. You will not ignore any of Harry’s needs. You will make sure that he is taken care of; that means that he is fed properly, changed when he needs to be, bathed, and put to bed after a bedtime story. You will rock him to sleep after the story and make sure that you are always within hearing distance.”

Remus stood stock still as though he was being hunted and the thing chasing him was almost to him. He nodded and listened intently as Severus went through all the rules and all the instructions on how to feed, burp, and bathe the little baby. The werewolf even found himself taking actual notes just to make sure that he did not do anything wrong. This was an amazing opportunity, to have Severus Snape trust him, and Remus did not want to break that trust.

After he got done showing the hated man his chambers, which he did only out of necessity, Severus looked at the other wizard hard in the eyes. “Is everything clear? Do you understand?”

“Yes, I think so,” Remus nodded as he looked through his notes.

“You think so?” Severus sneered.

“Yes, I understand,” Lupin amended and gave an uneasy smile at.

Severus, did not return the smile, but looked at the other man doubtfully. Amazingly, the spy sighed, catching Remus off guard. “You don’t understand how important this is, Lupin,” Snape looked down worriedly at the little boy in his arms. “I…do not want to lose Harry. And I am…concerned that once I am gone...someone will take him. I am trusting you; I am…leaving my son in your care. When I come back, I want to come back to see that Harry is still here.”

The speech utterly amazed Remus; it almost brought tears to the werewolf’s eyes. For Severus Snape to admit to such feelings, to show his fear, to Remus of all people, it touched the other wizard. Suddenly the werewolf’s chest began to burn with protectiveness, and he nodded to the Potions Master, his eyes determined. “He’ll be here for you when you get back,” he said firmly. “I promise.”

Nodding slowly, Severus passed his son over to the other man, and looked down into the sparkling green eyes of Lily. The little boy smiled broadly at the spy. “Dada!” Harry squealed happily.

Getting a very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, Severus tried to smile, but managed only to lift the corners of his mouth ever so slightly. “Dada will be back later,” he leaned over and kissed the top of the baby’s soft head. “Be good for Lupin…maybe throw up on him or something.”

Harry giggled and began bouncing in Remus’s arms. Severus was at least pleased to see that the werewolf could hold on while the baby squirmed. Lupin would not be stupid enough to test the bouncing baby boy theory on Harry while Snape was still in the room at least.

Taking a very deep breath, Severus nodded one last time before he turned around dramatically, his robes flapping around him gracefully, before he strode to the fireplace. He threw in the Floo powder and called, “Malfoy Manner,” and was gone.

*******

Upon arrival, Lucius Malfoy was waiting for him, his nose bleeding. The blonde scowled at Severus as he walked in. “What took you so long?” he growled.

“I’m not late,” Snape hissed back, but then smirked. “My my, you’re snippy this evening, Lucius. Is something the matter?”

The other wizard scowled blackly at the Potions Master before he motioned for Snape to follow him. “Do you have the potion for the Dark Lord?” he snapped.

Frowning angrily, Severus took out the vial of the dark brown potion and showed it to the rich man. Lucius snatched the vial away from Snape’s grasp and continued on. It was actually an insult that Lucius took the potion. The blonde was stealing the honor of presenting the potion to the Dark Lord, but at the moment, Severus was a bit too preoccupied with worrying about Harry to really notice.

Walking into the stateroom, Severus beheld the normal ring of Death Eaters standing around a single throne-like chair where sat the Dark Lord. Many of the Death Eaters looked frazzled, indicating to the Potions Master that Voldemort had gotten bored as he waited for Severus to arrive. Fear shot through Snape as he thought of the potion he had brewed for this maniac. Hopefully his and Dumbledore’s plan would work, and the Dark Lord’s new strength could be stopped soon. Severus could only hope.

“Severus!” Voldemort’s red eyes pierced the professor’s heart. “My potion?”

“Here, my lord,” Lucius bowed and handed over the vial, and bowed fancily again.

The snake-man snatched the vial away quickly and took out the stopper. “At last!” he cried. “At last we will be able to attack!”

Severus was not the only one who held his breath as the Dark Lord downed the brown liquid without a second thought. Everyone waited to see what would happen. But after a few second, Severus frowned. The affects were supposed to be almost instant. He secretly looked about the crowed, but no one else seemed to suspect that something was wrong.

“Yes, yesss, I feel it beginning to work,” the Dark Lord said after a minute, pleased, causing Severus’s frown to deepen.

Suddenly, Voldemort leaped to his feet and laughed wickedly. “Let us-!” he stopped, his crimson eyes wide. All at once the dark wizard began coughing and choking, gasping and gagging. The ring of Death Eaters all watched as their leader lay twitching on the floor, foaming at the mouth and having seizures.

After just another moment, the Dark Lord moved no more. It took the others longer than Severus to realize that Voldemort was dead, and just when the other Death Eaters began to grasp what had happened and turned to the Potions Master for answers, Snape quickly gasped loudly. “Lucius!” he cried. “You poisoned the Dark Lord!”

The loyal, enraged Death Eaters all turned to Malfoy, tearing off their masks, glaring and taking out their wands. “What?!” Lucius looked around panicked. “No I didn’t! I didn’t!” he cried when the others began advancing towards him. “I didn’t! It-it wasn’t my fault!”

“You poisoned the Dark Lord!” Nott cried

“No!” Malfoy began to back away. “No, I don’t know…it was Snape! He’s the one that made the potion!”

“But you’re the one that gave it to the Dark Lord!” Zambini hissed. “You must have slipped something into the potion.”

The tension in the room was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. Each Death Eater glared at Lucius. “Yes!” Severus felt obligated to speak up, as he glared over at the blonde as well.

“Why you-!” Lucius started to say before the room erupted into pandemonium. All the Death Eaters went after Malfoy at once, stunning him, tying him up, cursing and hexing him. Just then Narcissa walked in and started screaming, adding to the total chaos.

While the others fought, Severus slipped back to the doorway and simply stared at the mess before him. Taking out his wand, he sent a powerful stunning spell over everyone. The crowd of Death Eaters all fell to the floor with loud thuds. Then, Snape tied them all up as well and looked over his handy work in stunned disbelief. He just stood there a moment, looking at all the frozen Death Eaters and the corpse of the Dark Lord. Merlin, he had killed the Dark Lord!

Suddenly fear over took him and Severus knew he had to leave or he would never be able to. As he turned to go, he heard the strangest sound, one that he knew very well, and yet could not place. He quickened his steps to the Floo, just wanting to get out of Malfoy Manner and tell the Headmaster everything that had happened when a large snake slithered into view. Severus did not have enough time to kill it before it wrapped itself around his legs.

*******

Back at Hogwarts in Snape’s chambers, Remus sat on the couch exhausted. It was nearing midnight and Harry was sleeping peacefully. But while the baby was contently slumbering, the werewolf was so tired he thought he was going to pass out from fatigue. When Severus left, Remus had believed that everything would be okay. But no, Harry was more Slytherin then he had let on. Under that cute, baby exterior, beat the heart of a sly, cunning little monster that liked to wait until there was no one else around so he could attack.

Over the course of the evening, Remus tried to follow Severus’s instructions to the tee. First, he let Harry crawl around the floor to explore the area of the chambers. At first Remus had found it fun to watch the little boy crawl around, but that amusement had disappeared the moment Harry had found a potions vial that had somehow fallen to the carpeted floor and tried to stick it into his mouth. Remus had leaped off the couch to stop the child, and in the process gave himself a heart attack.

Deciding that perhaps it was not safe for Harry to just crawl around on his own freewill, Remus had decided that it would be safe to put Harry in Severus’s bedroom and let him crawl on the bed. But that idea had quickly been banished when Harry tried to tumble off. So the wizard had decided that maybe he should just keep the baby in his crib. That also turned out to be a failure when the child started to cry, not wanting to be put to bed so soon.

After rocking and consoling the child for forty-five minutes or so, Remus decided that it was time to feed the little boy. Some mushed carrots and peas sounded good enough to the babysitter, and he warmed up a bottle of milk for good measure. By the end of the meal, both Harry and Remus were covered in baby food slop of orange and green. When the werewolf began to burp the little boy, Harry had thrown up all over him. While Harry found this all highly amusing, his caretaker did not, and the sitter decided that the next course of action would be to give the little troublemaker a bath.

Filling the sink with warm water, Remus went about finding the baby shampoo and other odd things used to bathe babies that one would not think of to find in Snape’s bathroom. Rolling up his sleeves, the wizard stripped Harry down and set him into the sink. The little boy giggled and began playing with a rubber ducky. It all seemed to be going so well, and Remus found himself smiling. Perhaps babysitting wasn’t so bad? But that’s when the water wars started and Admiral Ducky began a battle with Commodore Froggy. It was a terrible battle, resulting in many casualties, including Remus’s  nerves.

After the baby was all scrubbed and clean, Remus put the squirmy child into his nighty. Of course that was a fight in itself as Harry was still too excited after the fierce war between the sides of water fowl and amphibian. But once the babysitter managed to get the child into a new nappy and into his pajamas, he sat down in the rocking chair in Severus’s bedroom and read Harry a story out of the Beatle Bard. After the story was done, and Harry fought to keep his little eyes open, Remus just hummed an old wizarding lullaby to the child as he rocked. At last the baby was asleep and the werewolf could have cried with joy.

Laying Harry into his crib, Remus snuck out of the room after making sure the nightlight was on and the baby was warm enough and comfortable. Literally collapsing onto the couch in the sitting room, Remus closed his heavy eyelids and wondered how Severus Snape could have put up with the little boy for so long. The wizard would have never pegged Snape as the patient type, let alone the family man.

But just when he had gotten comfortable, Severus burst through the fireplace, hacking and coughing. “Severus!” Remus sat up immediately, startled. “What are you doing back so early?”

Looking around his quarters wildly, the Potions Master staggered to a chair and leaned heavily upon it. “Dear God!” Remus exclaimed. “Severus, you’re bleeding! You look terrible! What-”

“Where’s the Headmaster?” Severus cut the other man off.

“In his office, I supposed. But Severus, you’re bleeding! Sit down and I’ll-”

“It’s not my blood!” the Potions Master spat before he went over to the Floo once more and threw in a handful of powder. “Headmaster Dumbledore’s office!” he cried.

Not liking how any of this was going, Remus tried to think of everything that could have gone wrong at the Death Eater meeting. Had Albus and Severus’s plan for the night not gone well? Had the Dark Lord gotten too powerful? Had he suspected Severus? Not liking any of the ideas that popped into his head, Remus ran into the bedroom, grabbed Harry, threw a blanket over the little boy and went through the Floo to the Headmaster’s office as well.

“Albus!” Severus cried as he came through the fireplace. “Albus, I need to talk with you!”

The Headmaster was quite startled by the sight of his spy coming to him, filthy from the Floo and covered in blood. “Severus! My boy, you’re hurt!”

“No,” the Potions Master shook his head. Just then, Remus and Harry came through. Harry was crying. He did not like going through the Floo. It hurt his ears!

“Severus, sit down, you look a fright!” the Headmaster stood up, as Remus sat down, trying to pacify the baby.

“Albus, I killed the Dark Lord!” Severus blurted out.

Remus and Albus looked at Severus stupidly, both frozen by the simple sentence while Harry cried on. “What?” Dumbledore was able to say after a moment.

“The potion I made, it was wrong! He drank it and it killed him, and Merlin, Albus, I killed the Dark Lord!” Snape’s hands began to tremble as the reality of the situation sank in. And then he began laughing. Nervously at first, before it became a loud, thunderous roar. The other two wizards watch, believing that the Potions Master had finally gone mad.

“How could you have killed him?” Remus was still too shocked to really think about what he was saying.

“The potion I made…it killed him!” Severus laughed. “Stone dead! And then I killed that snake of his!” he indicated the blood covering his cloak.

“The snake?” Dumbledore’s brow creased.

“Yes,” Severus continued to laugh. “I chopped it up into tiny, wriggling pieces!”

“How’d you get away? What about the Death Eaters?” Remus asked, still bouncing Harry on his knee.  It did not pacify Harry’s crying.

“I stunned and tied them up,” Severus smirked.

“What? All of them?” the Headmaster asked, shocked.

“Yes,” Snape smirked. “They’re all just lying on the floor at Malfoy Manner.”

The Headmaster jumped up and ran to the Floo, calling the Order members that were Aurors and telling them to round up the Death Eaters. While the Headmaster did that, Severus cleaned himself off and took Harry up in his arms. Almost instantly, the baby stopped his crying. “Did you miss daddy?” Snape asked, grinning at his child, his heart feeling lighter than it had in years.

“Severus, what you’ve done…well, there’s no real way I can express my thanks,” Albus said sincerely. “But there is a problem here.”

“Oh? What’s that? The Dark Lord is gone!” the Potions Master smiled. He was just so relieved, so happy that he had finally redeemed himself. He had made the world safe for his son to live in. He knew that Lily would be proud of him!

“Well, I have reason to believe that the Dark Lord had several horcrux,” the Headmaster sobered.

“So? We’ll destroy them. They shouldn’t be terrible difficult,” Severus waved off the threat. He felt too good at the moment to want to care about horcruxes.

“But Severus,” Albus pressed. “This past week I learned that Voldemort had several horcruxes. Two, I know have been destroyed. The diary that Harry destroyed his second year, and the snake you just killed tonight. There are seven all together.”

“Then we’ll just find the other five,” Severus said impatiently, bouncing Harry, who giggled. “We have time before he can rise again.”

“My boy,” Dumbledore said seriously, catching both Severus and Remus off guard. “Tom made six horcrux deliberately, but the seventh…the seventh he did not.” The Headmaster paused a long moment, before he looked into Snape’s dark eyes. “Severus…Harry is the seventh. His scar is really a horcrux left by the Dark Lord.”

The room fell into silence. Remus sat dumbfounded, realizing that the only way to truly be free of the Dark Lord would be to kill Harry. Severus’s face, on the other hand, was impassive as he looked at the Headmaster with coal black eyes. “Harry?” he asked, looking down at the child in his arms.

“Yes,” Dumbledore nodded sadly.

It was then the Lupin and Dumbledore truly believed Severus lost his mind as the Potions Master began laughing again. “Well then, we have only four more horcrux to find!”

“Severus, I don’t think you understand that-” Dumbledore began.

“No, you don’t!” Snape laughed. “Harry’s not a horcrux anymore, see?” he lifted the baby’s bangs to reveal the smooth, unblemished little forehead. “No scar, no horcrux!”

The Headmaster just could not quite believe what he was seeing. He stared at Harry and then at Severus and then back again several times. Remus, who had been staying quiet, looked between the Headmaster, Severus, and Harry before giving up hope of ever understanding anything anymore. The Headmaster and Potions Master seemed to know just what the other was talking about at all times, and it left the werewolf feeling out of the circle.

“So…What’s going on?” Remus asked after a moment.

“Well,” the Headmaster finally smiled and shook his head. “It seems that the whole prophecy went in completely the other direction then what I had originally thought. Harry, it appears, was not supposed to kill Tom Riddle, but chose the one who was and he chose Severus from the beginning. My congratulations, Severus,” Albus held out his hand to shake. “You are now the most famous wizard in the world.”

Severus had been about to take the Headmaster’s offered hand when he froze. “What?” his eyebrow rose with confusion.

“Yes, since you not only killed Voldemort but also capture almost the entire cult of Death Eaters, I think that that would qualify you as the most famous wizard since…well, since Harry Potter!” the old man smiled. “I’ll go call the papers and make sure everyone knows that it was Severus Snape that saved the entire world!”

Snape did not have time to call the Headmaster back before Albus was gone through the Floo. Standing in the middle of the office, Severus looked back over to Lupin. Remus stood up, smiled lightly at the Potions Master and gave a slight bow. “Congratulations, Severus,” he said kindly.

“I don’t want everyone to know that it was me!” he cried in anger. “I was never supposed to receive the attention, the rewards! I was just supposed to be a foot soldier whose name fades into history unknown.”

Remus stood a moment looking at the desperate wizard. He knew that Severus had never really wanted attention, at least not a lot of it at once. The man had only wanted attention from a select set of people, and only so much at a time. Snape had never been crushed with affection before, and it really did show. But taking pity on the Potions Master, Remus smiled softly. “I did not mean because of your grand victory,” he shook his head. “I meant on your resent family.”

Severus was shocked by the werewolf’s word. He stared at the other wizard for a long moment just mulling over the meaning of the words spoken to him. Did that mean that Lupin knew Harry belonged with him? Did that meant that Severus could trust Lupin? Lupin would help Snape keep Harry, even if Black got involved?

“Thank you,” Severus nodded, a bit unsure, but willing to take a slight chance with the werewolf.

The two wizards stood looking the other over when little Harry tugged hard on Severus’s hair. “Dada!” the baby cried.

“Yes, yes, little monster,” Severus winced slightly. “Let’s get you to bed.”

*******

The next day, news of Snape killing Voldemort spread throughout the school and the whole of the U.K like wild fire. The students were shocked, the teachers stunned, and the Headmaster…well, he was grinning like a fool. The Slytherin students with Death Eater fathers were not all too happy; some of them got Auror inspectors that came to check them out. Several of the older children also got arrested for sporting the Dark Mark.

Reported flooded the school, all of them demanding to see the prestigious Potions Master, Professor Severus T. Snape. They also demanded to see Harry Potter, and talk to him about how his professor seemed to steal his destiny away from him. But thankfully, Dumbledore was able to keep them all out, much to Severus’s relief.

But it was in the afternoon, when Severus had a break, and was hiding in the Headmaster’s office while Hagrid got rid of a reporter that had found a way in, that Albus offered tea. “We must do something about all these rumors of Harry,” the old man said causally, as he sipped his tea.

“Agreed,” Severus nodded. “I don’t want the reporters to start making up rubbish about the boy,” he looked down protectively at the little boy in his lap, who was happily crunching a small biscuit.

“Yes, that would be terrible,” the Headmaster nodded. “That’s why I’ve set up an appointment for Harry to see the healers.”

“What?” Severus frowned. “Why would…” he trailed off, and suddenly understood. “No! You can’t!” he’s eyes reflected horror. “You can’t! We have to let this wear off by itself! You said that!”

“But as you pointed out, Harry may never change back,” Albus said sadly. “And then what will happen to the boy?”

“What do you mean?” Snape growled. “He has a father, doesn’t he? I’ll take care of him.”

“I have no doubt that you will,” Albus smiled a bit forlornly. “But Severus, think about it for a moment. That baby in your lap really is not a baby at all. He’s a fifteen-year-old boy who has friends that love him and have been worried about him for weeks.”

“So?” Severus hissed. “He’s fine. He’s perfectly happy with me.”

“Yes, but Severus,” the Headmaster’s face crumpled into a gloomy expression as well. “Harry had another life before this accident happened. He liked the life he had before. Stop and think about the fifteen-year-old that is no longer here. He meant a great deal to his friends. And now… now that you’ve gotten rid of Voldemort and that scar for him, he can finally live like a normal child; something he’s wanted to do all his life. Would you deny that boy, that one that had already existed, this chance?”

Severus looked down at the smiling baby in his lap, who happened to have one of his fists in his mouth and was drooling all over the place. The saliva managed to get on Severus’s clothes, along with biscuit crumbs, but the father did not much care. Sorrow tugged at the Potions Master’s heart as he knew what he had to do, even if he really did not want to…

*******

Sitting in a private waiting room, Severus held his infant son close to him, as he looked about nervously. Would the aging potion even work? The potion that Harry had been brewing was not known to Severus, and could have just been a total mess, resulting in no cure at all. But then Albus told him that from the sample of potion, the Potions Master at St. Mungo’s had found a cure. But then, the Hogwarts Potions Master was insulted that the Headmaster had looked for help outside of his school. It was a known fact that Snape was the greatest Potions Master in all of the United Kingdom!

“M-Mr. S-S-Snape?” a nurse stepped in, looking very nervous. “Oh my, Merlin!” she exclaimed in an annoying high pitched tone. “I’m sorry, sir, but it’s just that…you’re Severus Snape! The man that killed You-Know-Who and captured all of those Death Eaters!”

“Yes, thank you, I had quite forgotten all about that,” Severus rolled his eyes, his tone sarcastic. He hated all this attention. Why had Harry liked it so much? Unless the boy never really did…? But he stood up and handed the little boy over to the nurse reluctantly.

The instant Harry was out of his father’s grasp, he began to cry. Severus had to fight himself from taking the baby right back and running away with the child and not looking back. But he knew that the fifteen-year-old Harry would want a chance to come back and live the life he had suspended in time for a little over three weeks. Merlin, it had only been three weeks?

Grief pulled at Severus’s heart as he watched the nurse walk through the door to the examining room with the crying baby as she tried to console him. The moment the door was closed, Severus all but ran to the door and pressed his ear against it. He could still hear Harry crying, and it was grating on his nerves and patience. Did none of these people know how to handle children? Harry needed him!

But no, Harry always cried when Severus was away. Harry didn’t like anyone else but Severus and Lupin. So, forcing himself to sit down in the chair, the potion teacher waited miserably as he listened to his child’s cries. But all of a sudden, there was a slight flash, and the crying ceased. It was then that the father knew his little boy was gone, and the boy he had not liked for almost a full five years was back. He went cold inside.

About twenty minutes later, the boy known as Harry Potter came out, looking a bit frazzled. Severus leaped to his feet and was at the boy’s side in an instant, forgetting for a moment that the child before him still looked like James Potter, and was too worried to remember to be angry that the healers had replaced those charms Lily had placed over the boy. “Are you all right?” he asked.

The boy looked at him in confusion, as though he did not know why the Head of Slytherin would be asking him such a thing, when he seemed to remember. “Yeah, I’m okay,” he said carefully. But Severus watched worriedly as the boy seemed to summon up his Gryffindor courage. “But I think we need…um…that we need to talk, sir.”

Sir. Not dada or daddy or even dad or father. Just sir. It was all going back to the way it had been before, and Severus could not have hated it more.

“Of course,” he forced his mask of indifference back on, though it hurt to do so. “Come sit,” he lead the boy over to the chairs.

Once he was sitting and so was the older wizard, Harry wasted no time in starting. “Sir, I heard all about what you did… killing Voldemort and all, and capturing the Death Eaters and all that, but I also heard how you took care of me when I…you know,” the boy looked embarrassed. “I just…I just wanted to thank you for looking out for me.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Severus waved off the thanks. “I am your father.”

The boy winced at that, and it broke Snape’s fragile heart. “Yeah…so I’ve learned.” The Potions Master stayed quiet, and let the boy go on. “Um, sir? I was wondering…when did you find out about our…relation?”

“Almost a week into my caring for you,” he answered immediately. Was the boy worried that Severus wouldn’t want him? “But it doesn’t really matter,” Severus tried to smile, but could not; he was still too worried and sad. “We can talk about this later. Maybe when we get home during the summer or-”

“Sir,” Harry cut of the other wizard. “This…this is just too strange. I mean…you’ve hated me for like…well, forever!”

“I never hated you!” Severus argued, becoming desperate. He could not lose Harry! But it really came out as an impatient, angry snap.

“But sir, you’ve been mean to me since my first year, and well…I’m not sure I…you know…really want to just strike up a relationship…I mean, not right away…considering our…past,” Harry said awkwardly, afraid of the man before him while he was still weak.

With each word, Severus felt his heart break just a little bit more. His son did not want him. Well, that was not unexpected, considering that they did have a rather nasty history. But it still hurt, even though the Potions Master knew the Gryffindor was only trying to be diplomatic. Perhaps this was why he had been so nervous all along, because deep down he knew his son would not want him if the boy was older.

“I could give you a home, a place to stay during the summers. I could pay for all of your living expenses until you are old enough to move out. I could…I could be the father you’ve never had,” Severus was struggling to keep his emotions in check. “You would have a normal childhood.”

Green eyes looked at the older wizard sadly, and it was then that Severus knew that he was being pitied. He did not want anyone to pity him, least of all his son. With his face blank, Severus stared straight ahead, while Harry looked him over. It was similar to a military inspection. But as the seconds passed, Severus knew what the boy’s answer was going to be.

“I…appreciate that, sir. A lot. But…” he trailed off.

“Of course,” Severus nodded. “Of course, you need time to think about things. It was foolish of me to expect that you comply with my wishes. Of course you need time to adjust.”

“Yeah. Thanks for understanding, sir,” Harry nodded, and gave a shy smile, while he stood up.

Severus stood as well, and looked down at the boy with James Potter’s face, and nodded. He turned around and walked towards the door, knowing that Harry was going to have to stay just a little bit longer for further tests to make sure everything was well. Originally, Severus had planned to stay, but after being so bitterly rejected, he did not feel like being close to the child at the moment.

“Oh, and Harry,” Severus stopped, turning his head ever so slightly, so that he could see the boy’s face out of the corner of his eye. “Detention.”

“What?” Harry gasped. “Why?”

“For brewing illegally out of class while being in the girl’s levorotary. I will see you Friday night for detention.”

As he walked away, Severus felt the corners of his mouth tugging into a smile, even as he tried to banish the tears that misted his eyes.

The next day, things got crazy. With the return of Harry Potter, the paparazzi redoubled their efforts to get interviews with both the Boy Who Lived, and the Mighty Potions Master, as some people started to refer to Snape as. But during that time, the Headmaster made sure to run interference and keep both Snapes out of the public light for a little while, all that time having special Order members run around looking for the lost four horcrux.

Harry sat at the Gryffindor Table with Ron and Hermione thinking over what he had been told the day before. “I can’t believe that Snape’s my father,” he shook his head in disbelief.

“I know!” Ron looked horrified. “It’s weird…”

“But I did tell you I thought the baby was Harry,” Hermione muttered, sending the redhead an exasperated glare.

“But it all really doesn’t make sense,” Harry shook his head. “Why would Snape take care of me? Even if I was his son. He hates me!”

“I don’t know,” Hermione shrugged. “But from how he acted when you were a baby, he did not seem to hate you at all. In fact, he made sure that no one else got near you. Especially Umbridge or the other professors. He gave out detentions if someone looked at you wrong.”

Listening to the very un-Snape like accounts only furthered Harry’s confusion. What was going on here? The evil Potions Master, the dungeon bat, had not only taken care of Harry, the boy he had not hidden his dislike of, but had also protected him and took on his dreaded destiny so that the boy might have a normal childhood! Although he did not know the whole story, and he did not remember anything of the past several weeks, the Gryffindor boy was starting to believe that he had made the wrong decision in telling Snape that he did not want to live with him over the summer. It actually sounded like the man cared for him. Like Snape actually…loved him…

No, no that was too strange. Snape loving anyone was still strange. But then Snape had loved Harry’s mother…The boy shuddered at the thought of anyone being able to love, let alone make love to the Potions Master…and yet there was something about the man that made Harry feel safe…

Shaking his head, Harry decided that he did not want to think about those things at the moment. He was tired and confused. Everyone was telling him all these things about Snape, and he didn’t know whether to believe them or call everyone crazy.

Just then, Draco Malfoy walked into the Great Hall looking rather depressed, showing none of the signs of being a cocky, rich boy like usual.

“What’s up with Malfoy?” Harry asked.

“Well, Snape put his father away in Azkaban, didn’t he,” Ron could not help the small smile that crept onto his lips.

“And he still doesn’t know the verdict on his mother,” Hermione said sympathetically. She felt sorry for the blonde. She had gotten to know him just a little bit better over the last several weeks.

At this, Harry could not help but be a little shocked. The reality of Lucius Malfoy being put away had not sunken in yet, and now that the reality struck, Harry found himself smiling. If Lucius was in prison and had not been able to talk his way out of things, then none of the other Death Eaters could have. It had all really happened. There was no Voldemort, no Death Eaters; Harry was at last free!

But before Harry could voice his newfound elation, the Headmaster came over to him, followed closely by Remus Lupin. “Remus!” Harry jumped up and hugged the werewolf.

“Hello, Harry,” Remus smiled softly. “How are you feeling?”

“Great!” Harry grinned, and it was the truth. He couldn’t remember ever feeling so good in his life.

“Harry, I need to have a word with you,” the Headmaster smiled, and promptly sat down on the bench. Harry and Remus followed suit. “It’s about your living arrangements this summer.”

At this, Harry’s good mood flittered away. “I don’t want to go back to the Dursleys,” he said seriously. “Now that Voldemort’s dead, I think-”

“Harry, Harry, slow down my boy!” Albus chuckled. “You won’t be going back to the Dursleys unless your father consents to it!”

That had not yet occurred to the boy as of yet either. Now that he had a father, that meant Harry never had to set foot in the Dursleys house ever again! But what would be worse, a summer with the Dursleys or a summer with Snape? A month ago Harry thought he would take his chances with his mother’s relation, but after hearing what everyone was saying…

“So…what will happen to me this summer?” Harry asked, ashamed that he had refused Snape’s invitation for the vacation. "I already told Professor Snape that I wouldn’t be comfortable with staying with him…” Why had he done that again?

The Headmaster smiled kindly. “Yes, Severus told me about that,” he nodded a bit sadly. “And I come with a message from him since he cannot wander up here for a bit, not until we get rid of that nasty photographer that’s been camping out all morning in the window trying to get a shot of him,” he pointed up.

The three children and Remus looked up to see a wizard peeking through the window, but then duck back down once he realized that he was seen. “Anyway,” the Headmaster cheerfully went on. “Severus has asked me to tell you that you may either return to the Dursleys for your summer vacation or you may stay a while with the Weasleys. He is writing a request to Arthur and Molly today to obtain their permission.”

“Really?” Ron exclaimed excitedly. “That’s wicked!”

Harry could not keep the smile from splitting his face. “He…really would do that?” he asked, feeling even guiltier than before.

“Yes,” Dumbledore nodded. “He said, and I quote, ‘he may stay with his relatives if he likes or his friends. But I absolutely do not want him staying with that mutt!’; that, of course, meaning Sirius.”

With everything else going on, Harry had not had time to think about Sirius and how he was doing. “What’s going on with Sirius?” he asked after a moment, worry laced in his voice.

“He should be at the Ministry as we speak,” Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a moment. “Remus, Sirius, and I went to the Ministry this morning to speak on Sirius behalf. Your father came later with the hard evidence of your godfather’s innocence, and then he was immediately declared innocent.”

“Then why is he still at the Ministry?” Hermione asked curiously.

“Just to iron out some legal issues,” the Headmaster waved off the subject. But then Remus didn’t look like he liked how the Headmaster was handling that.

“While Sirius is working out some settlements, reclaim money and property and such, he has recently become the guardian of someone else,” the werewolf said.

“What?” the three children exclaimed. “Who?”

“Well you see,” Dumbledore slipped in, looking a bit perturbed that Remus had said anything at all, “over the last few months Lucius Malfoy and Professor Snape have not been…on best terms. And one night Lucius got so angry with our dear Potions Master, he revoked Severus’s rights to Draco as a godfather and passed guardianship over to the nearest living relative that was not in Azkaban.

“Now, in these events, with Lucius sentenced to Azkaban and Narcissa still pending, Draco would have been introduced into Severus’s care, but since that is not the case anymore, and Lucius changed guardianship without reading all the fine print, so to speak, the guardianship fell on Sirius since he was technically not in Azkaban at the time and he is Narcissa’s cousin,” Albus shrugged.

“So Draco has to live with Sirius?” Harry felt a twinge of jealous. Sirius had been his godfather! Sirius didn’t even like Draco! It was so unfair!

…But then Harry still had a father, didn’t he? A famous father that had risked life and limb to protect Harry and destroy the Dark Lord and his followers…

And besides, what did it matter anyway? Snape had said Harry could live with the Weasleys for the summer if he wanted to. And since Snape and Sirius hated each other anyway, it was just better this way, Harry supposed. Now he wouldn’t be tempted to go to Sirius’s too much, and that would keep him in fairly good graces with the Potions Master, right?

Everything was just too confusing anymore…

“Yes, Draco will go live with Sirius,” the Headmaster nodded. “But cheer up, Harry, you’re not losing your godfather, but perhaps gaining a new friend!”

“Yeah…I guess,” the boy muttered.

“Harry,” Remus spoke up, looking the child over thoughtfully. “Maybe you should go down to the dungeons today and talk to your father,” the werewolf’s ember eyes sparkled sadly. If no one else did, Remus did have pity for Severus. He knew how much the man had loved being a father, even if he would not quite admit it to anyone else.

Harry flinched when Remus called Snape his father. “Is there something wrong?” he asked, looking up at his favorite DADA professor.

“No,” Lupin shook his head a bit. “But I think your father would like to see you sometime today. You know he’s had a hard time running from the papers.”

Snape, liking to see him? It was like no one else thought this entire setup was strange! Snape had never been glad to see Harry before, what did a few weeks of being a baby do to change that? Wouldn’t the Potions Master hate him more after being a needy little baby? After all, babies cried, drooled, spit up…they did all manners of disgusting things the fifteen-year-old was certain the strict professor wouldn’t like. Why then did everyone insist that Snape had been, dare he think it, caring?

“Well, I have an appointment at the healers later tonight before dinner, just a check up to make sure everything’s going well,” Harry tried to make up an excuse; he really did have an appointment though too.

“Oh, that’s the other thing Severus wanted me to tell you,” Dumbledore slapped the palm of his hand to his forehead. “Severus wanted me to tell you that he would be there to get you after I drop you off for the appointment.”

“Why?” Harry asked a bit surprised that Snape would be willing to go back to St. Mungo’s for him.

“Well because he’s your father of course!” Dumbledore chuckled. “He has to take care of the bill and he wants to hear what the healers have to say about you, after all. You can talk to him afterwards then.”

Slowly, Harry nodded. Snape really wanted to make sure he was okay? Snape was going to pay for the bill? What had happened to the Potions Master he remembered; the man, nasty, git that made life miserable? It was like Harry had jumped into the future a hundred or so years and now everything was drastically different. Ron and Hermione were getting along with Draco now, Draco was going to live with Sirius, Sirius was a free man, and Snape was nice and Harry’s father! It was all too weird.

“Harry, are you okay?” Hermione asked quietly beside him.

“Huh?” Harry blinked out of his thoughts. “Oh, yeah. I’m fine. I was just thinking’s all…Did Professor Snape really do all that stuff…you know, for me?”

Both Lupin and Dumbledore smiled, but it was Remus that spoke first. “Yes he did, Harry…He really does care deeply about you,” his ember eyes showed Harry the sadness in them, making the teenager feel terrible.

What had he done?

*******

The whole day had been a total waste! Severus couldn’t get anything done! No class went by peacefully, no one seemed to know what they were doing, and then there was the constant running from the press. Merlin, why did anyone want to be famous? It was a pain in the ass!

Stalking up into the Great Hall, Severus moodily swept past the student tables to take his seat at the Head Table. Although it was too horrifying to think about, Snape thought he heard several clusters of girls, all in different Houses, sigh dreamily as he walked by. The very thought of him suddenly becoming attractive to his students made the Potions Master feel ill. He was not supposed to make girls swoon out of love; he was supposed to do it out of terror! Had his whole reputation really just been flushed down the loo? Then again, all this had started out in the loo…

Sitting down in his normal place by Minerva, and Filius, Severus looked at the meal options. He was suddenly saddened by the fact that there was no bottle there waiting for him. There was no extra weight in his lap from where a baby sat. There was no little Harry…

Looking up and over to the Gryffindor Table, Severus saw his son sitting with Weasley and Granger, along with Longbottom, Weasley girl and the Weasley twins. Mentally he made note to get the boy away from so many gingers, but then he knew he could not. Severus could not really make Harry get new friends. And there was the fact that Harry seemed to resent him enough to worry about…

Albus looked over and saw the Potions Master’s deject face as he stared off towards the Gryffindor Table. The Headmaster thought it hurt to see the other man so forlorn, and in a spontaneous act to make Severus feel better, Dumbledore randomly stood up. Everyone in the Great Hall quieted and looked up. Realizing that he should have thought of something to say, the Headmaster scrambled his brains to try and think of something to say.

“Well, another year is almost completed,” he decided to improvise it, and where it went, it went. “And what a year! Who knew you all had such a wonderful Potions Master?” The students began to cheer, while Snape glared viciously at Dumbledore.

Albus winced slightly at the glare. That was not right; he had wanted to make Severus happy, not angry. “And as a special treat, and in honor of your Professor Snape I am hereby sacking Miss Dolores Umbridge!”

There was just the briefest moment of silence before the whole Hall erupted in cheers. “What?!” Umbridge stood up, outrage written over every feature. “You…You can’t sack me!” She quickly turned on Snape. “You! You did this to me, didn’t you? You’re the one that turned everyone against me!”

Very slowly a smirk graced Snape’s lips as he looked at the other woman evilly. “Maybe,” he did not deny it, sending the woman into a hysterical crying fit.

Somewhere from the vicinity of the Gryffindor and Slytherin Tables, a chant went up. “Snape! Snape! Snape! Snape!” Surprised by this, the Potions Master looked about the Hall. He had always dreamed that one day the students would be chanting his name…but he had always thought they would also have pitchforks and torches in hand…

 “Three cheers for Professor Snape! For not only destroying You-Know-Who, but also getting rid of the Toad!” the Weasley twins cheered, and the rest of the Hall followed.

Looking over towards Harry, Severus managed to catch the boy’s eye. Shyly, Harry smiled at his father and raised his pumpkin juice to toast the Potions Master.

And although Severus was pleased by his son’s recognition, he could only manage a nod as he was still too disheartened to smile.

*******

That night, while walking to the waiting room of St. Mungo’s, Severus’s mind was all in a wreck. While the afternoon’s events had been amusing and even pleasurable, Snape still found himself depressed. Harry had raised his glass to him, him, as though he realized that Severus had changed, that Severus had done some good things in his life. But then the boy still rejected him. It hurt, it really did hurt.

As he gloomily walked to the private waiting room, he did not notice the nurses running around frantically, each one calling out to the other panicked. He merely sat down in his chair, preoccupied with the thoughts of losing his son. It just wasn’t fair!

More nurses ran in and out of Harry’s room, but still Severus did not notice. How could Harry reject him anyway? He could give Harry everything he ever wanted! He could be a real father to the boy. He could teach him how to do so many things, help him with his homework, or even practice spells and wand work with him. How could Severus be a good father if Harry wouldn’t let him, damnit?!

After only a few minutes of sitting and waiting, a rather frazzled looking nurse came out, her face white and her hands shaking. “M-Mister S-Snape?” she asked softly.

Not bothering to notice that the nurse was terrified about something, Severus stood up and walked over to the door, pushing the nurse out of his way. “Professor S-Snape, something’s…something’s not gone…right…” she tried to say, but Snape was not really listening.

When he opened the door, a loud, familiar sound greeted his ears. Instantly, every instinct flailed to life and he snapped his eyes up to look at the patient’s table to the source of the sound. “DADA!” came a very grumpy wail.

A smile tugged at the Potions Master’s lips.