“And, apparently, children learn about a third of their eventual, adult vocabulary by the time they are five!” Severus said, a thick tome on language acquisition lying open on his lap. “It’s fascinating how, even now, Harry is learning the structure and lexis of English.

“So, godson of mine, how many words has your big, clever Daddy been cramming into that poor little head of yours” cooed Sirius, gently picking the infant out of his carry-cot and stroking the child's tiny head, which was already covered with dark down.

“Probably more than you’ve learnt in twenty years” grinned Remus.

“Ah” Harry said seriously, gazing at Sirius with big, serious green eyes.

Lily giggled “That’s putting you in your place, Siri.”

“So, my godson’s a little genius in the making, hmm” Sirius laughed. Harry, delighted at the happy sounds his family were making, chuckled and cooed.

“I don’t think he quite comprehends that much, yet” Severus smiled, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “However, as we cannot safely leave the house, I intend to use this time to give Harry every advantage.”

“Poor kid!” sighed Sirius, carefully handing Harry back to Lily “He’s going to be worse than Sev was by the time he’s eleven.”

“Oi!” Lily called from the sitting-room “Don’t think that, just because I’m nursing Harry, I can’t hex you, Sirius Orion Black.”

“Well, Sirius, I am sure that, as his godfather, you will set Harry a shining example” Severus said, with a slight smile “After all, you have over a decade’s experience of being an incorrigible eleven year old.”

oOoOo

“I am very disappointed, James Snape. I confess myself very disappointed indeed.” Voldermort walked around the twitching, prostate man, his heavy silk robes shushing around his feet. When the edge of the garment touched the figure, it whimpered.

“I made my hopes quite clear to you, James Snape; you were to ingratiate yourself with Dumbledore, earn the old fool’s trust and a place in his school and yet, when he offered to welcome you back into the fold, when he gave you the opportunity to fulfil my orders on a golden platter, you chose to spit in his face. Yes, James Snape, I am very, very deeply disappointed.

And, if this was not treachery, and yes, I call it treachery, Snape, for your loyalty should be not to yourself but to me and me alone, you foolishly allowed the inn-keeper, a lowly, untalented, uneducated man, to capture you, thereby giving Dumbledore advance warning. I have thus far been unable to locate the Longbottoms or the Potters, Snape. I am most seriously displeased.”

“Please…”

“You dare beg for your life, you insolent half-breed?” Voldemort kicked James in the ribs, a vicious smile tightening his lips as a bone cracked.

“Am…ends… a chan…ce…to ma…ke amends, Lord” whimpered the man “I li..ve to ser…ve y…ou”

“Very well," Voldemort snarled "you shall have one last chance, Snape. You have displeased me greatly, so listen well for I will not tolerate further disobedience. You will run to Dumbledore and tell him that I am hunting the Evans girl and I plan to kill her and her family. Avery tells me that, you had a little crush on her at Hogwarts?”

“Nooooo. Mu…dbl..ood. Never looked a…t ‘er!”

“Nevertheless, you will convince Dumbledore that you did, indeed, fall very deeply in love with Lily Potter and you will beg him to help her.  The old fool will buy it, he thinks that love makes the world go around” Voldemort sneered “You will be pathetically thankful, swear whatever needs to be sworn and get yourself into his favour, do you understand me.”

“Yesss!” James whimpered, burning with shame at the prospect of his degradation.

“I will have the Potters and Longbottoms within my grasp by the year’s end, Snape, or you will again feel my displeasure.”

oOoOo

“Harry, look. Ba-na-na. Yel-low ba-na-na.” Severus said holding the fruit out to his chubby, infant son. Harry patted the banana and squealed, his emerald eyes alight with interest.

“Ba-na-na for Harry” Severus peeled the fruit and picked up a plastic bowl “bowl for Harry. Bo-wl. Daddy puts the ba-na-na *in* the bo-wl and takes fork” Severus showed Harry the fork “*Ma-sh-ing* the ba-na-na for Harry.”

Harry clapped his hands, he liked this game.

“Now pe-ar. Gre-en pe-ar. Daddy takes knife and pe-els the pe-ar for Harry. Pear goes *in* the bo-wl. Daddy mash-es pe-ar and ba-na-na.”

“Ah ah” Harry squeaked, jiggling in his seat “Ah-ah”

“Well done! Clever Harry!” Severus cried, kissing the child dark curls “Ba-na-na!”

“Ah ah”

“Now Daddy puts sp-oo-n *in* hon-ey” Severus gently dapped a spot of honey on Harry’s lip and the infant’s green eyes widened at the sudden sweetness “Yummy! Hon-ey is sweet. Sp-oo-n of hon-ey goes in-to the bo-wl. Daddy st-irs ba-na-na, pe-ar and hon-ey. All done. Time for Harry’s su-pper!”

“How is our little potioneer progressing” smiled Lily, walking into the kitchen rubbing her damp red hair with a towel.

“Very well” Severus said dryly “I believe he has a good basic knowledge of technique and ingredients. However, as to understanding the purpose of our little experiment, I believe Harry is somewhat uncertain. He has thus far tried using it as shampoo, face-paint and, naturally, as a ballistic weapon. I fear that Harry will never comprehend that it is meant to be ingested.”

“I’m sure he’ll work it out eventually, Sev.” Lily laughed. Her face became serious “Is it true, do you think, that Dumbledore has hired Snape? I mean, if I was to earmark any student as a deatheater…”

“Yes, I know.” sighed Severus, spooning pulped fruit into Harry’s mouth “However, Remus was not entirely certain as to the veracity of his sources. It may be just a rumour.”

“Bloody strange rumour.” said Lily, putting the kettle on the hob with a thump “Snape may have been an ignorant little toerag but he had some smarts; he’s quite capable of charming when he wants to, you know. At the Institute, he was quite well liked by the teachers.”

Severus nodded “Try not to worry overmuch, Lily. The house is hidden by the fidelus charm; even if Voldemort had his nearly non-existent nose pressed against our window, he could not find us…”

oOoOo

“My Lord, I have wonderful news!”

“Indeed, Pettigrew?” Voldemort asked, cradling Nagini’s beautiful but deadly head in his hand. Peter Pettigrew, the little brown-noser that he was, tended to exaggerate. He was usefully placed, however, and, therefore, Voldemort tolerated him. To an extent.

“I overheard last night, after the Order meeting, I heard Bones name the Potters' Secret Keeper! It’s Lupin! Remus Lupin!”

Voldemort straightened up “Very good, Peter. This is, indeed, useful information. You have done well.”

“My Lord” ventured James, shuffling forward.

“Snape?”

“My Lord, I also have information. The Potters are visited by Molly and Arthur Weasley, Sirius Black, Bathilda Bagshot and, naturally, Dumbledore. If I may, I would advise either targeting the old woman or the Weasleys.”

“Indeed, after Lupin is killed, we will have a margin of mere hours before the Potters flee.” Voldemort said, stroking his chin “I will consider the matter further.”

oOoOo

“Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Harry, Happy birthday to you!”

“Caa!” Harry clapped, his large, emerald eyes sparkling in the candlelight “Daa! Mumu! Caa!”

“Yes, Harry, cake!” Severus smiled.

“Ca-ke s-li-ce!” Sirius said, imitating Severus’s clear, careful enunciation “pa-p-er pl-ate”

“Srus! Caa!” Harry grinned, smashing a fist into his piece of cake, then licked his icing and jam besmeared hand “Mmm goo caa!”

“Smile everyone!” Remus called, snapping another photo of the little family.

“Mmm goo caaa, indeed puppy!” grinned Sirius, biting into his own slice. “How’s he finding the broom?”

“He’s a natural” Severus smiled ruefully “We’ve had a difficult time persuading him to get off it.”

“Atta boy, Harry!” Sirius cheered, clapping.

“Hawwy!” the infant chirped “Fwy bwoo!”

Lily laughed and kissed her son’s soft, pink cheek.

Severus shook his head “He almost killed poor Catherine. Knocked her tail over paws. I’ve set the maximum height to a foot, now.”

"You're daddy is a spoilsport Harry" sighed Sirius.

"Spoospoo" the infant cooed.

Remus chuckled and sat down beside Lily “I fear Sirius’s influence might just be a tad too strong.”

"Oh, well. We knew what we were letting ourselves in for when we adopted Siri" the beautiful redhead smiled over at Severus, who was smirking at Sirus's imitation of Harry. "How are things with the lovely Keira?"

Remus blushed, scrubbing at his chestnut hair "Pretty brilliant, actually. I, er, told her last week about my, um, furry little problem. She's still interested" he added, his blue eyes sparkling with happiness.

"Of course she would be" Lily grinned "I'm so pleased for you, Remy. She seems a really nice girl."

oOoOo

“I have been… tolerably content with your service, Snape; you have proved yourself capable of a degree of discretion and intelligence and have, thus far, discharged your duties adequately. Therefore, I will allow you the pleasure of killing Lupin. Avery will accompany you.”

OoOoO

“Why are you doing this! We cannot tell you that they live in Godric’s Hollow!” cried Arthur Weasley, struggling against his captors’ arms. “Oh no…”

Molly, who had withstood the cruciatus without a tear, broke down and wept.

“Yes, indeed” sneered Mulciber “The Potters’ secret-keeper is dead. Now, Weasley, are you going to tell me just where in Godric’s Hollow the Potters are, or do I have to go upstairs and bring down one of your children?”

oOoOo

Severus had felt somewhat strange all afternoon. His left wrist ached, a bone deep soreness which only assuaged when he held his walnut wand. He was tense, irritable. He could not concentrate on housework, books, even dear little Harry. He found himself being impatient with the child, unusually, unnecessarily sharp. Severus had, eventually reduced the toddler to tears and Lily, who was never the most placid of women, had picked up Harry and stormed upstairs in high dudgeon.

So, that Halloween evening, Severus found himself hovering around the front of the house, nerves stretched to breaking point. He knew he was being foolish: only muggle children feared ghosts and monsters on this night. True, there were indeed vampires and werewolves, ghosts around, not to mention many other creatures far more deserving of the title ‘monsters’. Yet Severus knew these beings were abroad every day and, as a powerful Wizard, he had nothing to fear from them.

Severus sat on the stairs with a sigh. He wondered, idly, whether it was true that the void between worlds was, indeed, weaker today. Something or someone seemed to whisper ‘beware.”

The door flew open and, in one movement Severus was on his feet “Expelliarmus!” he screamed, slashing his wand at the intruder, “Sectumsempra!”

A white head rolled at Severus’s feet, its red eyes empty and mouth gaping open in an expression of shock. Voldemort was dead.