Little Harry had been instructed not to leave his tall man's bed—unless he needed Severus or the toilet—while the man went to rid them of their "unwelcome company." Harry had giggled over that and then had resumed speaking with his bear about the world that they now found themselves in.

"And he's nothing like Auntie," he said, dropping his voice into an almost inaudible range. "He said that I'm too skinny and need to eat more!" The little boy's eyes were round with the thought, but it seemed to him that Captain was in agreement with his tall man over the idea.

"You are not bigger than me!" He stuck his tongue out at his bear, before remembering that big boys weren't supposed to do that. At least, that's what his Uncle Vernon had said to Dudley; although, Harry had to admit to himself that Dudley did seem to be a bigger boy than most, so maybe it was still okay for him to stick out his tongue.

"At least when it's just us," he whispered secretively to his bear.

His head cocked to the head as he listened to Captain.

"Well no, it's not always just us. Don't forget about my tall man!" He said, slapping the bear across the snout. Instantly, guilt filled him and he kissed the bear tenderly on its injured nose.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," he said in bewilderment at himself. His tall man hadn't hit him yet, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't. But his angel had said he was safe! So maybe he wouldn't? Maybe if little Harry was really really good.

His bear asked him another question and he pondered over how to answer it.

"My angel said that I was 'posed to do everything he said and mind him. So maybe that's what I hafta do to be good for him," he said, his little face scrunched up thoughtfully.

Captain poked him in the side and asked something else.

"What if he asks me to do something scary? He wouldn't ask," little Harry said, crossing his arms stubbornly at his bear, who (with Harry's help) mirrored the pose and asked, "But what if he does?"

"He said he'd pro—pro—," the little boy closed his eyes as he tried to remember what the word had been. "Protect! He said he'd protect me. He said dat I'm safe, and so did my angel."

The bear looked at him and Harry listened carefully to his next concern.

"He wouldn't be scared of auntie! He's bigger'n her."

Captain pointed out—less than helpfully, in Harry's mind—that Uncle Vernon was bigger than her too.

"I know, I know. And he didn't do nothing to help me," Harry's face became sad. Feeling sorry for his new friend, Captain moved himself into little Harry's lap and wrapped his long arms around the little boy's chest.

The little boy looked down and listened carefully to his bear, a slow smile creeping over his face as he did so.

"Yeah. You're right," he smiled broader. "He'd protect me from her 'cause he cares. About me, even," the little boy's face became one of wonder as he contemplated the lovely idea.

. . .

Severus strode in to the main room of his quarters to find that while both of his unwanted guests were still present, at least they were also both conscious now. It would have been the icing on the cake to find out that Poppy's presence was needed in his quarters that day too.

"Severus, how is he?" That was Minerva, trying for all she was worth to sound contrite for something she herself had caused.

It's not as though the woman had ever cared for him when he had been upset. The thought made him sneer disdainfully at them both.

"As well as can be expected, despite being terrified out of his wits," he said, glaring at Minerva heatedly. Surprisingly enough, the woman broke eye contact with him and began to wring her hands together—almost nervously even. It served to put Severus off his stride a bit as he witnessed the impossible happening right in front of him.

Swallowing his anger for the woman opposite of him, he dared ask, "What is it?"

"Severus," Albus said towards him, the rebuke clear in his voice.

"Severus, I saw, well I saw Lily's face in what Albus has informed me came across as a bright flash of light to the rest of you."

"And?" He prodded, eyes narrowing in thought.

"She looked absolutely furious, Severus," Minerva answered, her voice dropping into a whisper as her face literally seemed to age before his eyes. "It was almost as though she was warning me to stay away," she said, trailing off.

It was apparent to Severus that Minerva couldn't grasp the idea that one of her favorite students could be so upset with her—dead or alive.

"I feel I should inform you that she brought him to me, Minerva," his previous anger for her fighting to be let loose. He ignored the glare that the headmaster was sending him, far too intent on hearing her response to his comment.

"But why did she feel it necessary to do such a thing?" Minerva looked up at him finally, a questioning look evident in her face.

"Because his dearest auntie," he said, spitting the word out of his mouth like the disgusting object it was, "nearly murdered him after casting him outside to freeze to death!"

His anger was pulsating through his body, seeking an outlet for the injustices both he and the boy had felt at the hands of their so-called caretakers—two of whom happened to be sitting in front of him now.

"That woman!" Minerva said, nearly in a growl that surprised him with its genuine ferocity. Ready to defend himself against her, he hadn't expected her to turn her fury away from him and onto the room's only other occupant.

"I told you, Albus! I told you that those people were the wrong sort for raising that boy!" She yelled, whirling around to poke her finger in his face.

"They are his only living relatives," the older man began weakly, backing away from her timidly.

"Yes, and it seemed that it was their idea to continue being the only living relatives!" She shouted, the fire coming back into her features with every word. She stood up and began stalking towards him angrily.

"Now Minerva," Albus started to say.

"Don't you, 'Now Minerva' me! I thought you trusted my word. How many times have you said that exact thing? And yet you throw it all away to nearly let Harry die at the hands of his demented relatives?" She had him pushed all the way to the wall, her face in his as she let her extreme disapproval with him be known.

"They're only muggles, my dear," was his softly spoken attempt at excusing himself.

Severus had heard enough from him.

"Only muggles Albus? ONLY MUGGLES?" He shouted, walking right up to the old man—Minerva neatly stepping aside to allow him room—and grabbing him by the front of his robes.

"Like my father was only a muggle?" He hissed at the ridiculously naïve old man.

"Or how about how Adolf Hitler was only a muggle?" Minerva asked from beside him, her voice cold with contempt. "I'm sure you remember him. After all, wasn't Grindelwald much taken with many of his views?"

Severus looked over at the Gryffindor head of house in shock. He hadn't known about that.

He looked back at Albus and was gratified to see a slight blush forming across the old man's cheeks.

"Just proof that everyone makes bad choices when they're younger," Albus answered seriously, looking at Severus pointedly.

"Maybe your placing Harry with his relatives was proof that not everyone learns from those mistakes," Severus replied hotly, not willing to allow the old man to change the subject onto him.

Not this time—not again.

"What would you have had me do?" Albus asked calmly, staring at them both as though it was the most natural thing in the world to be pushed up against the wall by two angry colleagues.

"Anything else would have been better, old man," Severus growled.

"Even giving him to you?"

Severus didn't hesitate to give his answer.

"Yes," he hissed.

"So you think you can do a better job than a woman and her family?"

Honestly, was the man even listening to them?

"Albus, a rabid dog with fleas would have done a better job at raising him than that woman has done," Minerva interjected, fixing him with a very contemptuous look.

Albus shrugged—a very un-Albus like motion that made Severus look at him suspiciously—and then said the words that both relieved and terrified him.

"Fine, then you can keep him. Perhaps you can prove yourself to be more competent than a muggle housewife," the headmaster said, the hint of a sneer on his wizened face.

The jibe stung, and he didn't bother to hide his own look of distaste towards the old man whom he'd once considered to be more friend than mentor.

"Though I wonder Severus," Albus added, narrowing his own eyes thoughtfully, "how long it will be until you begin to emulate that father of yours that you so despised." And with that, he flung off Severus's hands and stalked to the door, not bothering to look back at either of them as left.

The old man hadn't even bothered to slam the door.

. . .

Severus stared at the door that the older wizard had left through, barely blinking as his mind sought to snap out of the shock of the statement that the old man had just tried to condemn him with. A hand touched his shoulder and he jerked himself around, coming face to face with a sympathetic looking Minerva as he did.

"He's simply trying to rile you—make you doubt yourself," she said knowingly. "How else do you think he'll win this unspoken bet between you two?" The woman shook her head and stepped around him towards the exit.

"Personally, I think you will make a wonderful father," she said before completing exiting his quarters and leaving him alone to his thoughts.

Father? He thought wildly. Me? He stepped forwards and nearly tripped against the chair he had gotten out for Albus. The room was trying to tilt itself on its side around him, and he wasn't going to stand for it!

As though Fate had decided to make him true to his unspoken words, when he shakily tried to make his way to his bedroom, it resulted in his tripping again and land sideways on his couch. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to make the dizziness from the woman's last comment go away. He ran his mind through his occlumency exercises and felt himself calm ever so slightly. By the time he opened his eyes and sat up, his normal mask was in place and he felt that he was back in tenuous control.

. . .

By the time his tall man came back, little Harry felt as though he had been gone forever. The little boy jumped up from where he had nearly been dozing in the middle of the bed and hopped over the bed's edge, nearly falling off in the process. In fact, if it hadn't been for the tall man's quick reflexes, he likely would have landed on his head.

As it was, however, he merely landed in the man's warm arms with a small, "Oof!" Captain had been in his fist when he had fallen, but luckily he had managed to maintain his hold over his smaller pink friend so that they were now both in his Tall Man's safe hold.

"You were gone for a really long time," he said, pulling Captain up farther into his small arms. "Captain was starting to get worried," he admitted in a loud whisper.

"Oh he was, was he?" His Tall Man said, looking in concern at his bear.

"And maybe me too," little Harry added, wanting to see the man look at him in a similar manner.

"Both of you were?" His Tall Man said in mock surprise, giving him a kiss on his forehead and filling little Harry with a nice feeling.

"Uh huh," he nodded, resting his head against the warm chest. "And Capt'n said that he's kinda hungry too. Is that okay?" He asked, looking up with a touch of worry in his green eyes.

"Well I would hope so, given that it's time to eat dinner," his Tall Man said agreeably, turning them all around and heading back for the main room.

The little boy peered around the man's quarters but didn't see anyone else. He supposed that his Tall Man had really and truly gotten rid of the scary people. It was a good thing to know that the man had told him the truth.

Looking down at his bear, he imagined that Captain was grinning knowingly up at him and he scowled down at him.

"You can't have any of my dinner, Capt'n. You're already fat enough," he added, sticking his tongue out quickly and then reclaiming it just as fast, lest his Tall Man see.

. . .

Above him, Severus found himself smirking in amusement at the lad's antics.