The sun had just risen when Dumbledore opened his eyes. He looked down and saw Harry sleeping peacefully beside him, one of his small arms flung across him. He wondered what had woken him until he heard a rattling noise. Carefully, he sat up, removing Harry's arm gently, and surveyed the room.

Severus was standing up in his cot shaking the bars. Albus got up and crossed over to him. "Severus, child. What are you doing awake so early?" he asked softly, "Why don't you lie back down and try to sleep for me, hmm?"

"All wet Abus," answered the little boy.

"Oh, I see," smiled Dumbledore, "Well, come on. Let's get you clean and dry."

He lifted the child and carried him to the bathroom where he expertly changed and cleaned him. Severus sighed in contentment.

"Now, does that feel better?" Albus asked warmly.

"Aw betah," said Severus.

Dumbledore sat him up and began to dress him again.

"Abus?" Severus looked up at him with his huge, dark eyes.

"Yes, love?" Dumbledore answered gently.

"Why Hawee in your bed?"

"Because Harry was very sad and frightened last night." The Headmaster told him.

"Why?" asked Severus, who was particularly fond of that word.

"Harry had a bad dream," was the reply.

Dumbledore picked up the now dressed toddler and turned to leave the bathroom. Severus wrapped his small arms around the man's neck.

"Abus?" he asked again.

"Yes?" Dumbledore pulled back to look at him.

"Mummy all gone," said the child quietly.

Of all the things Albus expected to hear, that was not one of them. He stared, speechless, at the little boy.

"Daddy hurted Mummy," Severus continued in a whisper, "I sawed him."

Albus realised that the de-ageing potion did not remove the memories of the drinker but he was not aware that it did not completely suppress them either. Although Severus and Harry would not, necessarily understand the memories of their older selves, they were still there.

Severus had been seventeen when his mother had died. His father had disappeared shortly after her death when suspicions arose about his involvement. The Aurors believed that Salazar went into hiding with some of Voldemort's followers.

It was then that Albus had taken Severus back to Hogwarts as his ward. Severus had never spoken to him or to anyone else about his mother's death. He confessed to Dumbledore that he had the Dark Mark on orders from his father. Dumbledore had wondered why Salazar had not taken Severus with him when he fled. He supposed that he had been in too much of a hurry to even think of it.

Refocusing on the present, he saw that Severus was looking at him pleadingly. He was expecting a response.

"Yes, Mummy is gone, my little one," he answered hoarsely, trying to keep his voice calm.

The toddler took a deep breath as if about to confess a grave sin.

"An' Daddy said I bad boy," he finally stammered out.

*He must have dreamed this last night in the same way that Harry dreamed about his parents' death. * The Headmaster thought.

He pulled the boy into a reassuring hug, trying to contain his own emotions. "No, Severus," he breathed, "You are a good boy. What your Daddy did to your Mummy was very bad but it was not your fault."

He realised that Severus was blaming himself in an attempt to understand what had happened, through a child's eyes. The little boy buried himself tightly against Albus, trying to shut out the frightening and upsetting memories. Dumbledore cradled him close and stroked his silky, baby locks.

"Your Mummy loved you very much, Severus," he murmured, "She was very proud of you. She told me so. She asked me to look after you if anything happened to her."

"You love me, Abus?" Severus asked quietly.

"Very much," said the old man tenderly, "You are my little treasure."

"Hawee your teasure, too?" asked the child.

"Yes, he is," Dumbledore smiled, "And I love you both more than anything else in the world."

He kissed Severus on top of his dark head.

"Now, why don't we get your blankie and you can sleep with Harry and me. It is getting cold out here.

"Yeah!" said Severus happily, his fears forgotten, for now at least.

Soon Albus had Severus settled on his other side. Harry still slept deeply.

***********************************************************************

The old man was just drifting off to sleep again when he felt a small hand shaking him. He looked up into Severus's dark eyes once more.

"Up now, Abus?" the child asked.

"Severus!" Albus shook his head, torn between amusement and exasperation, "It is only six o'clock in the morning. It is much too early to be up."

He lay the boy down beside him once more. Severus cuddled into his arms with an angelic smile.

"Stowee, Abus," he said.

"You are quite the little Slytherin, aren't you?" Albus chuckled softly, "All right. I will tell you a story."

He pulled the child closer. "Once upon a time there was an old man called Albus who had a little boy called Severus."

"No, Abus. Seberus and Hawee," the little voice corrected.

"Very well, child, Severus and Harry. One morning, Severus woke up very early and would not go back to sleep."

" 'Oh dear. What am I going to do', thought Albus, because he was very tired."

"An' 'Nerva," Severus piped up again.

"No, Minerva is not in this story. She was not woken in the early hours of the morning by a bouncing toddler." Albus sighed.

"I wake 'Nerva?" asked Severus innocently.

"No, certainly not! I would get into awful trouble." Dumbledore suppressed a grin at the thought of Minerva's face if Severus ran into her rooms and flung himself at her at this hour. "Do you want to hear the rest of the story, Severus?" he asked.

"Yeah," beamed the child.

"Well, Albus didn't know what to do to get Severus back to sleep. He thought and thought and suddenly, an idea came to him."

Severus was staring at him transfixed and he almost laughed.

" 'I know what I will do,' said Albus, 'I'll put Severus into an enchanted sleep.' "

By now, Severus's eyes were like saucers as he stared at Dumbledore in awe.

"You put me in a 'chanted seep?" he asked.

"I'm very tempted," Dumbledore teased, "But I don't think I will have to. I think you could go back to sleep now, anyway."

Severus was, indeed, beginning to look drowsy. Albus settled them both back under the covers and pillowed the small head on his chest. He ran his hand up and down the baby's back and whispered, "Shhh shhh." Very soon, Severus's breathing evened out, giving Dumbledore the opportunity for more, much needed sleep.