Special thanks to my new beta Lady_Destiny who has edited and provided ideas to make this story much better then it was originally!

 Late August 

The shrill cry of his new cousin penetrated through the thick wall, waking Harry up. Again.

Most unexpectedly, Aunt Petunia had conceived a year before when Harry had stayed at Hogwarts for Winter Break.. It had been quite an unexpected surprise when he came back for the summer and saw his aunt sporting a baby bump. 

Through the next nine months, Harry had found extra chores heaped onto the ones he already had. Now he also had to wait on Petunia,hand and foot. Dudley flat out refused to help (small shock there!)and of course his parents found nothing wrong with that, dumping everything on Harry and forgetting that the child was Dudley's sister!

It was a month since the baby had been born. A daughter, named Ivy Rose. She was beautiful, but very vocal...as demonstrated by the fact that she had once again managed to wake him up. 

“Boy, get up here!” came Uncle Vernon’s gruff voice. 

Yawning, Harry got up and stumbled gracelessly up the stairs. When he reached the nursery Vernon grabbed him and shoved Harry harshly into the baby’s room. 

“What have you done to her!” Vernon bellowed, pointing his fat grubby finger to the tiny crib.

 Confused, Harry looked at his uncle and then to the crib. The baby girl had cute little curls of black hair gently framing her petite face. But that wasn’t what Harry noticed first. He gaped at the little cherub hovering above her pillow in a blissful sleep. Her little thumb was in her mouth and she was cooing softly. 

Bugger!

“Well, boy, what did you do to her! I’ll have you out on your ear before you take your next breath you ungrateful wretch!"

“I haven’t done anything! I’m not allowed to do magic....outside school. You should know that already!”

"You better have a good explanation then!" he glared at the scrawny kid. 

Thinking quickly, Harry replied, "Well maybe it's accidental magic. My mother Lilly and Aunt Petunia are related, and my mother and I have magic. It could be transferred through the Evans’ bloodline."

“That’s it! Boy get your clothes on. You’re gone tonight!”

"But what about Ivy?” Harry sputtered, disbelieving. 

“Take the brat with you. I’ll not have a freak for a daughter! It's bad enough I've had to deal with you for so many years. I will not tolerate this any longer. Enough is enough!”

"She’s my daughter too Vernon, and she’s not going anywhere. "Aunt Petunia said, steadily looking at her husband. She’d just arrived in the doorway and had heard everything.

"It's a freak! I won’t have such abnormalities in my house. Get rid of it ,Tuney, or I’ll do it for you!” With that said, he shoved his massive bulky body and passed the both of them as he went back to the room. A moment later they heard the closet door being opened and then the ominous sound of a gun being cocked.

Petunia’s eyes went wide and she hurriedly picked her daughter up from the crib, shoving it in Harry’s arms. "Go! Take care of your cousin. Vernon’s drunk, he’ll not hesitate to shoot her." she whispered hurriedly while shooting anxious glances towards the door. 

"But I don’t know anything about babies." Harry protested. 

But Petunia was already throwing things in the diaper bag, zipping it up. "Go! You’re a wizard, she’s safer with you then she would be with us!" 

"You could leave too. I can keep you both safe” he replied back, glancing at Aunt Petunia's whitened face, tight with fear and stress.

"I’d never make it on my own. My family is my life...even Vernon. Now get out of here and keep her safe. Go!” Aunt Petunia said, fretfully pushing him out the door. 

Harry didn’t waste another moment as he quickly donned the sling and slipped the little infant into it. Then after shouldering the baby bag he tore down the stairs, stopping only to get his wand and worn book bag before sprinting to the door. He ran into the still inky night with the baby clutched to him.

He ran for as long as he could and then when he could go no longer,he rested against a tree before raising his wand in the air. In the distance, he heard a gun shot. His heart jumped in his chest, knowing the worst had happened.

He desperately held the little girl closer to him as the Knight Bus arrived with a bang and Harry jumped on, noticing that it was the same conductor that he had lied to back in his third year.

Stan looked at him wide eyed. “Wotcha got there?”

“Its a baby girl. My cousin...please take us to The Leaky Cauldron.”

Stan only shrugged as Harry paid the fare and took a seat on the nearest bed, making sure that Ivy was snuggled in securely. 

By the end of the ride, strangely enough, Ivy was still asleep. Harry warily departed the bus and headed for the Wizarding pub. He stopped short, realizing that he couldn’t just walk into the Leaky Cauldron with a baby. He’d never get away with it. There would be a million questions....

But he also didn’t have any Muggle money to use...there was nothing for it. He could only disguise himself and his voice and pray that no one recognized him.

After mussing his hair, making sure his bangs covered his dreadful scar, he took off his glasses before walking into the door.
He was half blind now but thank Merlin he remembered where everything was. 

Gathering his Gryffindor courage, he took a deep breath and approached the bar. Thankfully Tom didn’t approach him. Instead an older witch that had to be at least 30 years old queried,  "What can I do for you young man. Oh, that’s a pretty daughter you have there. May I assume you need a room for the night?"

Harry could only nod. “Yes, please.” he answered, a moment later in soft voice. 


 
The witch favored him with a smile and led him up the stairs. Once he was alone, he put his glasses back on and looked about him. This room was very much like the one he’d had before only it had a bigger bed. Sighing he set down the diaper bag and his own book bag. Then he took his baby cousin out of the sling and lay her on the bed. She had been quiet as a mouse until then but suddenly woke up, fussing and waving her chubby arms around. 

With a shock he realized he didn’t have anything to feed her, she was only a month old...he didn’t have the equipment to feed her. And what of his Aunt? What the bloody hell was he to do now? 

He thought for another moment and then remembered seeing his aunt pace the floor with Ivy in her arms, bouncing the little girl as she walked around. Maybe that could work!

So he copied his Aunt's gestures, something he though he'd ever do. 

It worked for a bit.

But then she got fussy again. 

Frustrated. Harry put her down again and Ivy continue to bawl, fat tears leaking out of her pretty eyes and marring her baby face, red from all the shouting and screaming. 

Frantically, he checked the diaper bag . Lucky for him,  there was some infant formula.  He sent up a silent prayer of thanks as he summoned room service. 

Minutes later, someone knocked impatiently on the door. Thinking nothing of it, he opened the door expecting to see the same witch as before....but instead it was a furious looking adult with long black hair and a slightly crooked nose. 

The man didn’t give him time to react. Instead, he forcefully pushed Harry aside and swept into his room. 

“Professor, what are you doing here?”Harry stared, stunned to see his loathsome teacher show up at the most importunate time. 

Severus whirled around, his infamous robes flying creepily behind him.

 "What do you think Potter? You’ve run away again...and I have been sent after you...what could possibly be wrong this time you annoying brat. Did the Muggles not give you....what the bloody hell are you doing with a baby? Did you get some girl knocked up?”Severus's cold black eyes glared at him, watching suspiciously. 

"No sir, she’s my cousin...Ivy Rose. she’s a witch...Uncle Vernon was going to kill her so my aunt ordered me to take her away and protect her. I think my uncle shot her. I heard a gun go off just as I boarded the Knight Bus. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m trying to care of my month-old cousin. I have to keep her safe from my uncle. She doesn’t deserve the life I had", Harry said bitterly, thinking about this shameful past. 

Severus listened with a hitched breath as Potter rambled.  Yet, the last part caught his attention and he furrowed his brows. Potter? he thought. Surely not, he cannot possibly been abused....not the Golden Boy of the Wizarding World. 

"What was that, Potter," Snape asked sharply. "The life you had? You? The pampered prince of Gryffindor?”

Harry said nothing for a moment, thinking that maybe it was time to let someone know. Besides, what difference could it possibly make? He was away from his hated relatives and there was a slim to none chance that he would be able to go back. He sighed and let out the truth. 

“More like a punching bag. I was their house elf. After she was born I was shoved back in to my cupboard under the stairs. Hardly the life of a celebrity." 

Harry didn’t stop talking as he began to check Ivy’s diaper. Thankfully, it hadn't been soiled yet. 

Severus raised a disbelieving eyebrow, still trying to process Potter's mini rant. But perhaps no one had ever really listened to Potter. Himself included, he thought ruefully. But Harry's past life could be discussed later. Right now, he needed to get things straight, 

"So you raced out into the night with an infant who is magical."Snape stated. 

"My uncle was drunk and he was going to kill Ivy! The Knight bus was the fastest way to safety. And I think Aunt Petunia’s dead.", Harry shot a troubled glance at his Potions Professor. 

“Why didn’t you call for help, or use that wand of yours?”

“Because the Ministry would snap my wand in half! Or have you forgotten about the law that states underage students can't use magic outside school? I didn’t want to get expelled!”

Snape eyed the infant again. “There’s an exception to every rule, Potter. If your life is in danger then you can use magic to protect yourself. This situation would warrant a breach of the law." Bloody Gryffindor, never using his head! 

Harry looked at Snape defiantly. "Professor, I didn’t have time to think ahead, I had a drunken abusive uncle with a gun threatening our lives. I had to run away, to protect us, and Ivy needs to eat, so unless you're going to help me, leave us alone!”

Ivy’s cry split the silence again.

Severus stopped his ranting and then sighed, summoning a bottle of water to the room. He handed it to Harry who went about the task of making the bottle.

Harry was about give it to the infant when Severus stopped him. He took out his wand and tapped the side of the bottle warming it up perfectly. “Babies usually prefer it warm. See to the child and then we’re going to have a long talk.”

Harry could only nod as he looked into his cousin’s eyes. Blue eyes met green and in that instant, Harry felt like they bonded. She kicked her legs at him and he grinned.

“Don’t worry Ivy, we’ll get through this. I promise," a determined look in his emerald eyes.