With a fearful intake of breath, Percy's eyes jerked open.

 He exhaled and calmed himself, realising it had only been a nightmare, as he looked around the room. Reaching for his glasses, Percy put them on and noticed it was very early in the morning. His gaze quickly trailed to the other bed, where he saw Harry lying awake and squirming uncomfortably. Percy glanced at Severus, whose head was concealed underneath a pillow in obvious rejection towards doing anything apart from sleeping.

Yawning into his hand, Percy got out of bed. He headed to his dresser, and changed into a pair of jeans and a collared shirt. He approached the second bed and crouched beside it so he didn't accidentally wake his brother.

'Harry?' He whispered to the little boy. 'Are you alright?'

'I got to pee.' Harry grimaced. 'Daddy told me to hold it.'

'Oh.' Percy stood upright and sighed. 'Come on. I'll take you.'

'You will?' Harry gasped and frantically slid off the bed.

He hurried after Percy, who picked him up once the boy reached his arms towards him, and carried the child to the bathroom. Unsure if he was supposed to stand in the room with his back turned or not, Percy chose to wait just outside until he heard the sound of the toilet flushing. Peering within, he cringed at the sound of the stool being moved, and saw Harry stepping up onto it so he could wash his hands.

'Magic dry!' Harry demanded, holding out his dripping wet hands towards his uncle.

Percy wasn't sure which spell to use, and he wasn't as practised with drying charms as he would like, and cast a warming charm instead. It worked almost as well, and Harry hardly noticed the difference, except his hands were warmer than usual. The boy jumped down from the stool, and raised his arms towards Percy in request to be held again. Percy obliged.

The pair made their way downstairs to the kitchen, where Molly was sitting at the table and perusing a cookbook.

'Good morning.' She smiled at them both, looking up long enough to notice who had joined her.

Percy nodded in greeting, still a bit sleepy, and put the wriggling Harry onto the floor. Once free, the child ran over to Molly and gave her a quick hug.

'Morn'in, Grama!' He cheered, before turning to Percy with a quizzical expression. 'What's your name again?'

'Percy.' He answered.

Percy walked to the kitchen counter and began slicing oranges, intending to squeeze them into juice. Harry watched him eagerly, until Molly suggested Percy to make some for the boy as well.

'Is Severus still asleep?'

'Yeah.' Percy answered his mother with a nod of his head. He caught a glimpse of his hair in a reflective surface and tried to flatten it with his other hand. 'It was a rough night. Harry didn't want to go to bed.'

'I wasn't tired!' Harry argued.

'Regardless, you need to listen to your daddy.' Molly told the child. 'He only wants what is best for you, Harry.'

Percy doubted her words. He remembered when Harry needed to use the toilet and Severus had evidentially dismissed it, instead telling the three-year-old to “hold it” in clear favour of his own sleep. Harry seemed to think along the same lines as Percy, as he gave Molly a reluctant expression and didn't say anything.

'Here you go.' Percy offered his nephew the promised orange juice.

'Juice!' Harry grinned and bounced in his seat when Percy handed the small glass to him. He saw a stern look from Molly and hastily added, 'T'ank you!'

He sipped his drink and hummed, swinging his legs freely as his feet couldn't touch the floor yet.

'Grama, what're you read'in?' Harry looked over at her book, his brownish obsidian eyes trailing over the words of the page, interested in the apple pie recipe listed. 'Yummy!'

Molly assumed he had merely seen the picture printed on the book, rather than being able to read the title and general description, so she took little notice of his comprehension.

'I was thinking of making of making a pie later.' Molly said. 'Would you like to be my helper?'

'Could I?' Harry asked eagerly. 'I wanna cook too! I'll help you, Grama.'

'Of course you can.' Molly chuckled. 'How about we make it after lunch?' She decided.

'Okay.' Harry nodded and finished his juice, setting it on the table in front of him. 'Uncle Percy, will you play with me? Grama goted me some toys, but Daddy's still sleep'in.'

After finishing his own juice and cleaning the counter, Percy turned to look at the pleading expression on the cute three-year-old's face. The teenager sighed and nodded his head in agreement to the request. Molly returned to her book, while Harry slipped off his chair and hurried over to his uncle. Pulling his hand, Harry led Percy back to the steps and slowly ascended them until they were inside the boy's own bedroom.

'Over there!' Harry pointed to his pile of books, which had a few toys rested beside them.

They just sat there, as his new room was rather vacant of any furniture apart from his bed and a small bedside table.

'I've got a train, and some blocks, and a puzzle, and a big ball!' Harry showed each item to Percy, who tried his best to look interested. It was still rather early and Percy regretted getting out of bed, plus he could see all of the toys himself and didn't need the boy to list them for him.

He could tell Harry loved sharing, though, and didn't comment.

'What would you like to play with?' Percy asked.

'My blocks!' Harry decided after a short moment of consideration. He pushed them into the middle of the room and sat on the floor with the small pile of painted, wooden blocks. 'We've got to stack them really high!'

Percy seated himself across from his nephew and helped him build a tower of blocks, which kept toppling over. The boy giggled whenever they fell, and simply started to rebuild it again without losing enjoyment or interest. Percy got a bit bored with the simple game, but Harry was so happy to play with him that he stayed a while longer.

--

When Molly placed food on the table for breakfast, most of the other Weasleys were already up. The twins sat at the table discussing broomstick stunts, and Ginny helped her mother by setting the table. Arthur had just finished reading the morning paper, and rose from his seat, heading to the stairs with the intention of waking Ron. As he passed Harry's room on the way back, Arthur told Percy breakfast was ready.

'You might want to wake Severus, as well.' Arthur added.

'I'll do it!' Harry leapt up from the floor, abandoning his blocks in the process, and ran to the next room. 'Daddy! Daddy!' Harry called out, jumping onto the bed, and shoved his father.

'Harry!' Severus growled in angry complaint, and tried to bury himself further under the pillow and sheets.

He would have had a decent amount of rest by now, as Severus was used to much less, if it hadn't been for the fact that the brat had kept him up most of the night with his constant squirming. After the length of time it had taken to get the boy to bed at all, Severus was still too tired to want to leave his place of slumber. Previously at his usual age he had lived off only a few hours sleep, but in his renewed state his body was far less used to surviving from less rest than needed.

'It's brek'fest time, Daddy!'

'Pis-' Severus halted in his half-formed wording, and exhaled. 'Leave me alone, Harry.'

'Severus.' Percy intervened from the doorway. 'You'll miss breakfast if you don't get up. Everyone else are already out of bed.'

'Fine!' Severus scowled and sat up, which caused a round of cheering from Harry, until the boy was halted by a glare.

'Come on, Harry.' Percy encouraged. 'Let your dad get up. We'll go and save him a seat.'

'Okay!' Harry hopped off the bed and hurried to Percy. He grabbed his uncle's hand and insisted on walking down the steps on his own.

Severus yawned loudly and got out of bed. He moved to his dresser and searched through it for something tolerable to wear. He pulled on a pair of jeans and a black shirt, before wandering upstairs to the bathroom. He hissed when he knocked his toe on something and looked down, glaring at the step-stool Harry had left in the way. Kicking it under the sink, Severus grumbled to himself as he checked his appearance in the mirror.

Casting a grooming charm on his hair, he used the facilities, and finally made his way to the kitchen. Luckily, though he had little energy to care at that moment, there was still food left on the table.

'Well, don't you look positively charming this morning, Sev!' Fred sniggered at his brother's sleepy state.

'Don't. Call. Me. That.' Severus ground out, which silenced the low laughter around the table, much like it had the last time the nickname had been used.

'Daddy, sit here!' Harry stood on his chair and pointed to it. 'I saved it for you, see?'

Severus yawned again and picked up the child, moving to sit down before he placed Harry on his lap as he had done the night before.

'Well, I best be off.' Arthur said, snatching another piece of toast before he headed towards the door. 'Have a good day, Weasleys!'

'Bye, Dad!' The Weasley siblings called, except Severus. Harry waved enthusiastically, and Severus had to lean back to avoid being smacked in the face by the quick-moving, little hands.

'Have you eaten?' Severus asked the boy, who settled back onto his lap when Arthur departed.

'No.' Harry shook his head. 'I was wait'in for you.'

'Hm.' Severus served Harry a bowl of sweetened porridge, before he could focus on his own scrambled eggs. He assumed the orange juice was for the boy, and didn't care what drink he picked for himself as he hadn't completely woken up yet.

--

When breakfast was over, the twins and Ron headed out to the backyard. Ginny lingered around the house, waiting for her mother to finish cleaning so Molly could take her to the Lovegoods to play with Luna and Ivy.

Severus and Percy sat in the living room, trying to play a game of chess, while Harry sat on the floor with his toy train. It was difficult to concentrate on the game when the three-year-old kept making crashing sounds and hitting the train against Severus' chair.

'Harry!' Severus scolded. 'For the fourth time, cease your racket and leave my chair alone.'

'Sorry, Daddy.' Harry backed off quickly, quietened by his father's firm and angry tone. 'Can I play with my ball outside with my other uncles?' He asked, getting bored of the train that kept making his dad annoyed with him.

Severus wasn't sure. He wanted the boy to leave him to his peace, but sending the three-year-old outside with the twins and Ron, unsupervised, was not something he wanted to risk.

'When I am finished this game, I will take you outside to play.' Severus decided.

'Yay!' Harry's mood brightened instantly. He stood up and leaned on the table to watch his dad and uncle Percy play.

After a while, he began to realise it was a very slow and boring game. The child grew impatient and couldn't keep still. He whined and fidgeted, until Severus could take it no longer.

'We will have to finish this another time.' He told Percy, who nodded with understanding and rose from the table as well.

Severus snatched up Harry and headed into the kitchen.

'Is everything alright, Severus?' Molly asked, seeing his furious expression.

'No.' Severus complained. 'I cannot get a moment's peace. I hardly had any rest at all last night, and the brat won't leave me alone!'

'Welcome to fatherhood.' Molly said sympathetically. 'Severus, it's not Harry's fault. After lunch he's going to help me bake an apple pie, so why don't you take that time to have a lie down?'

'I believe I will.' Severus calmed a little. 'Thank you.'

'You might also want to write up a schedule for Harry.' Molly advised. 'Children learn by consistency. If he gets into a routine then things will be a lot easier on everyone, and you won't be kept up until late hours of the night.'

'The boy needs to do as he's told, and go to bed when I tell him to. There's nothing more to it.' Severus stated.

Molly said nothing else, as she turned around and kept her expression hidden. She wasn't going to argue with him, even if she had the fact of raising seven children from toddlers and onwards to back up her knowledge. Sometimes, Molly knew, there were a few otherwise simple lessons a parent had to know the hard way to fully understand its importance. Severus had a lot to learn, but it wasn't going to help his confidence or familiarity regarding being a father of a three-year-old if Molly always told him what to do. Or gave him constant suggestions on how to resolve certain conflicts, such as children who didn't want to go to bed when they should, or got bored easily and had nothing else to do than to follow their older relatives around.

Harry was very quiet when Severus summoned his red ball and headed for the backyard. Fred and Ron were playing with a quaffle (without broomsticks). The pair laughed as one threw it as hard and fast as they could towards the side of their target, and the other tried to catch it. George sat on the grass a distance away, watching them with an open book on his lap.

'Can I play their game?' Harry suddenly asked, alerting the others to their company.

'No.' Severus answered. 'You will play with your own ball.'

'Will you play with me?' Harry wondered, clutching his own red ball as his father placed him on the ground.

'We'll play with you, Harry!' Fred called. 'Don't worry.' He rolled his eyes at Severus' disapproving frown. 'We'll just kick it back and forth. It'll be fine. We used the play it with Ginny when she was Harry's age.'

'Can I, Daddy?' Harry jumped on the spot, pleading with his father. 'Please, Daddy? Please?'

'Fine.' Severus grumbled and moved to sit on a stone bench nearby. He was not going to leave his little son alone with the troublesome Gryffindors, so he was doomed to sit and endure observing the game.

George got up to join in, nudging a reluctant Ron out of the way. They spread out in a circle, with Harry being the most noticeable because he was the littlest boy there, and the only one who didn't have red hair. Severus had been worried the older boys would kick the ball too hard or fast at Harry, but they played very fairly and Harry was soon laughing with enjoyment. He kicked the ball the best he could and often received praise from the other three for his aim or speed.

Severus quickly became very bored once he realised it would probably be fine to leave the brat outside with the others for a while.

He looked up when Percy joined him on the bench with his Potions textbook.

'I wasn't aware of your passion for Potions.' Severus raised an eyebrow at the other boy, not remembering Percy to be anything more than an average student in his class. He did rather well in comparison to his classmates, but Severus never had the impression Percy was overly interested in the subject as he appeared to be now; reading his textbook on a fine day over the holidays.

'I don't, really.' Percy shrugged. 'I think it's very useful to know, so I do try my best. It's really hard, and I hope I got high enough grades to continue the class next term.' He sighed.

Severus had graded all of the students work before he had been de-aged, thankfully, and yet couldn't remember which grade he had given the Weasleys.

He knew Percy had passed his O.W.L, and that was about it.

'I can watch them, if you like.' Percy added, looking over at Harry as the three-year-old had run to retrieve the wayward ball sent his way by Ron. 'I'll be out here for a while, anyway.'

'Very well.' Severus rose with relief. 'Thank you, Percy.' He added and headed back into the house.

Deciding not to wait until the afternoon, Severus headed to his bedroom and lay down, intent on getting some much-needed rest.

-- 

Severus was woken hours later by Molly calling him for lunch.

Sighing, he sat up and felt a bit groggy at first. His rest left him sleepier than before, but as he began to wake up properly, Severus was glad he'd had a nap. Yawning, he headed to the kitchen and washed his hands. He turned and sat down, wincing as Harry ran over to him from outside and jumped onto his lap, talking fast about the fun he'd had outside with his uncles.

Severus was glad when Molly took over, lifting the boy up and carrying him to the sink so Harry could wash his hands. She scolded the twins and Ron to wash theirs as well, which they hurried to the stairs to obey. Percy joined them and still had his focus on his book, frowning at the complicated information he was becoming agitated by.

'Is Potions still giving you trouble, dear?' Molly noticed Percy's book and expression when she placed Harry back onto Severus' lap, where the teenager was seated directly to Severus' right.

'Yes.' Percy grumbled. 'It makes no sense!'

'Perhaps Severus could help you?' Molly offered, earning herself a glare from the mentioned man. 'He was the best in his class.'

'Indeed.' Severus sighed.

'It's alright.' Percy shut the book. 'I just need more time, that's all. I can do it.' He nodded in determination, earning a bit more respect from Severus.

'Sit still.' Severus growled to Harry, who couldn't stop squirming in anticipation for lunch. Playing outside for hours had made him tired, and exceptionally hungry.

With all the Weasleys seated at the table, with the exception of Arthur who was still at work, everyone grabbed sandwiches and started to eat. Severus and Percy were the only ones who didn't say much during the meal, though Harry spoke enough for the pair of them. He'd had a lot of fun outside, and was very excited to make a pie with his grandmother afterwards.

When Molly started “hassling” him again about needing to make a schedule for Harry, Severus decided it was time to leave the table. He placed Harry on his chair, which the boy hardly noticed as he was enthusiastically telling Percy about his ball game even if the teenager had been right there.

Severus headed for the stairs and went to his bedroom. His nap had done him good enough for now, so he he didn't lie down, and instead looked out the window towards the hill. He remembered seeing Fate there, and how she'd encouraged him to give Harry a chance, but Severus wasn't so sure he could.

He didn't think it was pure hatred he felt towards the brat, but he had no real fondness for him either. Harry was the son of James potter, and had not once given him a reason to like him – not when he'd been eleven, and not now. Especially not now. Severus was getting tired of the brat following him around and generally being annoying. He barely sat still, talked too much, and was a burden on Severus' sanity.

He felt relieved, at that moment, to be alone in his bedroom without the boy.

Severus felt a little guilty about his thoughts, but he couldn't help it. He wanted Harry to go away. Why did Poppy have to make him the father of the brat? And why did Molly allow her to? He was furious with the arrangement - he felt it was impossible to raise a child he never wanted to be around. When Harry had Lily's eyes, it was different, but now he was no longer her son in Severus' eyes. Yet he did still want to keep him safe; He didn't wish harm on the child, just that he'd leave him alone and be someone else's son.

His rejection towards spending time with Harry, and his general dislike of the boy, only increased over the next few days. Severus would never actually lash out at the child, as he would not allow himself to become Tobias Snape in any extent, but he was quicker to anger the more Harry pleaded, followed him, whined, disobeyed, made a mess, and most annoyingly - did anything that reminded Severus of James Potter.

At first he was adapting and trying to get some time to himself, but after a week of the child being awake Severus was reaching his limit. To the point that when a madam from the Ministry stopped by to finalise the adoption papers for himself and Harry, Severus almost told her to cancel it and send the brat somewhere else.

Charlene Whittaker was nice enough, and went straight to business after she had stepped through the floo and accepted a cup of tea from Molly. She was an old friend of theirs from school, Severus learned, and was in on the slight scheme to have the dates of Severus' adoption altered so it seemed as though he'd been a Weasley for years.

She did this because Charlene didn't seem much harm in it, after understanding the re-aging issue that made the alterations necessary. She also owed Arthur Weasley for something during their time at school. Severus didn't pry, though he suspected Arthur had saved her life on more than one occasion in the past.

After consenting to having Poppy Pomfrey as his listed godmother, Severus looked down at the papers in front of him regarding Harry's adoption. He felt very conflicted. This was the last step - once he signed the papers the boy would be his forever.

Doubts filled Severus and he couldn't find the strength to grab the quill and sign the forms.

'Harry Liam Weasley.' Charlene continued and turned to Severus. 'Is that his final name?'

'Yes.' Severus answered.

Molly and Arthur sat nearby, finishing with their own paperwork regarding to Severus' adoption. Charlene had to stop by to see Poppy afterwards, therefore the mediwitch would be able to sign permission to be Severus' godmother then.

'And you, Severus Issac Weasley, consent to be his father in word and in magic?' Charlene had not asked the Weasleys this for Severus' adoption - maybe because he was now already grown, or perhaps she had sensed his deep hesitation.

He had not touched the quill, and was staring at the adoption papers as though they were a death warrant.

'Once you sign these papers, Harry will be your child as much as he can be. Because Harry is so young, blood adoption is an option. However, in your exceptional case, I believe your magic is already bound to the boy so such would be unnecessary.' Charlene said, checking the facts on some notes Poppy had already made for her in regards to check-ups. 'Are you sure you want to do this? Adopting Harry is for life.'

Severus hesitated again, looking at the quill, then staring at the boy's written name.

He felt no fatherly connection to the child at all. He wanted Harry to be safe and cared for, but not by himself. He did not want further involvement with a child who didn't listen to him, was always complaining and throwing fits, refused to go to bed when he was told, insisted on doing everything the hardest and longest way, and only seemed to make life harder for Severus. He just wasn't up to being a father, and he doubted he'd ever be a good one.

Not to the son of James Potter.

'Daddy!' A cry broke through his thoughts, as a three-year-old blur came running into the kitchen. He launched himself at Severus and buried his face against him, wrapping his little arms around his dad.

'What?' Severus asked, slightly irked by the interruption.

He took a sharp intake of breath when Harry didn't answer, and the little boy promptly began to cry instead. Lifting the child onto his lap to be more comfortable, Harry instantly latched onto him in longing for comfort and protection against whatever had made him upset.

Finally, while Charlene waited patiently nearby and smiled at the cute boy, Harry babbled about tripping on the stairs when he'd come back from proudly using the bathroom all on his own. Severus tried to ignore the fact the twins were supposed to be supervising the boy, and rubbed the child's back to soothe him, since it always seemed to calm Harry faster.

'Are you injured?' Severus asked when the tears stopped and Harry wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

'No.' Harry shook his head. 'Daddy, I used the bathroom all by myself! I didn't need help at all, and Grama puted a towel next to the sink for my hands.'

'Well done, Harry.' Severus sighed. He praised the boy, knowing it was important to do so as it was an accomplishment for a child Harry's age.

He thought it wasn't a very big deal, as a few weeks ago the same boy could do a lot more. He wasn't eleven-year-old anymore, and Severus realised that even without the memories of his former life, Harry had gone from being quite independent to a three-year-old who essentially had to start over entirely. He could now see the reasoning for some of the things Harry did, such as being frustrated when he needed help, or getting bored very quickly.

It didn't make Severus feel much better about the situation or ready to be a father, but it made him feel foolish for even considering giving up the boy only because he was annoying him a lot lately. He looked down at the child cuddled against him, seeing the high level of trust and love Harry reserved only for his father and grandmother. He had become close to most of the Weasleys, namely Ginny and Percy, but Harry's adoration for his father was unending and had started from the moment he'd woken from his coma.

Reaching for the quill, Severus felt he would be giving up and betraying Harry if he didn't adopt him. He signed the forms all the way until the last page, where he paused yet again but for a different reason.

'Do you want to name a godparent for Harry?' Charlene asked. 'There is as much magic involved with godparents as adoptive parents. A certain magical bond is formed upon that agreement as well, to the point of the godparent feeling a connection towards the child whenever they are needed, but a parent is unavailable. It's a strange magic we still don't entirely understand, but it is a very important decision. A godparent should never be chosen lightly.'

Severus stared at the lines following the titles “Godmother” and “Godfather”, as he tried to decide if he wanted to name one or both for Harry. It was a huge responsibility to give another, and if something were to happen to himself than Harry would be placed into that person's care. The godparent would raise Harry, make his important life decisions until he was of age, and would be entirely responsible for his care and safety.

Charlene was right, even without the magical aspect of it, because naming a godparent was a very important decision indeed.

'Yes.' Severus said. 'I do wish to name a godparent for my son.' He said and didn't write the name down until he was sure it was the right choice.

And so, he instructed Molly to retrieve the person - the Weasley Severus felt he could trust his son to if anything ever happened to himself. Lily's boy.

 Percy was shocked to be asked, not just a result of the honour and importance but because out of all his brothers, Severus had chosen him. Percy, who had to compete against two very popular older brothers – a Head Boy and a Quidditch Captain. Percy, who had to work hard for grades in classes the twins easily did outstanding in, or many other aspects where he felt he was average at best, and yet, Severus had chosen him from all the others.

Not Bill, who was the oldest and worked a sturdy job at Gringotts, or Charlie who admirably studied dragons, or the twins with all their personality and creativity, or Ron with his excellent strategy skills and high sense of justice, or even Ginny who seemed to get along with Harry very easily and shared common interests with Severus - proving to be very observant and cunning in a way he respected.

Percy, feeling as though he might cry from the shocking news and unique achievement none of his brothers had ever been granted, stepped forward and signed the forms without another thought.

He looked at Severus, then down at Harry, and smiled. His parents were surprised, as their son did not smile quite as much as the others. They were equally alarmed when Severus gave a very appreciative nod in return. They felt to have missed something because in that moment, as Charlene finalised the papers and rose to leave, the two adults realised Percy and Severus were more than two brothers who had a few things in common and shared a bedroom.

The pair were close, possibly closer than Arthur or Molly could have comprehended considering who the pair were. There was no denying the fact - it was evident their two sons had bonded as brothers so deeply that Severus named Percy the godfather of Harry with very little consideration.

After bidding Charlene goodbye and thanking her fondly, Molly and Arthur watched the three inside the kitchen. Percy had taken Harry into his arms, and the child was perfectly fine with that despite his recent incident where he wanted only his father. They noticed things they hadn't before, such as the way the pair looked at each other and said few words and yet held great understanding. Percy and Severus respected each other. Their parents guessed maybe each had finally found someone they could entrust their secrets, thoughts, and feelings to like most siblings should.

As Arthur thought of all the years Percy wanted to deal with things on his own and rarely opened up about what was bothering him, Molly wondered what it was about Percy that made someone like Severus Snape trust him so soon and easily.

They were glad, just surprised to have not noticed the depth of it until now.

While Percy took Harry outside to play with his new godson, Severus exhaled and sat there at the table to think about his decision. He watched Arthur head outside, likely to the shed, while Molly poured over another cookbook nearby. He had chosen Percy for many reasons other than the teenager being the only Weasley Severus had really connected to or trusted since his arrival, apart from Molly.

There was also the way, on the first morning of Harry's awakening after not going to bed when he had been told, Percy had taken over the situation. He took Harry to the bathroom without much thought, and kept him busy until Severus got up. Percy often did things like that. He would step in when needed, and took supervision of the boy very seriously. Severus was confident he could trust Percy with the child, if he ever had to, and was satisfied his younger brother would be a very good godparent to Harry.

Severus, however, was a bit envious of Percy.

He knew, deep down, that if he could only bond with the boy - to connect with him on the level most of the other Weasleys had, then being the father of Harry would be much less horrible. It was hard to remember the green of Lily's eyes only as a memory, and no longer a reflection in Harry's eyes. It was a struggle to find confidence in his own ability to be a good dad to such a small child, when his own father had been violent and hateful towards his family.

Above all, it felt nearly impossible to overcome the small hints of Potter blood in a boy Severus wanted to love and protect as his own child.