In all his life, Severus never had a moment where mind was completely void of anything.

Never had he closed his eyes to sleep and woken many hours later without a single dream or thought in between. And yet, as he became conscious again, that is what his mind was like. It was a void of emptiness, until his first thought for the day was: “where am I?”

Severus opened his eyes, realising he was lying comfortably on his back, and glanced warily at his surroundings. He was in the Hospital Wing, and felt very strange. Not ill or injured, yet different somehow in a way he couldn't quite decipher. He tried to remember what had happened to cause him to end up where he was now.

There was nothing, once again. No memories or familiar sensations, no instinctual reactions or reoccurring thoughts, and it terrified him.

'You're awake.' A statement was spoken towards his left.

Severus glanced in the direction and saw Poppy looking down at him, her face serious and concerned.

'Poppy, what-?' Severus gulped and raised himself onto his elbows.

He was covered with a sheet, which he quickly pulled off and turned to sit upright on the bed, his feet hovering above to floor. Strangeness filled him once again, as his feet should have touched the cold floor of the Hospital Wing, and his clothes were notably much too big for him.

'You tell me.' Poppy sounded tired and cautious.

Severus glanced behind his bed to the window, seeing a rising sun in the distance through the glass. Had she stayed up all night to watch over him? How could he explain his condition if he didn't even know what it was or what had happened to create it? His gaze trailed to the bed nearest his line of sight, where he saw a small child sleeping under the covers.

The boy had untidy dark hair and was breathing with slow, careful motions.

'He's in a coma.' Poppy sighed, following his gaze. 'I believe he will wake, though it may take some time. Harry's magical core is intact, yet somehow it's exhausted. His entire being seems to have been pushed to the bring of death and then rapidly recovered. Your current age is far less temporary than his. I suspect you'll age about a year every two days until you reach whichever age will be the one you'll stay at, so you can age naturally again.'

'My age?' Severus was alarmed to hear her words. 'That is Potter?'

He stared at the boy, trying to believe her as he doubted Poppy would lie, but he saw no glasses or lightning bolt scar to identify with. He looked like an entirely different child, though it might have more to do with the fact the boy was now three instead of eleven.

Poppy reached to the bedside table and picked up a hand-held mirror. She held it towards Severus, and took several steps back. Severus frowned at her and lowered his eyes to the face reflected in the mirror. He would have gasped in alarm, if his throat hadn't given him the impression it was clamped with shock.

The teenager staring back at him looked as startled as he felt, but Severus did not recognise him.

Sure, it was himself de-aged to be fifteen rather than in his early thirties, but he'd never looked like that. Not really. His face was clean and his skin healthy. His eyes were as dark as ever, but looked so alive with emotion. His hair was mostly the same as it had been when he was an adult, but wavier and much healthier than he ever imagined it could be. His teeth were as white as a baby's, and his face showed no signs of any past torment, age, or sorrow.

Now he knew why he felt so strange, why his clothes were much bigger than they should be, and why Poppy kept a careful distance from him in case he reacted dramatically. Severus would have shouted or fainted, if he could properly grasp what was going on.

It felt too unreal.

As he looked back at three-year-old Harry, Severus realised he did remember something. He remembered it had been nightfall, just after dinner. He was wandering the corridors of Hogwarts, though he could not recall why, when he'd felt the urge to go outside. Something compelled him, called to him, and Severus was barely aware of heeding it.

He had stood on a hill and looked over at the eleven-year-old Harry Potter. Severus had been furious to see the trouble-making Gryffindor outside at such an hour, so soon after the boy had woken in the Hospital Wing following the misadventure with Voldemort. He'd approached the boy and had been about to shout at the brat, when he wondered what the child was looking at. Harry stared upwards at the darkened night sky filled with thick clouds and no viewable stars, and Severus did the same. A flash of light, so bright it burned his eye sockets, cascaded down upon them both. He heard Harry scream, before everything went black.

It was followed by nothingness, and then he was waking in the Hospital Wing.

Severus, his entire self feeling disrupted and his reactions delayed, told the tale to Poppy. She seemed unsurprised, though glad to hear what happened. He stared at her, waiting for something, but it never came. She seemed so serious, more than he had ever seen her, and feared there was something else he had not been informed of.

'I was worried that's what it might have been.' Poppy finally spoke. She gently sat on the edge of Harry's bed, as though she was the one who was overwhelmed instead of Severus. 'I did a bit of research, when Harry woke.'

'If the boy had woken, why is he in a coma now?' Severus did not understand why he had to ask that, or why it bothered him as much as it did.

'It was only for a moment, after I found you both lying in these beds last night.' Poppy said, revealing very little of how they got there. 'I did not recognise either of you. Harry opened his eyes and I felt dizzy. Memories burst into my head, and suddenly I remembered everything. It had all been gone before - the incident at Godric's Hollow all those years ago; You-Know-Who's reign of terror; Harry's miraculous survival; Your youth with Lily Evans, and various times I have patched you up over the years. You and Harry did not exist. I had no recollection of either of you, not even the tiniest hint of it.'

She seemed shaken by this.

'And then it was back. I spent most of the night trying to make sense of it. I researched while you slept, and I think I know what it was you saw.'

'What was it?' Severus' irritation was growing. His shock was fading as he began to comprehend that he had been de-aged to his fifteen-year-old self, only differently than he had been at that age.

And he blamed it entirely on Potter.

'I've heard Albus mention it before.' Poppy frowned at his disrespectful tone. 'Every so many years, magic-infused lightning strikes a witch or wizard in need of a very specific new life. A do-over, it seems. The person struck by the magic is forgotten by all, except a single person they choose to have remember them and therefore be the keeper of their secret former life. I believe that is how my memories returned - Harry picked me.'

Severus, had he not been so shocked and angry, would have passed out.

He was fifteen again, and now no one other than Poppy could even remember he existed? All his tiresome efforts to build his reputation as one of the greatest Potion Master's in all of Britain, his sacrifices for Lily and those he was loyal to, the influences he had placed on the students of Slytherin house, being godfather to Draco Malfoy, his dark past and troubled childhood, his inventions and recognition...It was all gone?

How was he supposed to react to that?

Severus felt tense and dizzy. He lay back down on the bed and stared upward at the ceiling, trying to focus on the situation and form a solution. It proved to be a huge struggle. He couldn't think straight and his entire being felt wrong or out of place.

If he walked out of the Hospital Wing right now, not a single person would recognise him. Not even the great Albus Dumbledore. He knew what Poppy said was true, because now she had mentioned it, he too remembered the mythical magic she spoke of. It was said to be one of the most ancient and rarely-sighted forms of magic in the entire world.

Worse of all, it was entirely non-reversible.

And suddenly, he had pushed away from the bed and was on his feet. Severus swore and paced the space of floor nearby his bed. He even kicked the bed, which only caused himself pain, and cussed some more. He ranted and raved, shouted himself nearly hoarse, then sank to the floor to let loose an animalistic groan of despair.

'Severus-' Poppy reached for him, but he smacked her hand away.

'Don't.' Severus said in a low, angry tone. 'Just...Don't.'

'I most certainly will!' Poppy frowned at him. 'You may be fifteen now, but you have the memories and experiences of your former self. This is an opportunity to shed your past and start over! It is a blessing.'

'A blessing?' Severus glared at her. 'I have lost everything I had left! I have no place to go, and what am I supposed to do now? My merit of Potions Mastery is gone along with my name. I am nothing!'

'Cease the theatrics, Severus Snape!' Poppy, with alarming strength, grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. She pushed him back to his bed and cast a sticking charm to keep him there.

She stood over him in an intimidating manner, and Severus felt very small under her stern gaze.

'I may be the only person who remembers you, but I am also one of the few who knew you better than most.' Poppy lectured. 'The countless times I have seen you come here, nursing an injury or fighting an illness you only admitted to having because Lily refused to believe your stubborn denial. You made many terrible decisions, yes, and yet you came back. You sought redemption and I know deep down you care more than you'll admit, Severus Snape.'

She looked away, as though she was trying not to be emotional.

'It was easy for others to think of you as Professor Snape, but I never forgot how many turned their backs on Severus.' Poppy said. 'The shy, eleven-year-old boy I first met when you'd burnt your hand trying a new spell - that is who I felt the most sorry for.'

'I don't need your pity.' Severus snarled.

'It wasn't pity, young man! It was a sadness towards how unfair life could be to a child.' Poppy snapped back. 'Do you think I never noticed the bruises? The flinching? The fearfully wide eyes, as though any ounce of trust you granted me was at a high risk to yourself?' She shook her head. 'And now, for me to be the only person in the world who does remember any of that? No, Severus, I can't stand by a second time. You have to accept this for what it is - a second chance. You need to go somewhere else, to be with people who will love you. You deserve a do-over.'

'I deserve nothing of the sort.' Severus growled. 'Don't preach to me about how miserable my childhood might have been. I lived it!'

Poppy opened her mouth to argue back, but the door to the Hospital Wing opened and a rather unexpected visitor approached them.

'I hope I'm not interrupting.' Molly Weasley said, seeing Poppy was with a patient. 'I just wanted to make sure my son is as well as he claims to be.' She said, referring to Ron and his night-time venture down the trapdoor. 'His friend Hermione Granger was there as well?'

'You son was a bit bruised, but he is fine now.' Poppy said. 'He suffered no long-term effects from being knocked out by the giant chess pieces. Miss Granger only required a calming draught, and she has otherwise fully recovered from the experience.'

As the two women talked, Severus crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the end of his bed.

When Lily died, he lost almost everything with any ounce of meaning to him in his life. And now, Harry Potter had stripped him of whatever he'd had left. The brat reduced himself to a three-year-old, which was bad enough without dragging Severus down with him. He didn't acknowledge that the boy hadn't cast the magic, and there had been no escape from it, because Severus believed if the brat had just stayed where he was supposed to be than none of this would have happened.

Tuning into the nearby conversation, Severus realised Molly really hadn't recognised him at all. He may be years younger, but he still resembled his older self in a way, and he was dressed in the exact attire of Professor Snape. It was silly, he soon realised, to think Molly could automatically realise it was him from a mere glance. The sharp truth that Poppy would forever be the only person to remember Severus Snape was turning his insides even colder.

Why did he care so much?

This was his chance to start over, as Poppy had said. It was an opportunity to form a new reputation untainted by his sickening servitude to Lord Voldemort or any other aspect of his background. With that in mind, he checked his left forearm and saw the dark mark itself had been erased. It wouldn't be too difficult to regain his Potions Mastery, he supposed, even if he had no money for his studies. He could return to Spinner's End and work odd jobs to afford his “education”, and sell potions on the side. Under a false name, of course, to avoid further suspicions.

It wasn't necessarily doomed from the start, if it weren't for the fact he still had a vow to watch over the Potter brat. And where would Harry go? Not with him, that's for sure!

He then remembered the Weasleys were rather fond of the boy, from what he had overheard and noticed by the tell-tale jumper the brat wore during Christmas. Would the Weasleys take the boy into their care if they had no clue who he was? Severus despised the memory alterations on everyone else, as it only made things more difficult in regards to the child.

Without realising, he decided he wanted Molly to know the truth.

Poppy was startled when Molly suddenly gasped and clutched her head, grasping the end of Severus' bed to steady herself. A flash of light had Severus shoving a pillow in front of his face, in memory of what happened earlier, though he soon lowered it with embarrassment. He should have reached for his wand, not a pillow! As Severus looked around for his absent wand, only to find it inside one of his pockets, Molly turned to look at Harry and then Severus with confusion and strained recognition.

'Who stopped You-Know-Who ten years ago?' Poppy asked Molly almost immediately.

'Harry Potter, of course.' Molly's expression showed she thought Poppy had asked her a really silly question. 'Why are you asking? Has something happened to him?'

'A moment ago you did not even know who Harry Potter was.' Poppy looked at Severus, whose eyes were wide and filled with a typical expression of teenage guilt. 'Severus?' She asked in a firm voice, being quite certain she knew what had just occurred.

'It was an accident!' Severus growled.

He had one person to pick who would know about his secret de-aging, and of his former life, and he had just wasted it on Molly Weasley. It should have only happened if he realised what he was doing! Severus snarled and wanted to sleep the entire situation away. He felt confused, as his fifteen-year-old mind was conflicting with his thirty-two-year-old conscious. He was torn between kicking things and trying to think of a reasonable solution, so instead he merely sat there and sulked as Poppy explained to Molly what was going on.

Gripping his wand tighter, Severus ended the sticking charm on his bum, and jumped up from the bed. He muttered an excuse about needing to take a walk to clear his head, and marched out, only to fall onto the floor because he'd stumbled on his former clothes. Glaring at the material, he didn't bother shrinking them to fit as he alternatively shed the outer layers. Standing in his white shirt and black pants, Severus rolled up his sleeves and stormed from the Hospital Wing, ignoring the chuckles from behind him.

Severus had no idea where he was going.

He walked and walked, turning corners and descending stairs along the way. It wasn't clearing his head at all, but his real motivation to leave was because he could not stand sitting in bed any longer. Not with a three-year-old comatose Harry Potter beside him. It was still early in the day and breakfast hadn't even started, so Severus didn't come across anyone in his anger-fuelled walking.

His strides were as long and purposeful as always, though he felt a bit awkward in his younger body.

Reaching the dungeons, Severus didn't go to his quarters, and instead exhaled with exhaustion and sank against a wall in the shadows. He curled his arms around his legs and rested his chin on his knees, still gripping his wand, as he thought about the recent events and what they meant. Severus didn't know what to do. He thought it would be like being in a teenager's body with an adult's mind, except it felt as though he had both ages in his mind. He had thirty-one years of experiences, skills, education, memories, and so on - yet it was all crammed inside his new fifteen-year-old self.

The realisation that he was stuck this way, at the mercy of anyone who obtained authority over a teenager, really struck him hard. It almost caused Severus actual physical pain to think about what he was going to do now. Poppy said he would age several years in the next however many days, but how much older would he get? Hopefully, he would at least be of legal age to use his magic.

It was something he had taken for granted.

Severus felt very vulnerable, and even scared of his uncertain future. He always had to plan his major goals, while relying on his careful composure and striving determination to get through them. His usual instincts and skills were there, but he had trouble grasping any composure he usually had that prevented him from being too emotional or affected by his surroundings and the pressing situations.

Severus didn't know how long he sat there on the stone floor of the chilly dungeons, sniffling and feeling sorry for himself. It can't have been too long, as no Slytherins passed him and he remained alone. Until Mrs Weasley found him with the aide of a locater spell.

'Are you alright, dear?' She asked him kindly.

'What do you think?' Severus grumbled and didn't look at her. He kept his dark gaze on the wall opposite him in the corridor.

'What are you going to do now?' Molly continued, unaffected by his sharp tone. She wasn't surprised by his mood, in consideration of what he was going through.

Her question received no response, which said more than his words could have. Poppy had told her quite a lot, not just about the past day that led them to where they were now, but of how desperately Severus needed something he'd never had before: someone to care about him, to fully accept him as he was, and to teach him what it meant to be a person, not a burden.

Molly had come to talk to him, but when she found Severus crouched on the floor in tears, all she could see was a lost child. He was fifteen – that was one year younger than Percy, and a year older than her twins. She felt incredibility sad for Severus, and all Molly could think about was how alone he must feel now. He was confused and on his own in a world that had completely forgotten he even existed.

Molly felt there had to be a reason why he chose for her to know the truth, of all people, and decided she had a duty to help him.

'I know this must be very difficult to adjust to.' Molly said, knowing the tempers of emotional teenage boys and therefore spoke with practised calmness.

She didn't want him to think she was pitying him or telling him what to do, because it always brought about undesirable reactions at times like this.

'Essentially, right now you're fifteen years old and an orphan. Your options at the moment are very few. How about you hop up off the floor and we can discuss if you'd like to stay with my family?'

'What?' Severus looked at her with surprise. 'Why?'

Molly wasn't sure if he asked why she would make a promising offer like that, or why he would even consider such a thing. She answered regardless, giving him a stern motherly look as she did so.

'It is your best option. I know who you are and I have the room for you to stay in, until you're comfortable facing the world on your own.' Molly explained. 'Come on, up you get.' She instructed.

Severus, despite his glaring, did as he was told and watched Molly with caution. He was pleased to notice he wasn't looking up at her, as he had always been rather tall for his age. He wasn't happy to remember most of the Weasleys were rather tall for their ages as well. The last thing he wanted was to stay in a house of Gryffindors, or have anything in common with them. He wanted to tell Molly he was fine on his own, as he wasn't really a teenager, and he could look after himself without any assistance.

He followed her back to the Hospital Wing, preparing a speech for all the reasons he hated her offer and why he had to disagree to it.

Stepping inside the room he had fled from, Severus evaded Poppy's hand, which had been aimed to cuff him on the back of his head for making her worry, and moved to sit on his bed again. The truth was, he had nowhere to go, and no one knew who he was. Staying at Hogwarts with Poppy would be easy enough for a while, though even Severus could not find a convincing enough reason to return to his own quarters and go about his usual routines.

In a few days, the summer would begin and no students were supposed to be at Hogwarts during that time anyway. He wasn't a student, but if he stayed then Severus might have to be one. What happened when his age increased every few days? How could he explain it all to those who had no idea who he was?

'I cannot accept your offer.' Severus told Molly. 'I may very well have lost access to all of my belongings, and therefore the funds inside my vault. I would have no way of paying you in exchange for your hospitality. I would only be a burden on your time, resources, and your family.' He said, having no idea what he was going to do other than return to Spinner's End as he had originally planned.

'Nonesense!' Molly waved off his words. 'My family recently won a lottery, and we have plenty of funds to care for you in addition to our children. We will have no trouble finding you somewhere to sleep.' Molly explained, though there was still the mystery she and her husband could not solve in regards to who had placed their name into the special once-every-ten-years lottery, as each were convinced they hadn't.

They couldn't, anyway, as it was the sort of event one could only be a part of if nominated by another.

'You're a child, Severus.' Molly added. 'Your company wouldn't be a burden at all.'

'I am not a child!' Severus snapped. 'I am an adult. I can take care of myself, as I have been for the past twenty-five years!'

In his frustration towards being treated like the age he looked, but felt he was not, Severus did not realise he hadn't taken the time to amend his words to fit his sense of private protection over his secrets. He had not meant to reveal he had been looking after himself since he was a small child, rather than when he'd graduated from Hogwarts. Severus didn't even notice his slip-up, as he was too annoyed with his current age to think of much else.

'Your adulthood is only memories now, Severus.' Poppy reminded him. 'You ARE fifteen. You'll age a few years over the next two weeks, which will make your moods further erratic, but you need to accept the truth of your situation. More importantly, no one knows who you are, so you'll judged only by what they see. And what we see right now is a fifteen-year-old boy with an attitude problem.' She frowned.

'Severus.' Molly sighed. 'With the current situation, you have very little control over your life until you're of age. If we don't act fast, you could be placed under the influence of the Ministry or put into an orphanage. I think the best thing you can do right now is allow me to help you. I can make the arrangements to say we adopted you at fifteen, but alter the dates. It's a safety net, that's all.' She reasoned. 'When you age, you'll probably be older than seventeen so you'll legally be an adult. You can do what you want to then.'

'She's right.' Poppy joined in before Severus could object. 'It's your best chance right now.'

Severus glared at the two woman he felt were ganging up on him and not really giving him much choice at all, but he could not deny their logic. The idea of being adopted as a Weasley made his skin crawl, and yet he had suffered a lot worse in the past. It was just a name, and he wouldn't be staying there forever. Nodding his head, Severus agreed to the plan and lay back down on his bed.

He rolled over to face away from them, but listened keenly to their discussions about Harry.

'I would keep him here for observation until he wakes up,' Poppy was saying. 'But it would raise questions and I am visiting family over the summer. I haven't seen them in years and a lot of work was put into the plans. It's unavoidable.' She sighed regretfully. 'He doesn't need anything, just checking up on. He'll wake when he's ready.'

'I can take him.' Molly decided, looking down at the small boy who had been the best friend of her youngest son. She felt sad for Harry as well, if anything Ron had told her about his relatives were more truth than exaggeration.

'Are you sure?' Poppy asked, as she carefully lifted Harry from the bed and cradled his sleeping form in her arms.

'I wouldn't have said it otherwise.' Molly nodded with determination. 'He deserves this as much as Severus does.'

'He's nothing more than a spoiled brat.' Severus turned around again and faced them, angry that Potter was following him everywhere like a bad smell he couldn't get rid of.

He blamed Potter for the situation, and once again he was unable to hold onto any composure as his feelings spilled into his tone and posture.

'I don't want to stay in the same household as him.' Severus said. His usually eloquent speaking manner took lesser priority in his fifteen-year-old mind, which was cranky at everything outside his control.

'Severus Snape, you mind your tone!' Molly scolded.

'I am not a child.' Severus repeated as he stood again, getting further frustrated because he wasn't being treated his age. He was an adult, not a teenager!

'You're doing an excellent job of imitating one.' Molly shook her head with disapproval.

'I am an adult.' Severus reminded them. 'I may look like a teenager, but I'm not. Merlin, I am old enough to father a child!'

'Oh?' Poppy gave him a sharp look as she was at her wit's end with his disrespect and the absence of his usually rationally reasonable self. Even at fifteen he had been more composed and mindful than this, so the situation was clearly taking a strain on him. But she was not going to let him use it as an excuse for his behaviour, as she took his words to heart and gently placed Harry into his arms.

Severus was startled by her action and had to quickly shift his weight so he didn't drop Harry, who wasn't light - even at the young age of three. 

'Then congratulations, Severus.' Poppy told him while Molly looked on with amusement, thinking Severus had gotten himself into quite a predicament.

'It's a boy!'

'Are you ready?'

Molly's question was simple enough, yet Severus was unable to answer.

He quietly stood beside her in Poppy's office, where they faced the still fireplace, and pondered on the past hours. They'd been so preoccupied that Severus had found little time to think, not that he was sure what was left to think about other than his own confusion and dread regarding being fifteen again.

They'd been lucky no one required the Hospital Wing that morning. As the clean room remained relatively empty for hours, there had been no need for partial explanations or spontaneous distractions. Who Harry and Severus were remained between the two people they had designated to know, willingly or not.

The only explanation that did occur was when Molly floo-called Arthur to briefly inform him of the situation. She was magically unable to reveal in-depth details about who Severus really was, or any specifics regarding the de-aging, but Molly somehow managed to let her husband know what was going on without too many informal gaps.

Arthur was quite shocked to understand he had a new “son”, and was now a grandfather at the same time, but he took it quite well. Upon seeing Molly's insistent and worried expression, he knew there was nothing he felt justified to object against, and therefore welcomed it with an open mind. Arthur also decided to leave work early so he could help the new members of his family get settled in.

While Molly talked to her husband, Severus retreated to Poppy's desk.

He fussed over the wording of his note to Dumbledore, to let the man know his Potions Master was taking time off from teaching to travel to exotic locations around the world in exploration of rare herbs to advance his studies. As he finished the note and sent it off with a house-elf, Severus had no idea what Albus would actually make it it. He wondered if it would make sense at all, since he hadn't mentioned his name. Even so, he felt obligated to at least inform the man regardless.

The last thing he had done to prepare himself for departure involved taking the risk of venturing outside the Hospital Wing.

He wandered the familiar path to the dungeons, with more confidence and self-control than his earlier fleeing. He hoped to retrieve some of the items in his quarters, and had not expected the rather odd occurrence that followed. He reached to touch the doorknob, but it wriggled under his palm and the door itself faded into the stone wall. Severus knew it was a very clever form of magical concealment, and decided not to both with the hassle of reserving it.

He was glad, at least, that his belongings would be left alone and his personal rooms untouched.

Molly and Severus weren't the only busy ones. Poppy rather impressively obtained the adoptions papers for Molly and Arthur to sign, then ventured discreetly to the Gryffindor tower. The students had since vacated the common room and dormitories, though Poppy didn't waste any time gathering Harry's trunk and otherwise.

She returned to her office the same time Severus sulked back into the room, and Molly ended her floo-call. Poppy quickly wrote a note to Dumbledore as well, alerting him that one of the Gryffindor 1st year boys had been removed from the school by his parents due to an unexpected illness. She evaded use of Harry's name by taking advantage of patient confidentiality magics.

That is what led to Severus and Molly standing in front of the fireplace, bracing themselves to leave Hogwarts. Everything was in order, and there was no further delays necessary. Severus held the sleeping boy in his arms again, much to his annoyance, and was unable to talk Poppy out of her decision to name him the brat's adoptive father.

She even had the forms for him to sign.

Molly glanced to the teenager with a smile, then sighed and nodded her head. Severus creased his eyebrows, then stepped into the fireplace with her. It was a rather difficult feat, as Severus held Harry carefully close and tried not to wince when Molly placed one hand on his shoulder while her other held a handful of floo powder. It was safer and far more practical for them to floo together, with Harry along for the ride, but that didn't mean Severus had to like it.

Poppy was distracted and exhausted, but remained in her office long enough to bid them farewell and good luck.

'The Burrow!' Molly called.

In a flash of green, they were gone.

Severus barely had time to think oddly of the location she had given, before he was stumbling unceremoniously from the fireplace.

His first impression of the Gryffindor dwelling was how it looked cosy enough, but very cluttered. He instantly knew the sort of place he would be staying in, with all the knitted items lying around and the second-hand items. There was a tiny resemblance to his childhood, only the burrow was filled with the warmth and welcome Spinner's End had long been robbed of.

'Ah, there you are!' Arthur heard the floo and came from the kitchen to greet them. 'And this fine young man must be Severus!' He held out a hand to shake, before realising Severus was using both of his own hands to hold Harry.

'Hello.' Severus said politely. He reasoned it would be rude not be somewhat civil, since they were letting him stay in their home for a length of time.

'Soon to be Severus Weasley.' Molly smiled proudly, causing the teenager to cringe. 'Come along, dear. You can put Harry down in Ron's room.' She said and directed him to the stairs.

'Can't you take him?' Severus asked, politeness forgotten. 'My arms are sore.'

'Oh, alright.' Molly nodded and accepted the child from him.

Arthur watched the exchange and didn't think Severus looked too tired at all, but didn't interject.

'I hear there's quite a predicament involving aging?' Arthur asked in a business tone, wanting to be well-informed of the situation. 'Do you know how many years you'll age?'

'No.' Severus frowned. 'Preferably more than two.'

He really wanted to be of age again. He had his wand with him, of course, and was glad he was staying in a magical household otherwise he'd have gone further insane without the free use of his magic.

'Well, we best make the most of it.' Arthur tried to remain optimistic. He wanted to get to know his newly adopted son, especially when Severus he wouldn't be a teenager for very long.

So far, he knew nothing about the boy at all.

'Are you hungry, dear?' Molly returned, looking at Severus with a motherly expression. 'It's nearly time for lunch. How about we all go into the kitchen? We can talk some more there.'

'Sounds like a plan!' Arthur nodded and followed his wife into the other room.

Severus exhaled with dread and trailed behind them, kicking lightly at the floor as he walked with his hands enveloped within his pockets. He sat in a seat across from Arthur, and rested his chin on the surface of the table. He didn't care how he looked because Severus deemed his situation to be horrible enough to bother even him.

He didn't realise how, despite his constant objections, he really was a fifteen-year-old boy.

'We'll need to take you shopping as well.' Molly said aloud to Severus, who was barely listening. 'Since you don't have anything with you, but that will have to wait. And we'll need to work out which room you can sleep in. I would put you and Harry in the twin's room but, oh it's quite a mess lately.' She shook her head with a frown. 'Maybe Percy won't mind sharing? We'll have to ask him when the others return home in a few days. You can sleep there until they do.'

'I don't think Percy will mind.' Arthur commented. 'So, Severus...' He clapped his hands together once and tried to be enthusiastic. 'Would you like a tour?'

'No.' Severus answered in a dull tone. 'I'm not hungry either.'

'A growing boy needs to eat.' Molly fretted.

She placed a sandwich in front of him, which caused Severus to sit upright and glare at it for taking up his head-resting space. He grunted and felt his stomach betray him with a growl of hunger. While he ate, Severus looked around with very little interest, and turned back to Arthur.

'How many children do you have?' Severus wondered, knowing he had taught two of them in the past, and there were at least four more at Hogwarts. He imagined it was going to be an utter nightmare to have them all running around the house in a few days.

Severus promised himself he'd make the most of his mild peace until then, and find any location or activity in which he can use to escape everyone.

'Seven.' Arthur answered. 'Well, eight now.' He offered Severus a smile. 'Bill and Charlie have already graduated. Bill was Head Boy and Charlie was Quidditch Captain. Percy is finishing his fifth year, in which he's prefect. The twins, Fred and George, are finishing third year. And Ron started this year. All Gryffindors.' He smiled proudly.

'Is Ginny still at the Lovegoods?' Molly wondered.

'Yes.' Arthur nodded. 'They'll drop her off in time for dinner.' He answered his wife. 'Ginny is our youngest child, and only daughter.' He added to Severus. 'She'll be starting Hogwarts next term.'

Severus wisely decided not to comment, as he chewed his sandwich and mused to himself. He thought seven kids was a lot, and wondered how any parent coped with a horde of Gryffindors and the resulting all-hours-of-the-day chaos.

He'd had enough trouble keeping his sanity while teaching classes with the brats.

'Did you attend Hogwarts?' Arthur recalled Molly saying Severus had been of age, and then de-aged, or something like that.

'Yes.' Severus answered, wishing he could say the truth about being employed at Hogwarts as the Potions Master. 'I was in Slytherin.'

'Ah.' Arthur fell quiet at that.

He looked to his wife and was unsure of what to say next. Severus hid a smirk with his final bite; he knew Gryffindors didn't generally feel talkative when a Slytherin was in non-offensive close proximity, such as within their household. Arthur didn't seem to hold it against him, but the moment did become a bit awkward for the red-haired man.

'Do you know where Ginny put the camera?' Molly asked her husband after several minutes of quiet.

'I think it's in the living room.' Arthur answered.

Severus watched Molly with alarm, wondering what she needed a camera for. He hated getting his picture taken at all costs.

'Why do you want a camera?' Severus asked irritably.

'We need to create a convincing background.' Molly explained. 'Because you'll age quickly in a few days, this is a good chance to take some photos of you as though you have been living here for years. We'll have some of you in the garden, and things like that.'

'Oh.' Severus thought it was quite clever, even if he despised the entire idea of it. 'When are we going shopping?'

'We would go now, except there is still so much to do.' Molly sighed. 'Why don't you get settled in, and then we'll find you something to wear? I'm sure I have some things of the other boys that would fit you.'

Severus glanced at the clothes he had on and didn't like the idea of wearing anything that wasn't purely his own, even if he had nothing else with him. A blush crept across his usually pale cheeks when he realised he had no pyjamas or clean underwear either. Unable to think about the concept of not only living in the Weasley household, with all the heathens, and share their surname, but wear handed-down clothes as well, Severus felt he needed to get away.

'I think I'll take a walk outside.' He said, already making his way to the door.

Stepping into the yard, Severus looked around and hadn't expected there to be so much open space available to him. As he stood outside the door of the house, with the shed a short distance away on his right, Severus took in the sight that expanded far in front of him. To his left was a creek, which he assumed was warded because seven children had grown up near it over the years - it would be really dangerous otherwise, for small children.

Like Harry.

Severus looked over the creek to the lush, grassy hills on the other side. He could reach the area by following the long dirt driveway, which passed by the creek, and spread further than his eyes could see. He took a short walk around the house, and saw a fenced garden out the back, and more landscape. There were plenty of trees in the backyard, which provided a lot of shade. Randomly, Severus' first thought was that they looked good for climbing, but quickly dismissed such childish notions.

Walking back around, Severus decided to wander along the road and wherever he felt like going, rather than pick an actual destination and aim for it. Truthfully, he was tired of choosing his path then dedicating himself to it. He liked to be able to wander and explore, much like he and Lily had before attending Hogwarts.

They'd been simpler times, undaunted by battling sides or tiring duties.

Severus felt calm to be there, surrounded by the country lifestyle the Burrow provided. He'd only ever lived in darkened, confined areas with a lot of walls and nearby occupants. Kicking lightly at the natural path stretched ahead of him, Severus knew he be dirtier more often in such a place, making mental note to choose jeans over nice slacks when he went shopping. Dirt didn't bother him much, as he wouldn't have become a Potions Master if it had, but he did like to look presentable in a dignified manner.

With his hands shoved into his pockets once again, Severus wandered around the yard and let his thoughts shift between topics. As the cool breeze blew his black hair out of his face, Severus found it hard to believe Harry Potter was there as well, while it was quiet and almost peaceful. He hated being a teenager again, but Severus had to admit he was feeling more alive than he had in a very long time. It almost made him forget why he hated the age of fifteen the most, with what had happened in his 5th year with Lily and then what waited for him at Spinner's End that summer.

-- 

Distracted by the walk he actually enjoyed, Severus didn't realise how much time passed by until Molly called him back to the house. His mood settled, Severus returned to the magic-sustained building and went inside. Molly was in the living room - on the floor in front of her were several boxes, each labelled with familiar names. Severus read the names of William, Charles, and Percival, which he assumed were the older brothers.

At least for now, he hoped.

'Let's see what we have here.' Molly bent down to sort through the boxes. She made selections from each, and draped them over a nearby armchair.

Severus stood halted to the spot and felt uncomfortable as he watched her hold u shirts to him and then pants. A blush returned to his cheeks as he stared intently at the floor, barely heeding her instructions to turn around or lift his chin.

'Try these on, dear.' Molly piled clothes into his arms and told him where Percy's room was.

Severus hurried from the room, careful not to drop anything, and located the prefect's bedroom upstairs.

Not knowing what to expect, though remaining cautious as it was the dwelling of a teenage Weasley, Severus pushed open the door with his foot and looked around. He was surprised by how neat it was. There was a made bed with a thick, coloured quilt on the right-side corner. A desk sat beside it, with a window to look out of, which overlooked the creek and showed the hills in the distance.

Not taking in the rest of the appearance, which was mostly bookcases and a wardrobe that had a Gryffindor tie draped over it, Severus shut the door and was dismayed to find there was no lock on it. Remembering this was an entirely magical home, he cast a locking charm just in case, and dumped the clothes on the bed.

He stared at them with the same analytical frown he aimed at gathered ingredients he was yet to properly sort.

Picking out several items of clothing he wouldn't be caught dead in, Severus tried on some jeans and found that only Charlie's fit him. Most of Percy's shirts were his size, though some of Bill's as well. The sweaters were all Bill's, and the shoes all Charlie's. Severus was in the process of pulling another sweater over his head when a knock at the door startled him.

'Well?' Molly's voice was heard through the wooden barrier. 'Show me which ones fit you best.'

'I can decide for myself!' Severus called back, though it was muffled by the sweater over his head.

He realised too late it wasn't big enough for him, and felt rather tight around him as though it was shrinking with his every movement. Squirming and trying to break free, Severus was deeply annoyed and humiliated.

He was truly stuck, and his wand was out of reach.

'Help.' He grumbled.

Severus feared he was going to fall over, and hit his head on the desk, if he couldn't get the sweater off before his usually-dormant claustrophobia kicked in. He heard the doorknob turn, then an unlocking spell. Severus couldn't see through the thick woold, but was thankful when Molly grabbed the top of the sweater and pulled it off his head.

'There you go, dear.' Molly said sympathetically, handing it to him.

She watched as Severus threw the offensive object onto the bed with lingering dislike. Molly observed the eight arranged piles Severus had made, and tried to hide her amusement.

'Which ones fit you?' She asked.

'Those.' Severus pointed to three small piles near the end of the bed. 'Those I am not wearing.' He indicated to another four. 'And these ones are not adequately my size.' He referred to the bigger pile near the wall.

Molly noticed the three main categories of piles, once he had pointed them out, and saw he had furthermore arranged them by colours, plain, or patterned. She agreed with most of his selections, though picked a few from his “not wearing” pile, such as socks or an additional sweater, and instructed him to try them on.

Severus protested, but conceded when he saw how stern she looked on the matter. Lowering his gaze to the wand in her hand, Severus decided he should try the sweater on if he didn't want it flying over his head against his will.

Being strangled by the other sweater was enough for one day.

'I hate it.' Severus complained and looked down at the object, not at all pleased to realise the scarlet sweater fit him flawlessly. He went to take it off, but Molly grabbed his shoulders and turned him around so she could see it better on him.

'I think it suits you.' Molly nodded. 'Charlie hardly wore it; it's still in very good condition. Try on the socks.'

Severus looked at the golden socks and felt she was dressing him as a Gryffindor. He had already selected all the black, grey, and white socks that fit him and didn't see why he needed more.

'I refuse to wear them.' Severus said adamantly, trying to pretend he didn't notice the sweater he still wore was rather comfortable. 'I will keep this sweater, and two pairs of blue socks, if you stop insisting I wear things I don't like.'

'And three more shirts, with colour.' Molly negotiated.

'Fine.' Severus ground out through his teeth and reconsidered his options.

Picking a chequered blue shirt that buttoned up at the front and had long sleeves, a plain brown shirt, and a maroon striped shirt. He then exchanged the horrid red pajamas she had placed on his “keep” pile for a grey-blue set.

Molly was satisfied with his choices and gathered the remainder of the clothes. She left the room to return the items to the designated boxes, and Severus was glad she was gone. Looking around, Severus wasn't sure where to put his second-hand clothes. He sat on the edge of the bed awkwardly and waited for Molly's predictable return.

'There should be room in these drawers.' Molly said, walking to Percy's dresser to check the top drawers. 'He stores most of his Hogwarts attire in there, which he has with him.' She explained and held out her arms for the clothes.

Molly wished all her sons carefully folded the materials like Severus did before handing them to her. He watched her arrangements carefully, as though trying to memorise the exact location of each item or check none of the ones he didn't like had been sneaked inside.

'There. That will do until we get more furniture.' Molly stepped back and glanced Severus over. 'Ginny will be home soon, so you'll get to meet her. I'll put on a pot of tea in the meantime.'

Severus didn't answer, being too reoccupied with glaring at her.

'You can't very well walk around in those clothes, they're much too big for you.' She shook her head, taking no notice of his mood. 'Why don't you pick something from your new clothes and come downstairs for some tea and biscuits?'

Severus said nothing, and scowled at her until she left the room. He slammed the door shut and cast the locking charm again. Sighing, he knew his former clothes were uncomfortable and probably made him look very ridiculous. Stripping, he changed into a dark pair of jeans, a plain bottle green shirt, and pulled a slightly faded black sweater over his head.

Standing in the full-length mirror for over ten minutes, and deciding he could be seen in such clothes, Severus turned to leave the room. He reached for the knob and bumped into the door, grimacing as he'd forgotten to unlock it first. Convinced the entire house had put a curse on him, Severus stomped the entire way from the room and down the stairs.

He paused on the bottom step, having heard a girl's voice in the kitchen. Thinking this was the youngest Weasley child, Severus suddenly felt rather uncomfortable. Exhaling, he stepped into the room and made his way to the table. Sitting in a random chair, he rested his chin on the wooden surface once again, and sulked to himself.

'Hello,' said the shy ten-year-old. 'I'm Ginny.'

'Hello.' Severus returned and assumed she already knew his name.

'He's had an emotional day.' Molly assured Ginny.

The girl looked rather anxious to be his company. Severus was her new older brother, but also a complete stranger.

'Your new nephew is upstairs in Ron's room.' She added. 'If you would like to see him.'

'Oh, yes!' Ginny smiled and hurried to the stairs, running up them in eagerness to see Harry. She thought all little kids were rather cute, and Ginny had never been an aunt before so she was rather overjoyed to hear she was one now.

Severus, however, thought he must have been in his room longer than he'd realised because Ginny seemed very well-informed of what was going on.

'Where is your husband?' Severus noticed Arthur's absence.

'He's outside in the shed.' Molly said over her shoulder. 'Why don't you go and tell him to come inside for some tea?'

Severus was about to argue, but huffed and left the table.

He strode to the door and shoved it open with more force than what was necessary. Once outside, his gaze trailed in various directions again. He felt mildly calmed by the scenery and cool afternoon breeze. When he was alone, and not being strangled by sweaters, Severus realised how he had been behaving. It started to worry him, because his adult mind was briefly blocked out in moments where he did things like slamming doors and pouting.

He looked upwards at the blue sky, and wondered if it had anything to do with the lightning that had brought about the entire horrible experience. And Potter's foolishness, of course, which Severus reminded himself was also to blame.

He was concerned by his inability to remember his proper manners, composure, and dignified habits when they should matter the most. Unlike the past, even when he'd been fifteen the first time around, Severus had very little control over his behaviour this time around. It made him feel vulnerable, to the point his new age was a fearful factor. His younger self appeared to be alien to him, and also the one deciding how he reacted to his feelings and the situations thrown at him.

Walking to the shed, Severus knocked on the door and peered around it to see what Arthur Weasley was doing. The man was examining something that resembled a telephone, but he decided not to question the insanity of it.

'Ah, Severus.' Arthur greeted him with a smile. 'Would you like to have a look at this?' He asked with eagerness.

'No.' Severus frowned. 'I've seen a telephone before. I came to inform you there is tea in the kitchen.' He said. 'I'm going for another walk.' He added and left the doorway of the garage, knowing he had to keep his distance from the older wizard.

Severus thought Mr Weasley looked like a decent person and a good father, but Tobias Snape had been neither. However temporary or lacking in fact, Severus did not like the idea of having a new father-figure in his life, in memory of how badly it had gone the first time around. No, it was best he stayed away from Mr Weasley and avoided any memories or uncertainty associated with the man's position in the family.

He missed what Arthur said to him, as Severus trailed along the dirt path of the driveway and turned towards the hills. Walking up the sloped grassy area, Severus stood at the top and overlooked the continuing plains of hills and bushes. It looked so far, though some hills blocked a lot of the view beyond. Severus stood there for a long time, taking in the sight and leeching the calmness it provided him.

He thought he would really enjoy living at the burrow if he was the only other person there.

Later that night, Severus hid in Percy's room to evade the general chatter in the kitchen as the family prepared for dinner. When he'd returned to the house near sunset, Molly had commented how nice he looked in his new clothes, and Arthur had tried to strike up a conversation about muggle technology.

Severus hadn't said a word, and headed straight for the stairs.

They didn't understand how hard this was for him. He wasn't just being adopted and moving into a new household, he was also adjusting to being many years younger than he originally was. It felt unnatural, probably because it was, and Severus longed for the silent darkness of his familiar former residence.

There was a knock at the door of the bedroom that wasn't his, which he chose to bluntly ignore.

'Severus?' Molly appeared in the doorway, looking towards where he sat on the edge of the bed. 'It's time for dinner.'

'I'm not hungry.' Severus told her.

'Nonsense! You've hardly eaten a thing all day.' Molly scolded. 'Come along, before it gets cold.'

'I said, I don't want to!' Severus snapped and glared at her, slightly startling the woman.

'Now listen here, young man.' Molly frowned. 'There is no need to be rude. This is an adjustment for all of us, but we're doing the best we can. I will not allow my new son to brood in his room all day. You need to eat, and I respect Percy's wishes to never allow food in his bedroom.'

'Fine!' Severus growled, mostly because he was rather hungry. 'But I reserve the right to be under no obligation to continue or participate in any form of conversation.' He insisted and marched passed her.

He stormed down the stairs, and halted on the final step, as he felt a shift of discomfort again. Ginny and Arthur sat side-by-side and were talking about something he cared nothing for. Severus picked the chair furtherest from them and sat down. Molly finished putting the plates on the table, then annoyed him further by sitting directly to his left.

He glared at her for good measure, then served himself some delicious rolls, vegetables, and mouth-watering roast chicken and potatoes, with gravy. He had to admit, though only to himself, that Mrs Weasley was a great cook. Severus would bet five Galleons it even tasted better than what the Hogwarts house-elves made.

The meal went by without Severus saying a single word.

Molly must have said something to the others because they left him in peace, even if Arthur kept looking his way and seemed to want to ask something. Dessert was a bowl of strawberry ice cream, with a light fruit salad, which Severus also enjoyed despite trying to retain his moody frown. He felt stuffed after the meal, with Molly urging him to have seconds of everything, and didn't know if he had the effort to leave his chair.

Ginny headed up to her bedroom, leaving Severus alone with the two adults. He furiously reminded himself he was technically an adult as well. He knew something important was about to be discussed, with the serious looks the pair exchanged, and decided he would endure it.

'Tomorrow we will work on taking photos of you while you're still fifteen.' Molly spoke first. 'Then we'll need to talk about Harry. Poppy wasn't joking when she assigned him to your care. When he wakes, you'll be older and therefore it will be your responsibility to care for the child.'

'We will help you in any way we can, of course.' Arthur added. 'Being a father is a serious responsibility, but it is also very rewarding.'

'Normally, we wouldn't place so much on you like this and would raise Harry ourselves, but you insisted on being an adult and old enough to father a child. You must accept the consequences of that decision.'

Severus said nothing, thinking they were both insane and had forgotten what a brat the boy could be. He supposed Arthur really had forgotten, but Molly didn't understand how annoying a Potter could be. Once she saw how wild the kid was, Severus was confident she wouldn't take the boy so lightly or pamper him with attention.

'We also need to sign the adoption papers.' Arthur unrolled two parchments, while Molly summoned some ink and a slightly battered quill. 'The first is for your adoption, which we have given you a new name. As our child, we felt it was fitting. The other is for Harry – you can choose his middle name, if you wish.'

Severus was irritated they had given him another name without his approval or knowledge. He snatched the parchment and stared down at it, reading “Severus Isaac Weasley”. He supposed he could live with that. The entire “Tobias Snape” had been erased, like a burden being lifted, but Severus did not dare to let them know how unsettled something so simple had had caused him to feel.

It was just a name, Severus tried to reason, and yet its effect on him was rather confusingly profound.

Severus read the entire roll of parchment very carefully, looking for anything he didn't agree with or any loopholes he could exploit in the future. It was ironclad, and he found little fault in it. Signing his signature, Severus then turned to the other unrolled length of parchment. It was basically identical, though the new name of the child had not been filled out. He glanced at “Harry James Potter”, and wanted to erase that painful reminder just he had with Tobias. He thought about it for a long time, until he finally wrote “Harry Liam Weasley”.

Severus would have given the boy his name as the child's middle name, as it was traditional for father's do give their first-born son's such, but Severus was not entirely convinced he was anything like the boy's father at all. He hadn't even agreed to raise the brat, and intended to spend his time convincing the Weasleys to do it, as he knew they would love him well enough. Spoil him as well, no doubt, but Severus didn't care as long as the boy was safe and not his burden to bear.

--

Severus lay on Percy's bed later that night, looking upwards at the ceiling with his hands resting behind his head. It felt uncomfortable at first, to be lying on someone else's bed, but Severus reasoned it was better than the floor, and Percy didn't need his room right now.

It wasn't very late at night, and Severus was still dressed in the hand-me-downs from earlier. Mrs Weasley had given him a fresh set of underwear she'd bought as a “just in case” a few weeks ago. Severus had shoved them into his assigned drawers and not acknowledged them since.

He had expected to be on his own during most of the time he spent at the burrow - to be treated at least as competently self-sufficient being. Severus couldn't have predicted that Molly would constantly be checking up on him to make sure he had enough to eat or wasn't going without something he needed. It had been downright annoying at first, but now Severus had accepted she'd be bothering him at random times during the day to hassle him about one thing or another.

The longer he was de-aged, the more he felt like it.

Severus, when he'd first woken in the Hospital Wing very early that morning, still considered himself exactly as he had been, only younger. As the hours slipped by, he had difficulty comparing how he felt now to how he had been at thirty-one. His memories were vague and he feared losing them. They haunted him every day, and reminded him why he had the self-preserving habits and attitudes he did, but Severus did not want to lose them.

Not entirely.

By nightfall, Severus felt his new age. He felt fifteen again. He tried to fight it, and reminded himself constantly that he was NOT a teenager and had simply been reduced to looking like one, until it stopped working. His experienced mind was still evident and he didn't lose that side of himself, but his teenage mind and body were dominant. Severus was, as he had been told, a fifteen-year-old wizard with the memories of a thirty-one-year-old.

They were beginning to be only that – memories.

His mind went to the only other person who might have any idea what he was going through. Harry Potter. The boy was still asleep, as expected, in recovery of what had happened. Severus never imagined it would be the boy who might be able to relate to his situation. Once he woke up, of course. All day he'd tried to come into terms with being younger again, and Severus felt he had accepted it enough to get a grip on his emotions and calm his outbursts. He hadn't really done much so far, but the urge to kick something and cuss had been there for the majority of the day.

Rising from the bed, Severus looked towards the closed door of his temporary room, and waited. He heard Ginny (judged by the lighter sounds of footsteps) walk by. Soon after, the adults followed. Severus glanced over at Percy's clock, which sat on the corner of his desk, and saw time had once again left him. Severus had more energy as a teenager, but it slipped away faster too.

He decided to shower and go to bed, as exhaustion was making itself known. He had expected as much, given the events of the day and the changes his body had to rapidly undergo.

Severus opened the door with a towel, his pyjamas, and a fresh pair of underwear draped over his forearm. He glanced warily up and down the corridor before he stepped out of the bedroom and sought the bathroom. Luckily, he had given himself a brief tour earlier to work out where the necessary locations were. Entering the bathroom, Severus thought it looked rather decent considering the patched and aged appearance of the rest of the house. He cast a locking charm, not taking notice of the actual lock on the door, and stripped his clothes to drop them into a nearby hamper.

He had to bite his tongue to stop from yelping when he turned the two shower taps and only cold water poured down on him. Severus wished, for all the things she had told him, Molly had mentioned it would take a moment for the water to warm up.

Once clean, Severus turned off the water and dried himself, still thinking about how different things were going to be. As he dressed in the grey-blue pajamas he had reluctantly picked out, Severus wondered how long he would be residing at the burrow. Molly had told him multiple times that he wouldn't be a burden, though he didn't believe her, and they had plenty of money and resources for him to stay a while. He didn't like that, as Severus believed he should earn his keep, as he was long ago taught.

However, he could not deny that the burrow offered him a safe haven from the rest of the world - whereas he'd otherwise be living in his hated residence in Spinner's End, unemployed, and fearful of his future.

Here, where he was too busy trying to hide from everyone and preserve his sanity, Severus had very little time to worry about everything else and what his future might hold. At least this way he could keep an eye on the Potter brat, rather than stress he wasn't doing his part as protector as per the vow he had made. Dumbledore may have forgotten it, along with the existence of Severus and Harry, but Severus didn't just vow to the headmaster. He vowed to himself, and to Lily, that he would keep the insufferable brat safe from harm.

Leaving the bathroom, after he'd hung his towel on the new designated rack, Severus flinched when Molly spotted him along the curled hallway.

'Ready for bed, dear?' Molly asked him.

'Yes.' Severus returned. 'And I wish to rest undisturbed.' He frowned, making a beeline for Percy's bedroom. Once inside, he exhaled with relief and walked to the bed. Laying down over the covers, Severus resumed his staring upwards and knew he couldn't sleep when his mind was still too active.

-- 

Another hour went by, and Severus was becoming a bit bored.

Yawning, he climbed under the covers of the surprisingly firm, yet comfortable, bed and closed his eyes. He used his Occlumency skills to try and sleep, but it was of little use. Rolling over, Severus was too stubborn to give up, until his agitations continued to climb. He knew he'd need drastic measures if he had any hope of getting some much-needed rest. Tossing back the covers, Severus walked to the door, and once again checked the area was clear before he left the safety of the bedroom.

He tip-toed down the somewhat spiralled steps and surveyed the kitchen. There was plenty of moonlight streaming through the windows, so Severus had little trouble trying to see. He gathered the things he needed, as quietly as he could, and placed them on the nearest counter.

'Severus? What are you doing up?' Molly's voice reached him.

His actions froze instantly, reminding him of the horrible sensation of being caught doing something he had hoped would go unnoticed. Not turning, Severus tried to keep his goblet from view as he answered.

'Nothing.' He said.

'I am the mother of four teenagers, Severus.' Molly sighed, as her way of letting him know she certainly didn't believe him.

She approached the counter to see what he was making. His shoulders hunched with defeat, Severus pretended to ignore her and appear as though he hadn't tried to hide his restlessness remedy.

'Lemon, honey, mint leaves, and milk?' Molly questioned.

'It helps me sleep.' Severus answered in a lowered voice, chopping the last of the leaves and sprinkled them into his milk. The honey was already blended in; all that was left was to slice the lemon and squeeze its juice into his goblet.

'I found a hot chocolate often does the trick as well.' She said, watching his precise movements with interest. 'You didn't need to sneak around the house, dear. Right now this is your home too - you can help yourself to anything you need.'

'This is not my home.' Severus said adamantly, still avoiding eye contact. 'I am merely a guest. I will not be staying here, Molly.'

'Bill and Charlie don't live here either, yet this is still their home.' Molly spoke in a softer tone than usual. 'Home is where you're cared for, not where you always reside.'

'Precisely.' Severus answered, clutching the lemon slice rather tightly as he held it over the goblet.

He didn't know why it bothered him, as it shouldn't, but this wasn't his family, not really. They pitied him and it wouldn't rest on their conscious to let him go homeless, and that was all it was, Severus convinced himself.

Finished his task, Severus waved his wand to clear up the mess, and moved to sit at the table. He wasn't surprised when Molly sat across from him, watching him with sympathetically kind eyes.

'Poppy told me a little about your background.' Molly revealed.

'She had no right to.' Severus growled, staring into the dull liquid contained within his goblet. It wasn't the same as the one he preferred, the one he'd made for Lily, and he was reluctant to drink it. Severus knew he'd have to, if he wanted to get any sleep.

'I'm glad she did.' Molly exhaled. She tried to keep her tone even and less frustrated, brought on by his constant attempts to shove her away before she'd barely said or done anything. 'The details were small, but sad. Severus, what you must have gone through... I can barely imagine.'

'It is hardly any of your business.' Severus still didn't look at her. 'I survived.'

'No matter what you may believe, Severus, you are my son now. I care. I worry about you, and I will do everything I can to make sure you don't suffer the same life you had in the past.'

'Why?' He finally lifted his shadowed gaze to hers. 'Why would you bother? I ridiculed your children at school, I despised the likes of your family for many years, and I belittled the best friend of your youngest son. That aside, I joined the Death Eaters, causing lasting pain and suffering to many. Do you get satisfaction out of charity cases like me? Or are you fulfilling some sort of twisted motherly duty by trying to fix me?' He was angry now, and it showed. 'I'm not a torn sweater! You can't fix what I am.'

His drink forgotten, Severus moved to leave the table, but Molly clamped a hand over his. He could have rudely shoved it aside, yet instead he sank back into his seat and glared at her, wondering what she had to say.

'You are broken inside, Severus.' Molly agreed. 'You don't need fixing, you only need to realise your own value so you can heal. Regardless of what you may believe, you are my child now. I love all of my children, and I would do anything if it meant they happily grew up knowing they are loved.'

'For the last time, woman – I. Am. Not. A. Child!' Severus snarled.

'To a mother, their son or daughter will always be a child even when they've reached adulthood. Do you think Bill, who is in his twenties, is no longer my child?' Molly asked sternly, determined to remain firm and patient. 'If you are not comfortable with having a new family, where you'll be accepted and loved, then I will not push you. But only if you can honestly tell me you don't want that. Tell me you are happy being forced to endure life on your own. That you're proud to react with coldness and indifference to hide the fact you care. And above all you truly think love, in any form, is utterly meaningless.'

Severus lowered his gaze, hating she was right, and did not say a word.

He had many objections regarding what she was saying, such as how he didn't intent to stick around very long and didn't think he deserved any kindness from a single person. He couldn't speak those words, though, because hers had an impact on him. The warmth of her hand over his caused him to look at it, and slowly pull away.

It was unfamiliar, and Severus did not like what he wasn't used to or couldn't control.

'I am undeserving.' Severus said quietly. 'Save your efforts, Molly. I cannot accept.'

The expression on his face, now illuminated by the moonlight, had never been so honest to her. His hurt, his belief that he deserved none of life's treasures, and his deep-cored suffering flitted over his face with just enough time for her to catch the emotions and meaning.

'Do you honestly believe, as a little boy, you deserved to be neglected?' Molly asked, a bit alarmed by what she had feared most. 'To be shouted at, and even harmed, by those who are supposed to care for you? Do you really think, during your time at Hogwarts, you deserved to be bullied and cast aside? That you deserved to be alone without love?'

Severus thought about her words, and knew none of it was his fault. His father's rage, his mother's depression, and the Marauder's arrogance - he was not to blame for any of it. Yet he had been conditioned by all those years of torment that somehow, in some way, it was also because of him.

There was just something about him people didn't like.

'Perhaps.' Severus shrugged. 'Why else would they despise me? Why else would Lily leave me after so many years of friendship? I chose to join the Dark Lord. I wanted to take the mark. I regret nothing more than my foolish errors, or petty desire for revenge and power, but at the time it was what I wanted.' He admitted.

'It took you that long.' Molly whispered. 'After all those years of hurt, and of suffering, you were bound to act out. I forgive you, Severus. Everyone makes mistakes. Yours were inexcusable at times, often horrible, and it led to a lot of pain, but I forgive you because you feel remorse. As long as you regret your unkind actions, and strive to make up for it, you will be forgiven.'

'I don't deserve it.' Severus repeated. 'I don't deserve any of it.'

'You think you don't deserve anything good?' Molly sounded close to tears, which only motivated Severus further to avoid her gaze. 'You have so much potential, Severus. There is a of of good in you if you'd just accept it. Let me help you. Allow this family to be your own as well, and show you what a real family is like. Will you give us a chance, dear?'

Severus didn't answer. He rose from his seat and gulped down his drink quickly, pulling a face at its coldness and strangely bitter taste. He magicked it to the sink, where it washed itself and returned to its place.

He kept quiet and turned to run up the stairs, no longer caring who he woke in his urgency to return to Percy's bedroom. Shutting the door, he gasped for breath, and rubbed his face with his hands. He inhaled and tried to calm himself, but he couldn't. Something was wrong with him. His careful methods of keeping composed were unreachable, disabling his ability to grasp control over his emotions and troubling thoughts. He rushed to the bed and pressed his face against the pillow.

He didn't cry, only because he was far too stubborn to shed a single tear on someone else's pillow.

The door opened, and Molly stood by the wooden frame, being every bit as concerned as she appeared. He wanted her to leave him alone, or at least give him the space to gather himself, but Severus couldn't say a word in worry his dam of insecurity and unexpected longing would break.

'Shhh.' Molly uttered. She stood over him, brushing black strands of hair from his face, as he sat upright and stared anxiously at the floor. 'There is nothing wrong with being upset by the injustice others have placed upon you. There is no shame in your tears.'

Severus closed his eyes tight, trying once again to remind himself who he was and the age he was supposed to be. He couldn't even focus on it, and fought to remember what it had even felt like.

Molly's soft tone in his ear, and gentle hand on his head, only made things worse. Severus thought on his own mother, who always cried in front of him and was easily emotional in her depression. She was supposed to be the strong one for her child, to comfort him when he was scared of his father or hurt by life's general harshness. During almost his entire childhood, Severus had to be careful not to anger Tobias and not upset Eileen.

When he was the one who was angry or upset, Severus had to hide it. Ever since he was a small child, he had to hide and protect himself. He instinctively continued to as he got older. It became as natural as breathing to him, until now, when everything he had taught himself to hide to overcome life's cruelty, slipped away.

With Molly's coaxing, Severus felt his determined grip on his tears begin to slacken.

He didn't know how it happened, but suddenly he had his hands over his face to try to conceal his tears. Molly was beside him, rubbing his back and whispering soothing words. It became too much for him to fight against. Severus leaned to his left, and pressed his hand-covered-face to her shoulder. She held him close, letting him cry for a hurt he could never admit to in the past, and a pain he would have covered up if something hadn't gone askew inside him since the de-aging.

He had no way of knowing this was exactly what fate had planned for him when he'd been temporarily reduced to a teenager.

And it didn't stop there.

After crying for a long time, though as quietly as he could, Severus told Molly how he had to comfort his mother when she cried, and protect himself the best he could against his father's drunken rage, and then travel the longer distances to his classes at Hogwarts to lessen his chances of bumping into the Marauders.

Severus told her how he felt when Lily had left him - taking his only bright glow of hope, and then marrying someone who he hated, who had hurt him, and who made her happy in wasys he hadn't been able to. And then the turmoil of losing her completely, apart from a Potter-like brat with her eyes, and the guilt he could never escape for it.

He talked and cried, in a way Severus could not remember ever doing before.

Molly held him in her soothing embrace and remained strong for him, until he stopped talking and his sobs subsided. She gently slid Severus sideways onto the bed, being careful not to wake him. Lifting his feet underneath the covers, Molly pulled the blankets up to his check and brushed some hair from his young face.

'Sleep well, Severus.' Molly whispered and kissed his forehead, before she turned to leave the room. 'You're safe here. I will never let someone hurt you like that again.'

Severus didn't feel any older the next morning, as the sun shone brightly through the window and lit up Percy's bedroom. He did, however, feel very mortified by his emotional display in front of Molly the previous night. His embarrassment won over his hunger, as he dressed in a pair of jeans and a striped green shirt, and refused to leave the room.

There was a knock at the door.

'Severus?' 

It was Molly, and Severus chose not to answer in hope she'd think he was asleep and leave him alone. The door opened and she looked into the room, seeing him sitting uncomfortably on the bed.

'Would you like a spot of breakfast?' Molly asked kindly. 'It'll just be us, dear. Arthur is at work and Ginny's up in her room.'

Severus reluctantly left the bedroom and followed her downstairs to the kitchen. He sat at the table, and wondered how he was going to eat all the food Molly put in front of him. He saw eggs, bacon, sausages, toast, and pancakes - it was more than he'd ever seen in his life, outside of Hogwarts.

'Just eat what you can.' Molly said when she saw his alarmed expression, as Severus stared at the food choices in front of him. 'How are you feeling?'

'Ridiculous.' Severus frowned. 'Being fifteen is very inconvenient. I despise every moment of it.'

He expected her to mention the dreadful event from the night before, but Molly never said a word regarding it. Instead, she talked about what a lovely day it was, with the sun shining and a cool summer breeze drifted through the open windows. She told Severus the plans she had for taking photos of him to build a convincing background, which Molly hoped to get a start on today.

'The boys will be home the day after tomorrow.' Molly added.

Though he knew when the school term ended without her reminder, Severus could tell she was simply trying to include him in conversation.

'Arthur and I will pick them up at the station in the morning. Ginny will probably want to come along as well. Will you be alright by yourself for a couple of hours?'

'Am I to constantly remind you I'm not a child?' Severus asked, spearing some bacon with his fork.

Molly didn't have time to answer when an owl's screech was heard. The pair looked towards the open kitchen window, as a beautiful snowy owl flew through it and landed skilfully on the table. It dropped a note onto Severus' plate and fixed him with a curious expression.

'Were you expecting post?' Molly asked, Neither of them recognised the owl.

'No.' Severus carefully picked up the note and read it.

Forgetting someone? Take care of her, Severus.

 

All the best,

Poppy.

Severus frowned at the simple words and glanced at the owl with renewed interest. He gave her a piece of his bacon, which she was very grateful for.

'What is it?' Molly wondered, seeing the way Severus stared at the bird.

She accepted the note he handed to her and read it over.

'Who's owl is this?'

'The boy's.' Severus said, slowly petting the animal's feathers. 'I suppose she is mine now, at least until the boy is older.' He sighed. 'Her name is Hedwig, if I recall.'

'Well, it certainly is a lovely bird.' Molly commented.

Severus didn't hear her.

He was thinking about the first time he'd seen Eeylops Owl Emporium, at Diagon Alley, when he was eleven. He'd pressed his hands to the glass, with his nose inches from it, as he stared into the store with longing. His mother could not afford an owl for him, nor would his father stand for having a bird in the house, but Severus had really wanted one. When he joined the Death Eaters, he'd never bought his own owl then either – he'd been too afraid that something would happen to it.

A very small smile appeared on his face while he continued to stroke the soft white feathers of his temporarily new familiar. Severus was going to take very good care of Hedwig, even if she wasn't really his to own.

--

After breakfast, Severus almost had to be dragged out of the house to get his picture taken in the backyard. He worked on the vegetable garden for a while, turning every now and again so Molly could snap a photo of him. He hated the arrangement, but remembered it was a cunning part of making his background as a Weasley far more realistic.

Severus didn't mind as much, really, since he got to work in the garden for hours, and Molly didn't linger the entire time. When he was done, his stomach rumbled with hunger, so Severus returned to the kitchen for something to eat.

'Ah uh!' Molly made an abrupt sound once she saw him, lightly smacking his hand away from the container of biscuits he'd been reaching for. 'We're going out to lunch, so don't even think about it.' She scolded him.

'Why wasn't I informed of this?' Severus frowned. 'I would much rather stay here.'

'I know you would, but we were both invited to lunch by the Lovegoods.' Molly said. 'It would be rude not to attend. Now go upstairs and shower. Wear something nice! We'll be leaving in twenty minutes.' She said sternly.

Severus, moody once again, made his way up the stairs and passed a nervous Ginny along the way. He sorted through his clothes and picked a pair of nice black slacks, a white long-sleeved shirt, and a deep silver vest. He changed into them after showering, and even made an effort to brush his hair.

Severus was always anxious meeting new people when he'd been younger. He had tried to always look presentable to increase his chances of making a good impression, which was something prefect Lucius Malfoy had always encouraged. When Severus got older, he learned how to hide his nervousness to seem smoothly in control. He tried to tap into those practised instincts again.

It was no use when his fifteen-year-old self had memories of certain methods, but no experience in using them.

He left the bathroom, which was on the left of Ron's room and under the attic, and made his way down a short set of stairs to pass Ginny's room, then more stairs and passed the twin's room (all which were indicated by a nameplate on the front of the closed wooden doors), and another lot of stairs before he had returned to his familiar landing outside Percy's bedroom.

It was there he paused, looking to the somewhat new door beside Percy's room. Severus passed by it every time he went from the kitchen to the room he was staying in, but previously he'd given it very little thought. Approaching the door, Severus pushed it open and looked directly across the room towards the bed, which was positioned horizontally under the closed, blue curtained window.

Resting under layers of soft sheets was three-year-old Harry.

Quietly, as though he could wake the comatose boy with his mere presence, Severus approached the bed and glanced down at the slumbering child. Harry looked much less troublesome and annoying when he was was sleeping, and in the form of a small boy. Severus wasn't sure why he had entered the room, but as he stood by the bed he felt transfixed by the sight of the child.

His hand reached towards the boy, as though to brush some hair from his face, but his action halted.

Hearing a sound behind him, Severus quickly left the room and shut the door behind himself, fearful of being caught inside the bedroom and accused of worrying about the toddler. He continued down the stairs, across the landing where Molly and Arthur's room was, then down and around the last lot of stairs to reach the kitchen.

'Surely you do not intend to leave the child here alone?' Severus asked Molly, who stood near the front door where she fussed with the collar of Ginny's shirt.

'Of course not!' Molly sounded offended by his question. 'Arthur will be home shortly to check up on Harry.' She said.

As if on cue, the fireplace roared with emerald fire, and Arthur stepped into the living room.

'Oh, what splendid timing.' Arthur said when he walked into the kitchen to see the three of them standing there. He moved to give Ginny a hug of greeting before he turned to his wife and new son.

'Are you heading off now?'

'Yes.' Molly nodded. She gave her husband a quick kiss on the cheek, which he returned, while the younger pair looked away. 'We should be back in an hour. Are you sure it's no trouble?'

'None at all!' Arthur waved dismissively. 'Go on, have fun. I'll see you when you return.'

'Alright, dear.' Molly exhaled with relief. 'Come on, you two.' She urged Severus and Ginny out of the house.

'Could we not simply floo to the Lovegood residence?' Severus asked, as they walked along the driveway. 'Or apparate?'

He followed the pair towards the hills and continued after them, going further across the landscape than he ever had on his own.

'They live just over the second set of hills, a bit to the right.' Molly pointed. There was nothing to see yet that confirmed her words - only grassy hills and a cloudy, otherwise blue sky.

Severus decided she had a point and fell silent.

They walked for another ten minutes. He soon spotted the odd-shaped house of the Lovegoods, where he noticed strange signs and drawings on the walls and path. Severus tried to remember if he knew anyone from the magical family, though no one specific came to mind. He was rather certain the Lovegoods were purebloods who often populated Ravenclaw house over the years - much like Weasleys did for Gryffindor, and Malfoys for Slytherin.

He stood awkwardly near the door with Molly while Ginny rushed forward to knock loudly on the wooden surface.

It was answered a moment later by Xenophilius Lovegood, who broadly welcomed them into his home. Severus was very reluctant to enter the house, given it's highly unusual appearance and his lack of knowledge towards the residents. He wanted to leave already, and wished Molly hadn't mentioned his existence to someone else. If she hadn't, he wouldn't have been invited to go anywhere and therefore would be free from doing so.

'This must be your new son!' Xenophilius took in the sight of Severus, amused and curious by his presence.

Severus nodded and felt anxious again.

The blonde wizard had several advantages over him, such as the literal one of being much taller than Severus was, combined with his ability to cast magic with no age restrictions. Severus hated being there, inside the bizarre house with a wizard he didn't know, and wished he could leave right away.

'Yes, this is Severus.' Molly introduced. She was distracted by looking around, as Molly had never been inside their house before either. 'Thank you for inviting us over for lunch. It was very kind of you.'

'There's no need to thank me.' Xenophilius chuckled. 'You're very welcome. It was high time for you to visit, as she keeps reminding me.' He looked towards the stairs.

A beautiful woman descended the spiralled steps with a smile gracing her features.

'Molly.' The witch said in warm welcome. 'I'm so pleased you could make it. And hello again, Ginny.'

'Hello, Mrs Lovegood.' Ginny said politely to the blonde-haired woman with silvery-grey eyes. 'Are Luna or Ivy around?'

'I believe Luna is in her room.' Serene Lovegood nodded. 'Xeno, could you call Ivy inside? If she's finished planting the new flowers under the window, of course.'

Xenophilius nodded and hurried to the back door to call his youngest daughter. The girl came running inside, her hands and cheeks smeared with dirt; somehow her light purple dress was spotless.

'I did it, Daddy!' Four-year-old Ivy beamed up at her father.

She showed him her hands, as though the dirt smears were evidence of what she had planted rather than the simple fact she'd spent time in the garden.

'Excellent, my dear!' He praised her. 'Why don't you go and wash up? We have company for lunch.'

'Hello.' Ivy said shyly to the Weasleys. A second later, in a whirlwind of excited movement, the girl hurried up the stairs after Ginny.

'Isn't she the cutest thing?' Molly gushed. 'And quite the bundle of energy too!'

'She is.' Serene smiled. She went to sit in one of the comfortable seats around the table. 'Do sit down.' She indicated to the other chairs.

Molly and Severus sat at the table, and the latter was very agitated. He tried to be polite and listen to the conversation between the two woman, while Xenophilius made tea nearby, but Severus wasn't interested. And he really didn't like visiting strangers without proper warning or preparation. Severus felt he was wasting his time, as he ate some stew and sipped the cranberry juice he'd been offered, which he suspected contained a mild dose of mint tea.

He didn't say a word to anyone, and avoided any discussions aimed his way.

'Harry will be four soon, I believe.' Molly's words caught Severus' attention, not because he hadn't known such a fact, but because the Lovegoods held no surprise towards the boy's pending birthday or his existence.

They were very well-informed and it irritated him, as he didn't know these people and yet they knew quite a lot about him.

'Excuse me.' Severus said abruptly.

He abandoned his half-finished meal when he got up from the seat, and marched to the door. He had wanted to demonstrate respectable manners as he endured lunch, but if he stayed any longer he knew he would say something quite rude. Crossing the path leading away from the door, Severus kept walking and did not stop. He took long, angry strides all the way back to the burrow.

Once there, he didn't even try to retrain himself as he stormed through the front doors. His dramatic entrance startled Arthur, who had been reading the Daily Prophet in the kitchen.

'Severus?'

'Leave me alone!' Severus snapped.

He headed for the stairs and hurried up to the bedroom he was staying in, intent on never leaving the house again. He took great satisfaction in slamming the door shut as loudly as he could, before he sat heavily on the bed and growled.

'Merlin's beard, boy.' Arthur uttered at the scene.

He followed after the teenager, despite what he had been rudely told about being left alone.

'Does Molly know you're here?'

'I don't care!' Severus called through the door, hastily casting a locking charm on it. 'Let her feel uninformed and see how she takes it. Go away!'

'Son, what is going on?' Arthur sounded exasperated. 'Did the Lovegoods say something?'

'I said, LEAVE ME ALONE!' Severus bellowed.

He wanted to be away from anyone who kept intruding upon his space and sanity.

He wondered what else Molly had said about him; what other secrets she'd told another without bothering to let him know or ask for his permission. He was acting out so profoundly, as any fifteen-year-old could, in fear she had betrayed him by telling someone the things he cried about the night before. Secrets of his painful past - where others had tricked, betrayed, and hurt him. He'd never told anyone so much before, and so soon before knowing if they were completely trustworthy.

Now Severus felt he had made a terrible mistake in telling Molly.

'Now wait a minute.' Arthur sounded rather annoyed through the door. 'Don't take that tone with me, young man.' He said and the door unlocked. He stepped into the doorway in intent to speak to Severus properly, but was surprised when the boy jumped back onto the bed and edged away from him.

Severus almost looked scared of his presence.

'I apologise for my behaviour.' Severus said quickly.

Despite his best efforts to fend them off, his mind thought on the memories of how Tobias used to come into his room angrily after he had done something, or nothing, to make the man mad. Severus had been too furious with Molly's actions to remember he was supposed to be under the rules of another adult father-figure. He had overstepped his boundaries. Severus wished he could use his grown-up memories to help him, but they were too blurred whenever he needed them most.

He couldn't think straight.

'Hey, hey, I'm not going to hurt you.'Arthur was troubled by the reaction he received from the teenager. 'I'm just trying to understand what happened.'

'They were talking about me.' Severus said in a panicked rush. 'It seems the Lovegoods know quite a lot about me and the situation. It's information I prefer them not to know. I was angry, so I left.'

'Thank you for telling me.' Arthur nodded and left the room.

He tried to treat Severus like he would any of his other teenage sons, but the way Severus reacted to him had confused Arthur. He thought it was best to back out of the room and give Severus his space. He went back downstairs and immediately floo-called Molly to let her know Severus was home, in case she thought he'd just stepped outside for moment then later found him gone.

-- 

Severus did everything he could to stay in Percy's room for the rest of the day.

Tired of his door being unlocked, Severus cast a sticking charm on the frame and was pleased it seemed to keep everyone away from his room for a while. Unfortunately, he thought Molly had come home after an hour, as planned, but she showed up much later on and was not impressed with the way he'd left without a word.

'Severus Isaac, you get out here right now!' Molly's voice called through the door, startling him upright.

'I am not a child, Molly!' Severus returned. 'You have no right to make such demands.'

'As your mother, I have every right.' Molly harboured none of the hesitation Arthur often did in regards to the boy. 'I will break down this door if I must.'

'Hold your bonnet.' Severus grumbled and unstuck the door with a wave of his wand. He opened it and intended to fix her with a glare, when a sharp pain pinched against his right ear.

'Ow! Let me go you insane woman!'

'Watch your mouth, Severus.' Molly cautioned as she dragged him downstairs. 'I don't care if your memories make you feel older, but the remaining fact is that you are a teenager and living under my roof. No son of mine is going to up and leave a place where he is considered a guest, without notification or explanation. It was very disrespectful to the Lovegoods, therefore we are going to floo over there right now so you can apologise.'

'What?' Severus halted by the fireplace and pulled his ear away, which was painfully effective. 'I will do no such thing!'

'Today was the very first time we've been invited to the Lovegood's house in the two years we have known them, since Serene had an accident while experimenting with a spell.' Molly lectured. 'We weren't there for even five minutes and you'd stormed off without saying goodbye?'

'It was irrational, yes.' Severus admitted. 'And rude. However, I did so to prevent informing you precisely what I thought of your misdeed.'

'What misdeed?' Molly frowned.

'You told them about me, and the boy!' Severus accused. 'What else have you told them? My personal details are not for public knowledge. You went behind my back to inform people I don't even know of the circumstances I would like to keep private, as they should be!'

'Oh, Severus.' Molly sighed. 'Is that why you left? Dear, I only told them enough so they would know who you are. I would never say more than that. You trusted me with emotional and hurtful aspects of your life, and I am not the sort of person who would ever repeat it.'

'You didn't tell them anything else?' Severus raised an eyebrow, not willing to believe her right away.

'Of course not.' Molly shook her head. 'I said you were an orphan and we adopted you. I mentioned your aging situation and that you would be adopting Harry once you were of age again. That is all, dear.'

'Hm.' Severus frowned. 'Well, you could have told me that.'

'If you stayed in any room for more than five seconds I may have had a better opportunity to.' Molly replied. 'But yes, you're right, next time I will keep you well-informed. Now, into the fireplace.'

'I still have to go over there?' Severus glared. 'It wasn't my fault!'

'Let this be a lesson not to leave without proper consideration.' Molly held out the pot of floo power towards him.

Severus wanted to fuss and rant, but much preferred to lock himself in the bedroom again, which he knew wasn't going to be possible until he did as he was told.

He snatched some floo power and instead of stepping into the fireplace, he bent down to stick his head in and called the Lovegoods. Severus gave them an impressively-worded apology and stepped back, offering Molly a scowl before he moved to hurry back to Percy's room. His actions were halted when Molly stepped across his path, and pointed to the back door.

For a fleeting moment, he was worried she was so furious with his actions that she was going to kick him out.

'Not so fast, Severus.' Molly said sternly. 'Now you can de-gnome the garden, and set the table for dinner. You are not going to be sulking in that room all night.'

'You're insufferable!' Severus complained loudly, and marched outside the house. He made sure to slam the door closed along the way.

He passed a surprised Arthur and located the garden with the gnomes, which was around the back. He had read about de-gnoming and didn't think it sounded too hard – such an assumption was corrected when he actually had to try it. Still, it helped Severus relieve his anger by swinging and throwing potato-like gnomes as far as he could into the distance.

He was outside for quite a while, no longer interested in the passing time as he continued his task.

'Do you play Quidditch?'

Severus nearly dropped a gnome onto his foot when he heard a shy voice behind him. Turning, he saw Ginny was carefully watching him from where she stood near the side of the house.

'Sorry.' She blushed, seeing his alarm and confusion. 'I just wanted to know a bit about you, since you're my new brother and all.'

Severus stared at the eleven-year-old for a moment and sighed. He saw no reason to take his irritation out on her - Ginny she seemed to be making a decent effort to bond with who she perceived to be her new older brother.

'No.' Severus answered her question. 'Though I do occasionally watch the sport.'

'I love flying, and playing Quidditch, though I only get to play with my brothers sometimes.' Ginny shared. 'I can't wait to try out for my house team at Hogwarts! Once I'm old enough, of course. Fred and George are already on the Gryffindor team, as beaters. Charlie used to be a seeker for Gryffindor, and house captain.'

'So I heard.' Severus threw another gnome.

'Ron wants to try out next year.' Ginny continued, not noticing or minding that she was primarily upholding the conversation. 'I don't know what position, though. Are you any good at flying?'

'I'm a decent flier.' Severus said, tossing the last gnome over the fence and into a far-away hedge.

He turned around and wondered why Ginny was so keen to talk to him after he'd recently stalked off and shouted. She'd seemed very nervous and shy around him until now. Severus supposed he was interesting enough, and she clearly wasn't as anxious to be in his company as she had been when he'd first arrived. Perhaps she'd only kept her distance because it was an adjustment to have him living there as well.

'Are you finished?' Ginny looked around. 'You're very good at this. Fred and George will definitely want to challenge you to see who throws the furtherest.'

Severus said nothing, as he made his way back into the house.

He heard Ginny behind him, keeping a brief distance between them, though she followed him without previous hesitation or shyness. He tried to ignore her, which wasn't very easy, and started setting the table. Arthur sat nearby and Ginny joined his side, no longer placing all her attention on her new older brother. Severus discreetly glanced over his shoulder to watch their interactions.

He quickly looked away when Molly entered the kitchen.

'Is this to your satisfaction?' Severus glared at Molly, indicating to the set table he hadn't actually been asked to set.

'Yes, thank you.' Molly nodded. She seemed to have entirely forgiven him for his outbursts that day.

'He's really good at de-gnoming the garden, Mum.' Ginny commented.

'Is that so?' Molly looked at Severus with surprise. 'Have you de-gnomed a garden before?'

'No.' Severus answered shortly. 'May I be excused?'

'You may.' Molly nodded and watched him head for the stairs.

Severus took the steps two at a time until he reached his landing.

Looking back at Harry's door for a moment, he strode forward and locked himself in Percy's room once again. From that afternoon, he made sure to be extra polite when the Weasleys weren't too happy with him, but Severus still hated them treating him like he was some sort of delinquent they had to keep in line.

The next day was extremely disorientating for Severus.

He woke in Percy's bed near dawn, as he had already developed a habit of doing, and yet nothing seemed right. He lay there, unwilling to move, as he could not work out what had happened to him. He remembered the flash of lightning, the Hospital Wing, then coming to stay at the Burrow. No longer was he Severus Tobias Snape, as the Weasleys had adopted him as their own - he was Severus Isaac Weasley instead.

Severus knew all of that, but it all felt so long ago. Percy's clock showed the date, as well as the time, and Severus sat up quickly to grab it. He stared hard, as though to rid any illusionary magic from it, when he saw it truly had only been two days since the magic-infused lightning doomed him to his predicament.

He couldn't understand how it could have been only two days, when he honestly felt it had been almost a whole year prior.

It made no sense to him, until Severus rose from the bed and changed into his clothes. The hems of his pants and long-sleeved shirt were an inch shorter, though he knew they'd fit him before. Hurrying to the full-length mirror, Severus gasped and relief flooded him at the sight of his slightly aged appearance. He was no longer fifteen! Just as Poppy had told him, in the two days since the incident, Severus had aged an entire year.

Comprehending this, Severus realised he did feel older, though it might just be the fact he still experienced an odd sense of time shift. When yesterday literally felt like a year ago, it was very confusing and jumbled up everything he had been feeling and thinking since he'd arrived at the burrow.

In honesty, he had expected to warm up to the Weasleys and the situation over time, to accept they would always be around and weren't going to hate him for being who he was or had been. He thought it would take time and careful step-by-step levels of trust and understanding. Severus wasn't sure he'd ever really think of them as family, however, or feel anything beyond mutual acceptance of those he lived with. But he did. That morning, barely two days since he' been struck, Severus felt he had advanced a whole year not just in age and sensation, but experiences. He had no memories to support it, and yet he felt comfortable at the burrow in a way he hadn't before.

It felt like home.

Sitting on the bed, Severus stared at his bare feet and thought about the last two days.

He'd been terribly moody and wanted to lock himself in the room all day to keep away from everyone. That hadn't changed much, except he no longer wanted to retain his distance because he disliked the Weasleys - now he was worried about getting too attached. To to add to matters, the next day his brothers would be returning from Hogwarts.

Percy would probably demand his room back. Severus would either be banished to the attic, or be stuck sharing with the irritating Potter brat in the next room. Severus looked around the bedroom and found he'd become rather fond of it, as it was familiar and, for the time being at least, a place where only he slept.

He smiled a little, thinking about how ridiculous he sounded to himself. He thought the burrow was home and he was attached to someone else's bedroom. It shouldn't be of any importance where he slept as long as he had a roof over his head. Severus was calling the other Weasleys his brothers, and Ginny his sister. At fifteen he'd have been furious at himself for being so delusional and tried to deny it all, saying it was only temporarily and a necessity.

But at sixteen, with the feeling of being there a full year when he really hadn't, Severus found he didn't care either way.

Either the burrow was home for now, or it was a place he could rest his head for the night - it didn't matter. What mattered was the Weasleys had accepted him into their home, despite his rudeness and avoidance. Molly had comforted him through his pain and listened to him, in a way his own mother had never done in any memory Severus had of his whole life.

Ginny had watched him de-gnome the garden and commented on his skill. He'd deemed his efforts to be barely adequate, whereas she had been impressed as younger siblings often were. Arthur...Well, Severus still felt uncomfortable with a new father, when he had the memories of Tobias Snape, so he dismissed the third member of his would-be new family for now. Raising from the bed, he made up his mind to take advantage of his younger age and pretend this was all real.

They were his new family and he was their newly adopted son.

He'd never have considered it before, but Severus felt different at sixteen. He was more accepting and less stressed about every little thing he couldn't change. Fighting it just led to pinched ears and a scolding, which was going to drive him insane if he had to keep enduring such punishments. He'd never truly had a family before, so Severus decided to experiment with the situation and find out what a family was really like. He told himself it was for the sole reasons of satisfying his curiosity and give him something to do to pass the time.

Leaving the room, Severus made his way down the stairs and stepped into the kitchen were the lovely scent of breakfast flooded his nose.

'Good morning, dear.' Molly said. 'Oh!' She took in his appearance with a note of surprise, even if they'd been told to expect it.

Even Hedwig gave a hoot of reaction, from where she sat perched on the back of an empty chair.

'Yes, I'm sixteen now.' Severus answered. 'Should I set the table?'

'Yes, thank you.' Molly answered.

She watched the slightly taller teenager with longer hair and a more set jawline, which caused his face to look handsome rather than awkwardly proportioned, set the table. Of course, with the do-over he looked more alive and healthy than ever before. Molly wondered if that was what truly made him look so different compared to how he'd been in the past.

'Mmm, that smells good!' Arthur sniffed the air with appreciation. He entered the kitchen, while still tying his tie in preparation for work.

Molly gave him a kiss of morning greeting, and looked at Severus. She was about to ask the boy if he could take the plate of sausages to the table, but paused when she noticed his tensed posture.

Severus watched Arthur very carefully.

The teenager stepped back, and retreated from the table, when the man moved to sit down. Severus looked at the forks in his hand and contemplated not finishing the task because it meant being so near Arthur. He was furious with himself for being so cautious, as Arthur was clearly a nice person and nothing at all like Tobias Snape, but Severus couldn't help it. The two men only had a single thing in common – they were supposed to be his father. It was something unchangeable that gave them a level of expected authority over him, which made Severus very uncomfortable.

'Are you alright, dear?'

'I'm fine, Mum.' Severus said quickly and forced himself to finish setting the table. 'Is Ginny up?'

'I was about to go and wake her.' Molly said, her eyes wide with surprise.

Arthur had paused his tie tying to stare at the teenager as well. Disbelief marked both their features, whereas Severus remained unaware of the stares that followed him when he hurried from the room.

'I'll go and wake her.' Severus announced, then vanished from view.

'Did he just call me...?' Molly turned to her husband for clarification.

'I believe so.' Arthur smiled. 'It looks like we're making progress. Do you think it has something to do with the aging process?'

'Possibly.' Molly beamed.

Her eyes were tearful at the fondness of being called “Mum” for the first time by her new son, who she already adored as her own child.

-- 

Severus climbed the stairs quickly and with practised ease.

He had gone up and down them so many times in just two days (even if it felt much longer to him), that he knew the way without consideration, and whose rooms were whose without having to look. He reached the landing in front of Ginny's bedroom, and knocked loudly against the closed wooden door. He was glad she wasn't someone to keep her bedroom door open, so they were both spared from any awkwardness.

'Ginny!' Severus called to her. 'Breakfast is ready.'

'Okay!' Came her reply, though she didn't sound too eager or awake.

Severus turned and ascended a few more steps to use the bathroom. He made sure to check his hair once more, and tucked it behind his ears so it wasn't in his face. It looked a bit weird, as he'd always had it curtaining his face, but Severus decided he didn't mind it tucked back for now. He washed his hands in preparation for the morning meal, then left the room.

His mood was higher than usual, and he risked being borderline giddy, as he headed back down the many stairs to reach the kitchen. He looked at the two adults with a frown of confusion, wondering why they seemed oddly pleased about something as well.

Without questioning, Severus moved to sit in the seat furtherest from Arthur.

'Would you like to come by the shed after lunch?' The man immediately asked Severus when he caught sight of him.

'Why?' Severus asked. He was unsure, but tried to hide it.

'I wanted to show you some of the muggle contraptions I have collected over the years.' Arthur said proudly. 'You seem to have knowledge of them, or at least recognised some.'

'Okay.' Severus slowly agreed.

He didn't want to be rude, and he had never known a wizard who collected muggle items before. He was curious to see what Arthur was so enthusiastic about.

'I lived in a muggle neighbourhood while growing up.' He shared, hesitantly. 'My father was a muggle and my mother a witch.'

'Ah, then that explains it!' Arthur opened his mouth to ask Severus some questions about muggle items, but stopped when he caught a stern gaze from Molly. Remembering this boy was still very new to their household, Arthur decided question the boy another time, when Severus became more comfortable in his new life and family.

'Morning, Mum.' Ginny said when she stepped into the kitchen, dressed in a pair of tattered jeans and a nice purple top with a golden snitch on the front. 'Morning, Dad.' She added, moving to sit in the middle of the table, wondering why her dad was at one end and her new brother was sitting at the further opposite side of the table.

'Morning, Severus.' Ginny added with a smile.

She had recently made a pact to herself that she would try to be friendly to him, even if she wasn't sure how she felt about having another brother. He was interesting, though, and Ginny had a feeling his life hadn't been as warm and secure as theirs was. She felt sympathetic for him, and it made her want to accept him as a member of their family.

'Good morning, dear.' Molly and Arthur answered without looking up from what they were doing.

Molly was almost finished making breakfast and had started placing bowls and plates of food on the table, while Arthur amused himself with the Daily Prophet.

'Morning, Ginny.' Severus returned. He didn't want to be impolite to his new sister.

Actually, as he thought about it, Ginny was his only sister.

--

Severus spent the entire morning outside, sitting on a hill and overlooking the stretching landscape. He tried not to glance towards the right, where the Lovegoods lived over some taller grassy slopes, as he recalled the unpleasant visit and following punishment of the day before. It didn't bother Severus too much now, other than make him blush at the memory; it felt like months since it had happened.

He allowed his mind to wander, as the view relaxed him and the breeze on his face was rather nice.

Severus hardly noticed the hours slipping away, until he heard Molly calling him for lunch. Regretfully, he walked back down the hillside, along the dirt path to the house, and stepped inside.

He enjoyed his chicken and salad sandwich without saying much to the others seated around him. He was too busy thinking about going to the shed afterwards, and theorising what to expect from the event. Severus also hoped the days ahead would be as decent as this one, once the other Weasleys returned and got into all the mischief he knew they had the constant capability to create.

At least it would take the attention of him, Severus hoped, as he expected the adults to have their hands full with the others.

'I think we should transfigure one of Bill's old robes into a Slytherin one and have you pose in the living room.' Molly said to him, as Severus helped her clear away the plates from lunch. 'For the background, of course. It would look as though you did attend Hogwarts. We need to make sure no one can ever question your place in this family, including yourself.' She said pointedly.

'Fine.' Severus conceded.

He suspected he didn't really have a choice either way and wasn't in the mood to argue.

'Were you ever a prefect during your time at school?' Arthur wondered, curious about the boy's years as a student. 'Or Quidditch captain? What were your grades like?'

'Did you join any clubs?' Ginny added from where she sat beside her father at the table. 'What were your favourite classes?'

'Let the poor boy breathe!' Molly disapproved. 'He's only been here two days.'

'It's okay, Mum.' Severus said.

He still failed to realise how easily the title slipped from his tongue or the way it made Molly smile every time he spoke it.

'I was never a prefect, no. I had no interest in the position. As I was never on the Quidditch team, there was no reason for me to be elected as captain.' He told them. 'I briefly joined a few clubs over the years - the gobstones club and such, but none of them stuck. I'd much rather focus on my studies in the areas I was passionate about, instead of wasting waste my time with school-related activities I saw no futuristic use for.'

Severus was quiet for a moment, mentally sorting through what he could tell them and working out how much he was comfortable saying. The other three watched him with rapt interest, waiting for Severus to continue, but did not pressure him to share more than he wanted to.

'I got exemplary good grades because I studied hard and earned them. Many were also necessary to obtain my Potions Mastery.' Severus said. 'My favourite subjects were Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Astronomy.'

'Did you get your mastery?' Arthur was surprised to hear Severus had been old enough to make it that far, and wondered how many years he had been de-aged. Arthur decided he was comfortable not knowing the finer details of the aging situation.

It was easier that way, to see Severus as the age he was.

'Yes.' Severus said proudly. 'I was the best in my class.'

Molly turned away and kept to herself how much more she knew about the mentioned topics and knowledge. It was hard not to say them, the things like how Severus went on to become one of the greatest Potion Master's of Britain for his generation. She also wondered how much he would say, and what details he was unable to - Molly assumed there was some sort of magic in place to prevent them from saying too much.

'That is quite an achievement!' Arthur praised, which made Severus blush. 'Well done, son! And though you are no longer recognised as a Potions Master, I am sure you will be able to easily re-obtain your mastery if you want to.'

'I intend to, yes.' Severus nodded, and looked downwards.

Throughout his life he had often thought about what his mother might have said when he got his Potions Mastery the first time around, but Eileen Prince had been dead before he'd even graduated from Hogwarts. His father, he reckoned, wouldn't have cared at all. Except to say it meant he never had to see his burdening son again because a merit like that meant Severus could surely support himself. He was glad the vile man was dead - never again to taunt him, only linger in his haunting memories.

'Well, how about we head out to the shed now?' Arthur offered as he rose from the chair.

'Ginny, dear?' Molly asked her daughter. 'Would you like to bake a cake with me?'

'Yes, Mum!' Ginny grinned and hurried over to assist.

Severus sighed and followed Arthur outside, feeling a bit better about the man's company after he'd been praised for his accomplishments, even if they had been something of the past. He'd never really been congratulated on his remarkable skills and education before, so Severus felt rather pleased with himself after finally hearing someone say that. It was nice, to have someone tell him he had done a good job, that his actions were worth a congratulations, and someone was impressed by something he'd worked hard to build because he enjoyed it and wanted to do well.

It was with a bitter sting that Severus struggled to think of anyone in his previous life who had ever extended such praise to him for something he had achieved.

Even so, as he entered the shed with Arthur, Severus remained cautious and felt nervous once again. He wished it didn't bother him so much. Had Arthur not been his supposed new father, Severus was certain he'd have no problem with being in the man's company, not even inside the shed to look over muggle items.

Severus looked around and wasn't sure what to say, other than that he had never seen so many plugs and wires in one place. He tried to understand what the appeal was for collecting all the things most muggles would call “junk”. Even Severus, in his second-hand clothes and with a poorly background, would have labelled them as rubbish. He didn't tell Arthur this, as he curiously observed the wizard's obvious enthusiasm for the objects the man hoped to figure out and maybe make use of.

'I haven't quite worked out what this is used for.' Arthur pointed to an object in the corner.

Severus glanced over in the indicated direction, and recognised the item at once. He'd never had one in his home, but he'd seen a nice shiny one being advertised in a store once.

'It's a microwave.' Severus stated. 'When it's plugged into electricity, you can press the buttons to set the timer. It cooks food.'

'Oh, my goodness!' Arthur gasped with amazement. 'The things Muggles come up with! They cook their food in this box?'

'Yes.' Severus was getting a bit bored. 'Be cautious in experimenting with it, otherwise it can become very unstable and potentially cause a rather dangerous explosion.'

'Ah.' Arthur eyed the object warily. 'I see. I will keep that in mind.' He nodded and changed his mind about its current positioning on his work bench.

Arthur carefully carried it over to a storage area, preferring to keep it away from any immediate trace of magic.

Severus was relieved the man seemed very reluctant to touch it now, reducing his worry about needing a bomb shelter nearby during his stay at the Burrow. For however long that may be. Severus thought such a shelter might still be handy because this was his last day of calmness.

He was certain of it.

Tomorrow the other Weasleys would be there at the Burrow as well, filling the house with more people and even more chaos. Even so, it wasn't what was beginning to weight on Severus' mind the most.

In less than two weeks, Harry would be awake to surely cause Severus unending grief every moment the three-year-old wasn't sleeping.

Severus felt he'd been polite enough to go to the garage with Arthur, where he stayed for a decent amount of time, dully hearing about the various things the man had collected over the years. And as he was trying to work out how to politely tell Arthur he had no interest in any of the clutter inside the shed, and request to leave, Molly chose that moment to stop by with the camera.

Ginny was in the house, mixing the cake batter with a wooden spoon, and Molly thought it was an opportunist idea to take some more pictures of her new sixteen-year-old son.

'I'd like a nice shot of you two in the shed.' Molly smiled.

She directed the pair towards an area where the sunlight streamed through the window. She thought it made for a lovely photo, whereas Severus was determined to get it over with.

Severus didn't move when he was told to stand right beside Arthur, until Molly gave him a stern look. He hated it when she frowned like that because it meant he had to do as he was told if he wanted to avoid some sort of punishment.

Couldn't they see he was being punished enough just by being there after everything that had happened to him lately?

Sighing, Severus stood reluctantly beside Arthur. He withheld a flinch, as the man placed a hand on his shoulder and beamed at the camera. Severus, never one to smile much since he'd lost his friendship with Lily, managed to look at least content when he faced the camera-wielding Molly.

'Won't you smile for the camera, Severus?' She encouraged.

'No.' Severus said sourly. 'Take the picture, already.'

Molly took several photos, then returned to the house.

Severus quickly stepped away from Arthur, and made an excuse about wanting to draw a picture of the hills before it got too dark. It wasn't even mid-afternoon yet, but Severus didn't care. He had to get away. To back up his words, as a precaution, Severus searched the house high and low for a pad of parchment and some crayons.

Sitting on the hill that overlooked the burrow, Severus let the breeze blow around his hair.

He sketched for a while, until enough progress had been made for his cover story, then dropped the pad and crayons beside him. With an exhale of relief, he lay back on the grass and looked upward at the clouds slowly drifting by in the blue sky. It was a wonderful relaxation to just lie there, without much care in the world, and remember the red-haired girl who was usually lying beside him when he'd had a moment like this in the past. He had to admit, he hadn't had another moment like that once since he'd actually been sixteen.

Severus wasn't sure why he missed Lily less than he often did when he remembered her, or how his worries could be so slim when he sat on the hill. He'd found out a very alarming truth during dinner the night before. Voldemort seemed to have vanished from existence the same night Severus and Harry had been de-aged and forgotten by everyone else. He failed to remember exactly what was said, which bothered Severus as he always had an exceptional memory, but ultimately it meant the Dark Lord was no longer a major concern for him or anyone else.

Severus closed his eyes and let the calmness fill him.

He couldn't remember when he had felt so at peace and relaxed. There had always been something to trouble him. He wanted to enjoy it as much as possible - Severus was convinced this was the only time he would ever be so calm and collected again. He dreaded the following day, with the return of the Weasleys, and the day when the brat finally awoke from the recovering coma. Severus tried not to think about it.

He dozed off for a few hours, until he was woken by Molly calling him for dinner while the sun turned the sky orange as it begun to sink below the horizon of hills and landscape.

--

'We won't be too long.' Molly assured a moody sixteen-year-old Severus the following day, as she pat his cheek in farewell.

It was a few hours before lunch; Molly was preparing to head to King's Cross Station with Arthur and Ginny to pick up the remaining Weasleys, and bring them home. The Hogwarts term had ended, and Severus wished it hadn't because his reasonable peace was about to be shattered.

'Mum, don't fuss.' Severus rolled his eyes. 'I'll be fine. It's only a few hours. Do you expect me to burn the house down?'

Molly sighed and turned to leave, ushering Ginny to the door where Arthur was already waiting outside. The trio headed along the driveway to the apparation point near the boundaries of their property. Severus realised, as they vanished from sight, that he now had the entire burrow to himself.

They trusted him enough to leave him behind, on his own, for several hours.

Fighting the urge to run around, and catch a glimpse of the other rooms he had previously stayed away from out of consideration, Severus returned inside to climb the stairs to Percy's room. When he'd been a Professor, Severus had taught the two eldest Weasley boys, then all the others that followed – except Ginny. He knew a little bit about them already, and yet they had no memory of him at all.

It made Severus nervous.

He stood alone in the bedroom, as the only person left, and hoped he would be able to cope with the other brats running amok. If they didn't like him, Severus knew he'd be very on edge every second of the day. It would almost be worse than living with the Marauders, he assumed. Surely Molly and Arthur would favour their own children over him, and they'd be around all the time.

Severus looked at his appearance in the full-length mirror. He was dressed in a pair of nicer jeans, a long-sleeved grey shirt, and a criss-cross patterned white/blue vest. He had given himself a haircut that morning, so it hang around his ears again - it had grown overnight with the re-aging process. Molly complained it was still too long, but Severus insisted he liked it the way it was and ignored anything she had to say about it afterwards.

He left the bedroom again and decided to go for a walk to pass the time. He stopped outside the room and felt a bit guilty for not realising he wasn't the only one in the whole house. Not worried about being caught, as the Weasleys were on their way to King's Cross, Severus pushed open the door to Harry's room.

Poppy had stopped by by check up on him an hour ago, to make sure things were progressing as they should. She had been satisfied with Harry's condition and believed he might wake a little sooner than she'd previously predicted.

Approaching the bed, Severus sat on the edge of it and looked down at the three-year-old. Well, almost-four-year-old, really, since it was nearly the end of June. Severus felt the brat's scar-free forehead, which was a normal warm temperature. His pulse was also steady, and his breathing calm. He guessed the healthy boy had to recover more than Severus had because of the age difference. Even if Severus had de-aged sixteen years, and Harry only eight, the boy was now a toddler. Their situations were still rather different, as Severus was re-aging by several years over the next week or so whereas Harry was already set at the age he would be naturally advancing from.

Severus spent a long time sitting there, watching the boy sleep, as he compared their situations and kept his analytical mind busy.

Checking the time, Severus left the room and closed the door behind himself. He went outside, as he had originally intended to, and skipped stones over the creek for a while. He didn't stay there for long - he felt magic in the air, and soon a gaggle of voices were heard in the distance.

Bracing himself for the worse, Severus straightened his collar and turned towards the driveway.

He saw seven red-haired heads quickly approaching along the path.

'There he is!' One of the twins called out, as though Severus wasn't standing in plain sight near the side of the house.

'He's taller than I pictured him.' Said the other twin, just as he reached Severus and looked up at him. 'Hiya, Severus. I'm George.' He flashed him a smile.

'And I'm Fred, the better-looking twin.' The other winked. 'So you're our new brother, huh?'

'Obviously.' Severus said. 'Hello.' He added. He wasn't sure what to say to them, though he wouldn't lie by telling them he was pleased to meet them.

'Hi, I'm Ron.' The youngest boy stood a little behind the twins, clearly a bit intimidated.

Severus nodded to Harry's former best friend. He then looked at the last Weasley he was yet to greet - the prefect whose room he had been occupying.

'Hello, I'm Percy.' The boy close to his height held out his hand for Severus to shake, which he did.

Severus watched the bespectacled boy for a moment. He realised that while the twins were eager and Ron was a bit unsure, Percy seemed rather cautious, if not a bit annoyed, to have Severus there. Severus' hopes of keeping the same room he'd been in for the past few days were dashed by the single pointed look Percy gave him.

'Come along, you lot!' Molly said. 'Let's all sit down for lunch.' She urged everyone inside the house. 'And behave yourselves!' She added in a sharper tone to the twins, who already wore smirks of pending mischief.

Severus backed himself towards a wall when everyone rushed about trying to pick a seat at the table. He noticed Percy heading up the stairs with his trunk, and decided to follow him since his own belongings were in the room as well.

They may be second-hand, but it was all Severus had at the moment.

'So.' Percy stopped in the doorway of the bedroom and turned to look at Severus with a firmness that vaguely reminded him of Molly. 'You've been staying in my room?'

'Yes.' Severus nodded. 'Mum said the twin's room was too messy, and Harry slept in Ron's room until she moved him to the new one beside yours.'

'I wondered about that.' Percy sighed. He looked around, inspecting for any damage or moved items. 'You call her “Mum” already?' He commented with a note of surprise.

Severus frowned and looked away, wondering when he had started using such a personal title for the woman.

'I suppose I do. She adopted me, after all.' He shrugged defensively.

He observed Percy's searching gaze and disproving frown, feeling discouraged by the prefect's clear lack of acceptance towards having someone else occupy his bedroom.

'I only used your dresser, mirror, and bed.' Severus told the younger boy, glancing to each in turn. 'I will remove my things now, if you wish.'

'Where will you sleep?' Percy quickly looked around at him, his expression creasing with uncertainty. He had not expected to reclaim his room right away.

'The attic, I suppose.' Severus answered in a displeased tone. 'Or share with the boy.'

Percy watched Severus head to the dresser and lift out a small range of second-hand clothes from himself, Charlie, and Bill. There was nothing else the boy owned that had to be removed, Percy noticed, as he glanced at the well-made bed with a conflicted frowned. Percy had been annoyed to hear someone had been occupying his room while he was at school, and expected to find it in array. He also didn't want another brother - at least not one who was older than him.

After meeting Severus, the usually stern prefect was beginning to change his mind.

'Stay.' Percy sighed and sat on his bed. 'I'm sure Mum can put another bed in here, maybe expand the room a little. I don't mind sharing as long as you don't keep me up at night or make a mess.'

'Are you certain?' Severus paused by the doorway, his arms loaded with his clothes.

'Yeah.' Percy shrugged. 'I'm only here for the summer, anyway. Is it true you'll be aging a few more years soon?'

'Hopefully.' Severus said, wondering where to put his clothes now he had been permitted to stay.

He put them back into the dresser, silently hoping he would get his own set of furniture. The idea of sharing with Percy wasn't an ideal one, but the prefect seemed tolerable enough. It wasn't as though Severus had never shared a room with anyone before.

The two teenagers said nothing else to the other. They didn't know what to say or do, until Molly loudly requested them to come downstairs for lunch.

'I'm not hungry!' Percy called down to her.

'Me neither.' Severus muttered. He wasn't sure if Percy wanted to be left on his own, or if he could escape outside without being bombarded by the others.

'Severus isn't either!' Percy said for him.

Molly accepted their declaration, as she was busy once again scolding the twins for one thing or another.

'How are we going to do this?' Percy looked around the bedroom, trying tried to work out where they would need more space and which of his things had to be shifted.

They found a piece of parchment and stood around the desk, where they had spread it out across the wooden surface. They worked on a rough floor-plan of the bedroom with relatively accurate measurements, so they had an idea where everything was now and which items could be moved to make room for another bed and dresser.

'Mandy Haller works at the Ministry and knows Dad.' Percy told him. 'Her husband is said to be an excellent magical builder. Maybe Dad can ask him to stop by and work on expanding our room?'

Severus agreed it sounded reasonable, as his knowledge and experience in the area wasn't at its best. He couldn't even remember half of the spells, as he'd almost never used them. He also decided he could easily tolerate Percy. Severus wasn't sure what exactly he had expected the Weasley to be like. While they talked and made plans, Severus was impressed by some of the prefect's ideas.

Once they were finished, there was a banging outside the house, which irked Percy rather quickly.

Going to the window, Percy slid it open and stuck his head through it.

Severus looked over his shoulder, and saw the twins were battling with their trunks hovering mid-air. The actions were far too practised, giving the impression it was some sort of tradition to do so every time they returned home for the summer.

'Do you mind?' Percy frowned. 'Can't you do that somewhere else?'

Severus didn't hear what the fourteen-year-olds replied with, as he turned to leave the room. If the twins weren't inside, he could sneak to the hills and enjoy a bit of freedom until dinner.

He hadn't expected his plan to horribly backfire.

Severus had just reached the sloped hill when he saw two other red-haired people walking along the driveway. They were older than he was; Severus assumed they were Bill and Charlie. He did not expect nor appreciate a visit from them, not today.

'That must be him.' Bill stated 'Cool hair.' He smirked. His own was rather long as well, though so much it had been tied back, and Molly always hassled him to cut it. Knowing he likely wasn't the only one amused him greatly.

'Hey!' Charlie waved to Severus.

'Hello.' Severus answered. He wished all the Weasleys would leave him alone.

He was starting to feel very claustrophobic with them all around. The twins were still arguing with Percy, whose head looked rather odd sticking out of the upper window, while their trunks floated above them. Ron was followed Arthur into the shed, while Ginny looked through the kitchen window to see what the twins were doing.

'You're Severus, I presume?' Bill asked. 'Our new little brother?'

'Yes, I'm Severus.' He frowned. 'I'm sixteen now, but I'll be older soon.'

'Yeah, but not by much.' Charlie reminded him, doubting Severus would catch up to them too quickly. 'We're in our twenties.'

Severus had nothing to answer with, but he wasn't too fond of Charlie Weasley at all. He was the one who worked with dragons now, and Severus lost count of the times he had assigned Charlie a detention for causing trouble at school. Bill had been head boy; Severus remembered him to be less of a nuisance than the other Weasley children, much like Percy.

Severus made it clear, by looking sour and not striking up a conversation with either of them, that he'd prefer to be left alone. Bill got the message rather quickly and promised to catch up with him later. He headed to the house with Charlie following after him. The burrow had seemed almost nice to Severus - a place he could sort of call his temporary home.

Now it was an ongoing nightmare.

-- 

When the sun went down, Severus knew he had no other choice than to head back inside, where he had to battle his way through the Weasleys just to get to the table. He felt crammed from where he sat between Percy and one of the twins, which was the seat directly across from Molly. There was constant, loud chatter, and everyone kept reaching across the table for food.

Severus ate quickly and, once Arthur agreed to have the magical builder stop by to fix up the room, he rose from the table and fled upstairs.

Of all the times he had locked himself in the bedroom over the past few days, Severus had not been as relieved to do so than in that moment. Percy joined him a few seconds later, sharing the same need for peace and quiet. As Percy began to unpack his school trunk, Severus sat on the mattress in the middle of the room, which had been put there for the night.

Everything seemed okay, until it was time for bed.

Severus was easily frustrated by having to wait for his turn in the shower. When he finally stepped inside, he grimaced at the water on the floor and towels badly hanging on their racks. He heard Bill and Charlie would be visiting for a few days, which Severus wasn't too pleased about. Charlie had ignored Molly's every protest, as he decided to sleep on the couch, while Bill ended up sharing with Ron.

Not much had happened that day, not really, yet Severus felt utterly drained as he lay down to sleep. Even with the twin running around in the corridors outside the room, and Ron complaining loudly to his mother about sharing with Bill, both Severus and Percy quickly fell into a well-rested slumber that lasted all through the night.

-- 

When the sun shone through the windows and over the hills early the next morning, things were already different.

After the stressful previous day, Severus barely reacted to anything until well into the early hours of the afternoon. He was too relieved by his new age. He'd woken to find he was seventeen. He was taller, and regained many of the distinguished features he'd had as an adult. Above all, Severus was able to freely use his magic without any age restraints.

It was a relief that changed his mood dramatically for the entire day, even sitting on a water balloon the twins had left on a random chair at the lunch table and Severus had been the unfortunate one to sit there.

Morgan Haller stopped by to help Percy and Severus fix up their room around mid-afternoon. Molly had insisted on paying him for his time by treating him to one of her finest home-made cherry and apricot pies. He gladly accepted after his task was finished. Morgan had spent an entire hour expanding the bedroom and helping them move in several new pieces of furniture, which had been brought out of storage by Arthur.

Prior to dinner, Severus stood in the renewed room and felt content with how it looked.

Percy's bed was still in the right corner, vertically against the side wall. The desk in front of the window remained, with the prefect's dresser beside it. Severus' bed was the same as Percy's, except on the opposite side wall. He had a bedside table and at the end of his bed, facing the wall the bed was against, was a new desk of his own with a wooden chair.

Standing in the doorway, he looked to the left where his dresser was, which he had already pack his few second-hand clothes into, and on the right of the door was the closet he and Percy shared. It had two doors - the one on the left was for Percy's side, and the one on the right was for Severus. The boys were both quietly happy with their room. It even had more space than before, and was easily one of the bigger rooms in the house due to them both being people who liked to keep to themselves and enjoy their own space.

After Molly had diffused the complaints from the other children, who wanted their rooms to be remodelled and enlarged as well, everyone had gone to the living room to hear Charlie and Bill tell stories about their work before dinner. They were all fascinated by the details of recent things Bill had done at his job at Gringotts, but it was Charlie's tale of a rogue adolescent dragon that everyone wanted to hear again and again.

Severus had no interest in either.

He enjoyed the time in his new room reading a book Percy had lent him, and keeping out of the chaotic sections of the household. He didn't think they all liked him being there, anyway. Percy had accepted him well enough, and Ginny already had over the summer, but the rest mostly left him alone as if his appearance and addition to the family was losing its novelty.

-- 

On the second day of being seventeen, Severus was coerced by Molly into spending time with Bill and Charlie. She convinced them that because the pair were only visiting for two more days, they should get to know their new brother.

Severus, ever the cunning Slytherin, didn't really complain.

It meant he could leave the burrow for a while, when Charlie came up with the idea for them to see a Quidditch match together. The match itself wasn't too big of a deal, as it was only a local match between two lesser known team Severus himself didn't even recognise, but it turned out to be a rather enjoyable day. However, with Severus being of age again, the highlight of his day was his readiness to make use of his regained ability to apparate.

After the match, the three eldest Weasley brothers went to lunch at a small nearby restaurant. They talked about random topics - such as their Hogwarts years, various opinions on careers, and things they liked to do in their free time. They even discussed, with little awkwardness, the situation of Severus' aging.

When the small group returned to the burrow in time for dinner, the others called Bill and Charlie into the backyard to play Quidditch. Severus watched them walk away from him, and admitted to himself that he'd had a decent day. He still liked Bill more than Charlie, but felt a little left out when they instantly went to fly with the others.

'Hey, Sev!' One of the twins called, remembering they had a potential new team player nearby. 'You any good on a broom?'

'Do NOT call me that!' Severus snapped so harshly his voice silenced the group's laughter.

They all looked over to stare at him with surprise, though Bill narrowed his eyes slightly with more curiosity than alarm.

'It is a nickname reserved only for those I allow to use it.' Severus added sharply. He didn't want to be referred to by such a Lily-reminding name by someone he wasn't overly fond of.

'Touchy.' The twin rolled his eyes. 'Do you want to play, though?'

'No.' Severus answered. 'I would rather not.'

Severus turned and strode inside the house.

He passed Molly and Arthur along the way, who had gone to see what had suddenly silenced their children - quiet Weasleys were not a good sign. Severus ignored them both, and headed upstairs to his bedroom. He halted at the doorway, surprised to see Percy sitting on his own bed with his back leaned against the wall with the window.

'Did they invite you to play?' Percy asked.

He looked down at the open Charms textbook resting on his lap, though his eyes didn't move across the words. He avoided looking at Severus, but listened intently for a reply.

'Yes.' Severus frowned.

He crossed the room and slammed the window shut to drain out the sounds of the match.

'I declined. I may occasionally enjoy watching a match, but I prefer not to play.'

'Are you any good on a broom, then?' Percy wondered. It was more than he'd asked Severus at once, and the Slytherin wondered what had encouraged the conversational moment.

'I'm a decent flier.' Severus said a bit stiffly. 'Are you not interested in joining them?'

Percy snapped his book shut and turned away from him. The prefect seemed angry and embarrassed by the question, though Severus couldn't determine why.

'I never play Quidditch at home.' Percy sighed and moved across his bed to sit on its edge. He looked towards the polished wooden floor with a serious expression.

'After a while, they stopped asking me. Only Charlie knows the truth.'

'And I shall not pry.' Severus said.

He moved to his own bed to lay back on it with a sigh. He got out his wand, and wished he'd left the window open to allow flies to enter the room. Severus could have zapped them to pass the time, as he had so often done during his previous childhood.

'I think we have a lot in common.' Percy said quietly. 'We don't waste our time running around and making noise. We place value on our studies, and we know independence is important. I heard you were in Slytherin? I was almost in Slytherin myself, but I was worried what my family would think. The hat then debated on Ravenclaw, but I asked for Gryffindor.'

Severus was surprised to hear that. A Weasley who had almost ended up in Slytherin – it was something he could not have imagined to be possible.

Suddenly, Percy became a lot more interesting.

'I tried out for the Quidditch team in second year.' Percy revealed, his hesitation fading away.

He felt he could trust Severus with his secrets. He'd revealed a few smaller things already, and his new brother had respected his privacy. Even Severus had shared some minor details about being bullied in school, and how hard it had been to make a name for himself despite his poor background, and how he wasn't a pure-blood.

'It was Charlie's second year as Quidditch captain when I tried out for the team, as Chaser.' Percy continued. 'I made it, and everyone thought it was only because Charlie was my brother. I tried to prove myself to them, but they kept saying how I had cheated my way onto the team, and that I'd never be as good a player as Charlie.'

'What did you do?' Severus wondered.

He knew he'd have hexed the jealous sods who mocked him, had he been in Percy's place. He also didn't recall ever seeing the bespectacled Weasley on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, from his entire time as a Professor at Hogwarts. And Severus had, somewhat reluctantly, attended every game.

'I quit the team before I even got to play a match.' Percy sighed. He adjusted his glasses, which had started to slide of his nose when he'd stared at his feet for too long. 'It wasn't about giving up, I just realised that no matter how I did on the team it would always go back to Charlie. Either he'd be better than me, or I was only good because I had him as my brother.' He frowned.

'I buried myself in my studies, and didn't try out for the team again. Fred and George started at Hogwarts the year after, which was Charlie's final year. When he graduated, they tried out for the team and played as Beaters. They're really good, and everyone praised them for it.'

Percy looked towards the window, and Severus followed his gaze. Occasionally they'd see someone flying by on a broomstick, as the match in the backyard continued with laughter and friendly competition.

'I'd lost my chance.' Percy added with regret and disappointment in his voice. 'Fred and George didn't even know I was ever on the team. Charlie was very understanding about it - he never told anyone what happened. Not even Mum or Dad know I was a Chaser for a little while.'

Severus didn't know what to say, and was glad Percy didn't expect him to comment.

It became clear to him, in the short period of time, that not all the Weasleys were the same. Percy was clearly an outsider at the burrow, within his family, and even in Gryffindor at Hogwarts. Severus knew he hadn't seen Percy with any friends at school, apart from an occasional Ravenclaw student. All the other Weasleys had a flock of friends wherever they went, which usually involved some sort of mischief or rule-breaking.

Severus looked over at Percy's sullen form, and realised the prefect reminded him a bit of himself in a way. He felt compelled to say something in exchange for what the other boy had risked sharing with him.

'I was much the same.' Severus said, maintaining the quite tone of the room. 'During my time at school there were two Gryffindors I mutually despised. James Potter was the ringleader of a little gang, and he was known as a Quidditch legend. He became Quidditch Captain in fifth year and remained as such for the rest of his school duration. He was even Head Boy.'

Severus was glad that Percy, who slowly looked over at him with curiosity, showed no recognition towards the name.

'It was because of Potter that I never tried out for the Quidditch team, not because I feared playing against him, but rather he'd always compare me against his supposed talent and that of his best friend, Sirius Black.' Severus growled. 'They assumed I was an incompetent flier, which I allowed them to believe. It was easier.'

'We really do have a lot in common.' Percy whispered. 'Then I'm glad we're brothers now. It's hard, growing up here. I know my family loves me, but I do get tired of being so different and placing value in things they don't really understand. I was the youngest brother for what felt like a long time, then the twins were born. I wanted to set a good example to them, but over the years they stopped taking me seriously.'

Percy's expression creased with annoyance.

'Then they became big brothers to Ron and he looked up to them in a way they never did to me. I don't see why following certain rules is such a bad thing - they think I'm too uptight because of it.'

Severus continued to listen to Percy, though he had no idea why the other boy had started sharing so much with him to begin with.

They went downstairs for dinner, then returned to their room and talked some more. As they went to bed that night, Percy felt he'd finally found a brother he could relate to and talk with, while Severus experienced what it was like to actually have a brother. He was both pleased and surprised to realise that Percy, unlike any of the others, really felt like a brother to him now.

It made the stay at the burrow a little less horrendous.

A week passed by.

Every two days, Severus had woken to be a year older.

Before Bill and Charlie left, they posed for pictures with Severus to keep up with the re-planned background. Severus, at twenty-years-old, had suddenly come down with an odd sickness. He was pale and cold, while his stomach ached seemingly without a cause. Poppy stopped by that night to check him over, and reassured him it would pass. His next bout of unnatural magical aging would be his last.

Severus woke the next morning, at the age of twenty-one. It was the age it would be remaining at, allowing his body and mind to age naturally from that moment onwards.

However, Poppy's visit had brought about some even more alarming news.

She went into Harry's room, and saw the little boy was rolled over onto his side. For the entire time the three-year-old was in the coma, he'd never moved or made a sound. The fact he had subconsciously turned onto his side meant he was no longer in a coma, and was now resting comfortably.

Child was likely to wake soon, possibly even in a few days time.

It took another day for Severus to feel completely well again. Molly had tried to fuss over him during the time he was ill, until he pretended to be asleep every time she came into the room. Percy, with a new sense of brotherly duty, warned Severus each time she approached.

When Severus woke the morning after, he felt much better.

He wasn't sure what to think about the age he'd be staying with until his next birthday. Twenty-one wasn't too bad, he supposed.

Severus got up and walked to the mirror. He observed himself for a while, and noticed he'd reached the height he'd been as an adult. He wasn't as different to who had once been - he looked considerably healthier and youthful than before, but otherwise greatly resembled his former self. It was a huge relief. It almost made him a year older than Charlie, which Severus was rather amused by, and it meant he was the second-eldest Weasley in the family. It came with responsibility, though, after he'd thought on what Percy had said about setting a good example for their younger siblings. Which also included Percy himself, who was turning sixteen in a few months.

Severus walked downstairs to help Molly with breakfast, thinking on the fact he'd been at the burrow for nearly two weeks.

To him, it felt like years.

He'd finally begun to adjust, and was ready to put a new skill to the test. The night before, Percy had told him a trick to telling which twin was which. Apparently Fred had a small scar on the top tip of his ear, which was only noticeable if one knew to look for it. Percy had only realised it to be an identifying mark over Christmas, and Severus was glad because it was annoying to constantly be pranked by one twin claiming to be the other.

He guessed Molly had given them a very stern lecture when she'd picked them up from the station, which was part of the reason he hadn't been invited along, because the twins were very careful not to prank Severus too often. If they did, it had to seem as though they weren't deliberately targeting him.

'I think it's going to rain later.' Molly commented. She parted the window curtain to look outside, seeing the darkened clouds overhead. 'Are you still planning on going to the hill today to draw?'

'Maybe.' Severus answered. He waved his wand, casting the spell to do the dishes, and once again reminded himself how wonderful it was to be of age. 'It may be the last chance I get before Harry awakens.'

He was relieved to have left his teenage years behind - some of his rational thinking and calmer composure had returned alongside his adulthood. Molly said it might be because his age was starting to settle after his body had been under a lot magical stress lately. Severus dismissed her theory, preferring to believe he was really becoming more himself again.

He refused to think otherwise.

'Are you nervous?' Molly asked, moving a large plate of bacon to the table. 'About being a father?'

'Of course.' Severus answered. 'And to Potter, of all brats.'

'Severus.' Molly disapproved. 'Regardless of your grudge against James, Harry is his own person. He's also Lily's boy. He's only three now. Poppy said he should also have most of his memories, just as you do. But you have a responsibility to the child as his new father, regardless of what you think of him.'

'I know!' He growled. 'Don't remind me.'

'Then don't forget it.' Molly scolded, before she turned to head up the stairs and wake those who were still sleeping.

With Bill and Charlie's visit, Arthur having to work long hours, then Severus being sick, Molly hadn't had time to arrange the shopping trip for Severus to buy his own belongings. Arthur was home for the weekend, so after lunch that day Molly decided it was time they went to Diagon Alley.

She also reminded Severus that Harry would need his own things as well - there was no sense in delaying the trip any further.

'We'll floo to the Leaky Cauldron and work out where to go from there.' Molly told Severus as they stood in the living room and prepared to leave. 'I assume you'll be needing all the necessities?'

'Yes.' Severus blushed. 'And I am perfectly capable of selecting them for myself. I do not require assistance, other than your generous payments until I can figure out how to reclaim my vault.'

Molly ushered him into the fireplace and held out the floo powder.

He spoke clearly, and vanished into the green flames. It felt strange to realise it was only the second time he had done so, since arriving at the burrow for the first time nearly two weeks ago. Severus had wanted to apparate, but Molly insisted on using the floo network.

He cast a spell to remove the soot from his appearance while he waited for her to join him inside the Leaky Cauldron, which didn't look any different than he remembered. With all the alterations he'd gone through, Severus almost expected the world itself to have changed as well.

He said nothing as she spoke to him as they wandered into the cobble-stoned alley, and hardly even listened. Severus knew his way around, and was convinced she had nothing to tell him that he didn't already know.

He silently trailed behind her, hoping to get the trip over with as soon as possible.

Severus was dismayed to realise how little impact his age had on how Molly treated him. He had been fifteen less than two weeks ago, when she had mothered him and constantly made sure he had everything he needed. Now, at twenty-one, nothing had changed. Severus realised Molly had been right when she'd told him that to a mother a child was a child no matter their age.

She commented and made suggestions throughout the entire duration of the trip, sparing him only when he had fled to purchase underwear. He couldn't even run away to shop on his own because Molly was generously paying for everything he selected.

-- 

After many hours, when the trip came to a conclusion, Severus wondered how she had managed to accumulate a pile of things for her other children. He never saw her pick anything out, unless it was for him to try on or something she thought would look nice on Harry.

The pair carried their shrunken purchases in their pockets on the way back to the Leaky Cauldron. Severus wanted nothing more than to go home and bury his embarrassed face into his pillow for an hour.

Upon returning to the burrow, Severus stepped out of the fireplace and was alarmed to see so many anxious faces staring at him.

'You're back.' Arthur stood from a nearby armchair. His tone was business-like, and his face was set with a serious expression.

Nearby, Fred was sitting on a sofa with Ginny, while George leaned against a nearby wall, and Percy came into the room from the kitchen.

Severus moved aside, preferring not to be knocked over by Molly's entrance, and was glad when she took grip of the tense situation.

'What's the matter?' She asked, instantly worried as she did a quick head count.

'It's Harry.' Arthur told them, but didn't have time to explain.

Severus had turned to run up the stairs without hesitation.

He hurried as fast as he could, his heart beating frantically inside his ribcage in tune with each step. He prayed nothing had happened to Lily's boy during his absence, almost feeling guilty for leaving at all, until he burst into the child's room.

Gasping for breath, Severus headed straight to the bed and looked down at Harry.

A startling expression of pain was spread across the young child's face, as the boy tossed and turned comfortably under the sheets. It was a clear indication that the three-year-old was enduring a rather unpleasant nightmare.

His forehead was a little sweaty, but otherwise Harry seemed unharmed.

'He's waking up.' Molly said from the doorway, having followed behind him. 'Do you want me to stay?'

'No.' Severus was barely able to whisper. 'I'll manage.'

'Call if you need anything.' Molly nodded and headed back downstairs, leaving the father-to-be with his child.

'Harry?' Severus officially spoke the boy's name for the very first time.

He had always called him “Potter” until now, except he wasn't Harry Potter anymore. The little boy laying in the bed near him was Harry Liam Weasley, though Severus still thought of him as the spawn of James Potter, only with Lily's eyes. The emerald essence of Lily was hidden behind the closed eyelids of the three-year-old, as Severus sat on the edge of the bed and carefully gave the child a nudge.

Slowly, the boy stopped moving and turned onto his back, before his eyes began to open. They searched the room for something familiar, something to tell him where he was and what had caused him to be there. Utter confusion filled the child's eyes, as he turned to stare at Severus.

A gasp to escaped the man's lips.

'Where am I?' Harry trembled. 'Who are you?'

Severus could not believe it.

After weeks of waiting, of adapting despite his past haunting him, and the knowledge of being older, little Harry seemed to have no memories at all. And more than that, the small child stared up his new father with innocent eyes that were not emerald at all.

They were dark brown, exactly like Severus'.

Molly was right about the rain. Severus knew, because he'd been standing outside in the afternoon downpour for over twenty minutes. He stood on the hill he was so fond of, and turned his head upwards to face the rain with his eyes closed.

He was cold, as he only had on a pair of jeans and a shirt, but he felt even colder inside.

He'd seen Harry's eyes staring up at him with confusion and worry, only the bright emerald of Lily was gone, replaced with his own brownish obsidian. He had tarnished the last of her, and now Severus had nothing left of the woman he loved.

He stood there, wishing the rain would wash away his sins and pain, as he tried to get a grip on himself. Severus felt guilty every time he saw the boy's eyes, which had reflected Lily's, but at the same time they'd kept him going, knowing he was protecting the Potter brat for her. Seeing her eyes was a reminder of how important his duty was, and how he had not lost Lily completely. And now, all Severus had was a confused little boy who belonged to no one. Not Lily, with the emerald gaze gone - and not Potter, with the messy hair and need for glasses erased.

Three-year-old Harry had changed more than just his age and eye colour. His hair was much wavier, though a little bit lighter, and resembled Severus' as well. In fact, if anyone asked if Harry was his son, and Severus denied it, he was certain not a single person would ever believe him.

Harry looked like his child, and it only made things so much worse.

'Why?' Severus groaned.

He sank to his knees, andfelt the moist material of his jeans soak the water from the ground below him. His hair hung about his face and stuck to it. His nose dripped, as he bent his head, and kept his eyes tightly closed. He let out a wail of despair; fate had once again wronged him.

'Why did you take her from me?' Severus asked miserably. His voice wasn't loud enough to carry to the burrow, but he could easily hear himself over the rain. 'Is my life a joke to you?' He demanded to know, from fate itself, if everything that happened to him was just for someone else's sick entertainment.

He swore at fate, saying how twisted it was, and right after he'd said the last and most worse description he could think of, he felt a jolt of pain spear through him.

'I do not appreciate such disrespect!' An enraged woman's voice burst into his ears.

Severus opened his eyes.

The rain was no longer touched him, even as the downpour continued around where he was crouched. In front of him stood a tall witch with long silvery hair, and intensely bright blue eyes. She was dressed in a deep turquoise gown, which flowed downwards to reach the blades of wet grass. She had a simmering aura of transparent gold – Severus knew this was in indication that she was extremely powerful.

She did not take kindly to being insulted.

'Severus Snape.' She mused, taking a step closer to him. 'You poor, pathetic man.'

Severus was on his feet at once.

He barely inhaled a breath before he sank back onto his knees with a jerked motion. He glared, knowing her magic had pushed him back against his will, and reached for his wand. He aimed it at her, though no spell immediately came to mind. His hand slackened to release the object, letting it drop onto the damp grass.

Severus growled.

'I am Fate, Severus.' She chuckled. 'You can't harm me. I am immortal. You can't even touch me without causing yourself agony; a sensation I am sure you're quite familiar with already.'

'You did this to me.' Severus spat.

'Did what?' She asked. 'Cause your childhood to be filled with darkness and suffering? Lead the Marauders after you time and time again, until you lash out and lose the only friend you ever had? Not intervene when Tom Riddle murdered your previously beloved and left you with nothing more than her son, who resembled your enemy?'

Her face took on a sad expression as she spoke.

'No, Severus. I did none of that. My job is to change fate, not create it.'

'What?' He snarled.

Severus was furious because he couldn't move, and saw her as a representation of the blame - the figure responsible for all his pain. How could she not be? He believed she was much more powerful than he could ever imagine; what he'd seen and experienced so far solidified that assumption.

'Everyone determines their own fate one way or another. There's destiny, sure, but fate is not quite the same.' She said. 'I was a witch once, about a thousand years ago. I am immortal now, charged with a very important task. It takes years to gather the magic I need for each major change of fate I perform. The sort of alteration that affects quite a large number of people, and perhaps even the course of history. The last time was Eric Burnan. Do you remember him? His was a Gryffindor you went to school with.'

'No.' Severus said. The name didn't sound at all familiar to him.

'Of course not.' Fate smiled. 'He would have been the 5th Marauder. Did you never wonder why the Gryffindor boy's dormitory of your class grade only contained four boys instead of five? Eric was sorted there, but I could see a lot of trouble in his past that would lead to even more self-destruction in his future. I changed his fate, as I now have yours.'

'The lightning?' Severus realised, his eyes wide with shock.

He'd heard myths of the magic, which had de-aged himself and Harry, but no one ever knew who or what had caused it.

'Yes.' Fate nodded. 'I had to lure Harry outside, and ensure you would see him. Once you were both where I could reach you, I struck. I am the reason you were fifteen again. I'm the one who changed you, and who changed Harry. You asked me why I took the last part of Lily from you, because his eyes no longer reflect hers, but I didn't. Everything I have done has been to help you, Severus.'

'Help me?' He snarled angrily.

He glanced at his fallen wand, wishing he could grab it and hex her.

'How is any of this considered to be helping?'

'Before I struck you, what was your life like?' Fate frowned. 'You were known as a dark man with an even darker past. You were a Death Eater, and someone filled with more sorrow and guilt than I have seen in a long time. I gave you a chance to start over.' She explained.

'I saw the Weasleys capacity for unconditional love. I knew they could be led to you with very little effort. I made you younger because you needed to be a child, even if just for a moment, to remember what it was like at that time. Not that I expected you to have forgotten. I am placing you on a new path of life, not pushing further along the one you were trapped on.'

'And the boy?' Severus narrowed his eyes.

'Harry was my original target.' Fate said sadly. 'I couldn't pick between you or him, so I struck you both, but at a cost. Harry is lucky to be alive. In fact, had it not been for you than he would have died. I cannot explain, but your magic bonded with his when I struck you both. It caused quite a substantial rift. Somehow, in a way not even I can understand, Tom Riddle was also destroyed.' She confessed.

'The pain you felt was not my doing; it was your two cores ripping at each other, then mending. You magic was older and more experienced, which was why you woke the next day, and Harry did not.'

'Why would saint Potter need a second chance?' Severus demanded, unable to think of anything more than the fact the child had been an orphan. But he was not the only one, or did the brat receive special treatment even from Fate herself?

'I cannot say.' Fate told him. 'You need to figure that out on your own. I assure you, he has earned this as much as you have. You need to realise there is more of Lily in him than the colour of his eyes, that is why I changed them.'

'Change me back.' Severus insisted. 'I decline this arrangement!'

'It is quite irreversible. It would take fifty years to reverse the magic, by which time you and Harry would have aged beyond what you had once been. You have a family now, and a son, why don't you make the most of it? Why are you fighting a chance to finally be happy?' Fate stared at him with a gaze of intense blue. 

Severus felt a prickle in his mind that no amount of Occlumency could prevent.

'It's not going to disappear, Severus. When you've touched the heart of a Weasley, you're loved forever. The same goes for Harry because he is Lily's son. Now he is also yours.'

'Fine.' Severus hung his head.

He'd rather be alone in the rain, not talking to an all-mighty witch who was to blame for the situation he was in.

'I shall try.'

'And so you shall.' Fate nodded. 'Oh, and it would be easier if you stopped battling for your obsession of composure and dignity.' She rolled her eyes. 'I have ensured you can no longer hide behind your ironclad shields. When you're upset you will show it instead of hiding it. The defences were necessary for survival in the past, but now it's only going to hold you back.'

Her words dawned on him and made complete sense. It had bothered him how hard he struggled to retain his habits of his built composure. It had saved his life countless times, as well as enabled him to put on a front he was comfortable with, and now she had taken it from him.

She stripped him of his greatest weapon, and there was nothing he could do about it.

'Farewell, Severus.' Fate whispered.

She began to fade into the rain around them, which was pelting down against him once more.

'Enjoy your new life, and try not to make a mess of it this time.'

 --

'Severus!'

As Fate disappeared, Severus heard someone else call his name from the backward distance.

The rain was heavier than before; he couldn't make out many shapes or sounds. He hunched there, holding his reclaimed wand tightly in his hand, and didn't move. Someone wrapped a soft blanket around him, and cast a warming charm over it, as they tried to pull him from the ground.

Reluctantly, Severus rose and allowed himself to be led back to the house.

Once inside, Severus glanced briefly at his rescuer, then headed upstairs to have a warm shower and change into dry clothes. He was surprised it had been Arthur who'd retrieved him; his face had showed an unwavering concern and determination to pull Severus from the chilling rain.

Dressed in a pair of brown trousers, a blue shirt, and a thick red sweater, Severus slowly made his way back to Harry's room.

It felt like weeks since he'd seen the child wake and look up at him with those darkened eyes, before Severus fled the room and stepped out into the rain. He peered cautiously inside. Molly sat with the boy, and had finished saying something to him when Severus reached the doorway.

Clearing his throat, so they would notice his entrance, Severus did not expect what happened next.

'Daddy!' Harry squealed.

He jumped from the bed and avoided Molly, hurrying across the room on his small, bare feet. He clung to Severus' legs, and buried his young face against him, tears clouding his view.

'You came back.'

His innocent voice of relief and joy caught Severus off-guard. He had not expected the child of Lily to have reacted so profoundly to someone like him, in any form other than anger and rejection.

Severus said nothing.

He stared down at the three-year-old and wondered what to do. He looked at Molly, who was watching Harry with adoration, and decided to lift the child into his arms. He had not held the boy since he'd been a toddler, marred with the scar on his tearful face. Harry wrapped his small arms around Severus' neck, as he was carried back to the bed.

Molly had an empty soup bowl on her lap, which she took with her when she rose from the bed, and quietly left the room.

'Where'd you go, Daddy?' Harry asked, as Severus carefully placed him onto the bed. 'You were gone a long time.'

'I had to get some fresh air.' Severus sighed.

'But it's rain'in.' Harry frowned.

He looked towards the window over his bed, where the rain continued to obscure the view beyond.

'You'ed get wet.'

'I did.' Severus wasn't sure what to do or say now the boy was awake.

He had vowed, so many years ago, to protect the child and watch over him. And now, Harry was supposed to be his sole responsibility.

'Are you hungry?' He asked. The boy had been asleep quite a long time, even if he'd been tended to.

'No.' Harry shook his head. 'Grama gaved me soup.'

'Do you remember anything?'

'I 'member wake'in up.' Harry frowned. 'You left and Grama tolded me I had an ac'ident.' He said, while Severus tried to translate what the three-year-old was saying. 'Grama said that's why I don't 'member nothing 'til now.'

'Nothing at all?' Severus felt cheated.

He still had all of his memories – the useful and the horrible - and Harry had a completely blank slate. The boy had no idea that, under a month ago, he had been eleven-years-old. No previous knowledge or recollections plagued the child, as it so often did Severus.

'Nope.' Harry shook his head. He started to squirm anxiously. 'I need to pee, Daddy.'

'Oh, Merlin.' Severus exhaled.

He picked up the child and carried him up all the stairs to the bathroom. He realised the boy was too small to reach the toilet, so he conjured a wooden step-stool for him. Turning his back, to give Harry privacy, Severus could not believe this is what he had been reduced to.

'I'm finished!' Harry declared.

Severus turned when he heard an ear-splitting scraping sound.

Harry pushed his stepping stool over to the sink, so he could climb up and reach it. He washed his hands and held them in the air. The boy looked around for something to dry them on, dripping water onto the floor in the process. Severus waved his wand, and the boy's hands dried themselves. Harry was surprised by the display, and kept turning his hands over to get a closer look, his eyes wide with amazement.

'Why are my clothes too big?' Harry wondered. He looked down at his black pants and white shirt, which were shrunken versions of his school uniform - except they were still several sizes too large for him.

Severus didn't offer an explanation; instead, he summoned a simple pile new clothes for him to wear. He carried Harry back to the bedroom, since he thought it would take too long for the boy to effectively walk down them all on his own.

Severus, against the child's protests, changed his clothes from the former ones to a set of new attire recently bought especially for Harry in Diagon Alley. He was nicely dressed in a pair of jeans, and a light blue long-sleeved shirt with a silver hippogriff face on the front. Checking the time, Severus realised dinner would be ready soon, but he had no idea what to do with the three-year-old until then.

He'd been a professor for about ten years, and yet it provided him with no knowledge, nor clue, as to how to deal with a child as young as Harry was now.

'Have you met the rest of the family?' Severus asked.

'I only sawed you and Grama.'

'I shall introduce you to the rest.' Severus decided.

He reached towards the boy, who raised his hands up in acceptance to being held once again. He held his new son against his hip and carried him downstairs.

They found the other Weasleys in the living room, though Severus didn't remember seeing them when he'd returned inside. Ron played chess with Percy over in a corner, where a grey cat's tail stuck out from under his chair, while Ginny and the twins talked about Quidditch near the empty fireplace. Everyone stopped what they were doing, and looked over at the pair, when Severus joined them with Harry in his arms.

'Harry, these are your aunt and uncles.' Severus told the boy.

Most of the Weasleys were curious about Harry, though a bit unsure how to react, yet they all waved and smiled at the cute boy. The child himself suddenly turned shy and tried to hide his face against his father's shoulder. Severus, not tolerating the action, put the boy on the ground and nudged him towards Ginny, who had already approached her little nephew.

'Hello, Harry.' She said with warm acceptance. 'I'm Ginny.'

Harry slowly lost a little shyness, as he looked at her, then walked around the living room to meet the rest of his other family members. He asked every one of them for their name, though Severus doubted he'd remember them all that easily. Harry was a bit confused by the twins, until they spoke their names and caused an amused giggle from the boy, before he ran back to Severus to hide behind his legs.

'Daddy?' Harry tugged at Severus' clothes. 'Why do my aunt and uncles have diff'ent hair?' He frowned, pointing to their red hair with one hand while using his other to tug at a handful of his own dark hair, which shared a strong likeliness to Severus'.

'It is not typical for each person to have the exact colouring of hair.' Severus answered. 'Not even within the same family.'

He didn't want to have to explain adoption and non-blood relatives to a three-year-old, or why some people have one colour of hair and others don't.

'Why not?' Harry wondered.

'Because, that's the way it is.' Severus said. He wished the boy wouldn't ask him questions that were hard to explain to toddlers.

'But why?'

'Harry, I think the rain is stopping.' Ginny came to the rescue.

She pointed outside a nearby window, as though it was very fascinating. She often played with four-year-old Ivy Lovegood, therefore she was a bit more comfortable with the situation than the rest were. Severus was thankful for her intervention because Harry was already starting to annoy him.

'It is?' Harry, forgetting his shyness, ran over to the window.

Ginny lifted him up, with some difficulty; there was only seven years difference in their ages.

'Daddy, look! Now you won't get wet.'

Severus grunted in response, and turned towards the sound of a door opening nearby.

Looking into the kitchen, Severus saw Arthur coming inside, but couldn't overhear what he was saying to Molly. Arthur must have heard Harry's chatter nearby because he instantly looked towards the boy, and went to the living room to meet his new little grandson. Ginny saw him approaching, and put Harry back on the floor, seeming glad to be relieved of the weight in her arms.

'Hello, Harry.' Arthur crouched to greet the child.

He beamed at the adorable child, who he thought looked a lot like Severus, despite being adopted.

'Who're you?' Harry asked, standing firmly beside Ginny.

'I'm your grandfather.' Arthur told him proudly.

'I've got a grama AND a granpa?' Harry thought this piece of information was very exciting, which made Arthur chuckle with amusement.

Severus watched their exchange for a moment, then glanced around to see how the other Weasleys were reacting to their first official meeting of their nephew. Ginny and Arthur were pleased and had easily adapted to the boy they were already fond of. Percy looked curious and thoughtful as he watched, while the twins were whispering to each other as though the entire situation was very entertaining.

Severus dreaded to think what they could find so funny, and planned to keep a closer eye on the mischievous pair.

Then there was Ron.

The youngest red-haired boy was still sitting in front of the abandoned chess game he'd been playing with Percy. The twelve-year-old looked very unsure. Not that Severus could blame him, as Ron had come home to discover not only did he have a new older brother, but for the first time he was also an uncle to a little boy. He didn't seem to outwardly dislike Severus or Harry, but Ron clearly needed more time to adjust and come into terms with the dramatically altered home situation.

Leaving his enthusiastic son to become familiar with the new family, Severus headed into the kitchen where Molly almost had dinner ready. He was glad Harry was distracted by Arthur and hadn't noticed his father leave the room, because Severus did not want to have a three-year-old stuck to his leg all night.

'He's such a darling boy.' Molly said to Severus. 

He moved to assist her with placing the food on the table, witholding his own comments and opinions about the boy. Severus wondered how Molly Weasley, the mother of Fred and George, could be so deceived by the Potter brat. He was certain she'd realise the truth soon enough, once Harry overcame his shyness and showed his true colours as a trouble-maker and general nuisance.

'Din-' Molly went to say, but was halted by Severus' raised hand and alarmed expression.

'Are you insane, woman?' He growled at her. 'Harry will be trampled! Allow me to get him before you summon the herd to the table.' Severus shook his head and stomped from the room.

He was beginning to understand how the Weasleys were all Gryffindors, if they had to bravely survive getting to the dinner table in one piece every night.

'Harry.' Severus caught the boy's attention. He was sitting on an armchair, avidly watching the cat's tail still visible under Ron's chair. 'Come along.'

He lifted the child into the air, and protectively held his son against his side, as he returned to the kitchen.

Molly called the rest for dinner. 

As predicted, there was a loud scramble for chairs.

Severus sat on his own at the end of the table at a section he knew Arthur didn't sit at. Harry was placed on his lap; there wasn't a chair specially for the boy yet. Severus didn't mind, as he preferred to keep an eye on the kid. He wasn't sure if Harry would be hungry, as it hadn't been long since he'd woken and Molly gave the boy soup.

However, the need to restrain the child from grabbing a handful of mashed potatoes revealed otherwise.

'Wait.' Severus said, though he kept an eye on the food in fear of it all vanishing under the hungry gazes of the Weasleys. He worried about his son's well-being, when the entire household seemed to be a battle of endurance and a competition for their share.

'But I'm hungry, Daddy!' Harry whined and squirmed to get out of Severus' strong hold around his middle.

'Your manners are poorly lacking.' Severus lectured. 'You wouldn't want to seen as a rude little boy, would you?'

'No.' Harry sighed with defeat and sat back down.

He watched, as Severus piled food onto a large plate and a smaller one. He guessed the smaller one was for him, because Harry didn't think he could eat all the food on the other one.

Severus served himself several selections he wanted, whereas Harry received a small portion of everything - he had no idea what the child liked. It was very difficult to eat his meal with a kid wriggling on his lap, but he managed.

Harry didn't eat at first.

He picked up his fork, and looked at the food on his plate. He scooped some mashed potatoes, since that's what he had originally wanted, and ate it slowly to test the selection. Deciding he liked it, the boy happily ate some more. He loved the chicken as well, and enjoyed smothering each piece with gravy before he ate it. Molly, who sat to Severus' right, thought the meal was a success; children as young as Harry were often very picky.

She had thought too soon, however.

When most of the food had vanished, Harry moved on to his vegetables. The boy took a mouthful of beans and promptly spat them back onto the plate - narrowly missing Severus' own, which he decided he was now finished with.

'Harry!' Severus grimaced.

'Yuck.' Harry pulled a face at his beans. He eyed the other green vegetables warily, and reached across the table for more mashed potatoes, but the bowl was pushed away from him by Severus.

'You cannot have second helpings until you have eaten the food you already have on your plate.' He told the boy.

'But I don't wanna!' Harry whined again. 'It's yucky.'

'Harry.' Severus growled.

The nearest Weasleys looked at Harry's returned beans and decided they weren't as hungry anymore either. Only Ron and Arthur weren't the slightest bit bothered by the display.

'Your grandmother put time and effort into making this delicious meal for the family. You apologise to her this instant.'

'Sorry, Grama.' Harry said with shame. 'I liked the other stuff, but your beans are yucky.'

'Merlin.' Severus breathed with exasperation and placed a hand over his face.

The others seated around the table laughed.

'That is quite alright, Harry.' Molly said, hiding a chuckle. 'There are other vegetables you might like. Why don't you try the broccoli?' She encouraged and pointed to the mentioned item.

'I don't eat trees, Grama.' Harry said, frowning at the way the vegetable gave the appearance of tiny trees.

He had a reason for every other vegetable as well, until Severus wanted to shove something into the kid's mouth and tell him to just try it.

Finally, with Harry contently munching on his carrots, the others excused themselves from the table and returned to the living room. Severus could still hear the twins laughter. He wished the glare he'd aimed at them was as effective as it had been when he was the mean dungeon bat Potions Master, instead of their brother.

With the incident over dinner, Severus hoped there was little else the boy could do to annoy him that night. He was sadly mistaken, when it came time for Harry to go to bed.

Severus had no idea what was coming, as he picked out a navy blue set of pajamas printed with golden stars.

'It's time for your bath.' Severus told to boy.

The child was sitting on the bed, staring out the window, even if it was too dark outside to see much. Harry turned around when he was spoken to, and slid off the bed. He walked to the door and made a dodge to avoid Severus.

'No.' Harry insisted. 'I can do it.'

After passing Percy and Severus' bedroom (which was shut as Percy was working on an essay for school), he started ascending the stairs, taking his time as he walked. Harry didn't notice how much slower the process was when he did it on his own, compared to when Severus carried him. Harry was very proud when he reached the landing where the twin's room was, which also had the door shut. Strange zapping sounds were coming from within.

Severus decided, for the sake of his sanity, he would not investigate.

Harry turned and went up more steps until they stood outside Ginny's room, where she could be seen sitting in the window seat and staring out the window, not yet dressed in her pajamas.

'Hi, Ginny.' Harry waved. 'I'm clim'ing the steps by myself!'

'Well done, Harry.' Ginny clapped, struggling not to laugh.

'Keep going.' Severus nudged the boy.

They only had a few more stairs to go to reach the landing with the bathroom, then Ron's room. Past the bedroom door were the stairs to the attic; Severus had never seen up there yet, as he felt no need to.

Harry, thankfully, failed to notice its existence.

'I made it!' Harry declared as he hurried into the bathroom. 'That's a lot of steps.'

'Indeed.' Severus sighed.

He shut the door for privacy and didn't allow Harry the chance to say he'd undress himself. The boy squirmed and was determined to be independent, so Severus let the boy take off the last of the clothes while he prepared the bath. Making sure it was warm, he dropped in three toys Molly had brought out of storage that were still in good condition. There was a brightly-coloured fish, a squid he thought resembled the one in the lake at Hogwarts, and basic brown “wooden” boat.

'Wheee!' Harry declared as Severus picked him up under his arms and lifted him into the bath.

The man stepped back quickly, when the boy started splashing about, and narrowly missed being drenched by the water.

'Enough!' Severus instructed. 'You may play after you're clean.'

Harry didn't like that idea, and pouted accordingly.

He sat there to let his dad wash him with a soft purple cloth, which made him ticklish, and then scrub his hair with a nice smelling shampoo. When he was announced to be clean, Harry dove for the toys and spilled water over the edge of the bathtub in his eagerness. Making noises and a mess, Harry was oblivious to the decreasing temperature and water level.

-- 

After a while, Severus got bored and thought the boy had played long enough.

With a wave of his wand, the water drained. Harry was firmly told to put away his toys, which belonged in a hanging net on the wall near the small, curtained window. Once he was dried, and dressed in his new pajamas, Harry fled the room. Severus glared after him, but had to stay a moment longer to clean up the bathroom and hang the towel on its rack.

Severus dumped the boy's clothes in the hamper, then followed the runaway child, not thinking Harry could get very far - if his last trip on the stairs was an indicator. He was right. Severus effectively caught a startled Harry, who had just reached the landing outside Ginny's room.

'Daddy!' Harry squealed with laughter, thinking his father was playing a game with him, and allowed himself to be carried to his bedroom. He was placed on the bed, but rolled over to climb off it, only to be put back on.

'No.' Harry whined and squirmed again.

'Stay put.' Severus commanded.

His words fell on deaf ears; the three-year-old was determined to escape. He spun around quickly and spelled the door to slam closed, moments before Harry wriggled free and ran for the door.

'Daddy, open the door!' Harry pleaded.

He wasn't tall enough to reach the doorknob, so he slid against it and sat moodily on the floor.

'It is time for bed.' Severus told him firmly.

'I don't wanna to go to bed!' Harry said loudly. 'I'm not tired!'

'Harry.' Severus growled, beginning to lose his patience with the child. 'It is time for bed.'

'NO!' Harry shouted, shaking his head and crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest. 'I won't!'

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose, and calmed his breathing, to stop himself from yelling back or throttling the little brat. He took a step towards the boy, who was less rebellious when he saw the glare on his towering father's face.

'Harry Liam...' Severus said very seriously. 'Get. Into. Bed. Now!'

Harry, his eyes wide with worry, hurried around his dad and jumped onto the bed. He pulled the sheets over himself and watched Severus carefully.

After a moment, the three-year-old thought he wasn't in trouble anymore because he was sitting in his bed.

'Read me a story, Daddy!' Harry requested. 'Grama gaved me lots of books. Please?'

Severus inhaled a long breath and turned to the toddler, thinking he might be able to get the child to sleep if he negotiated rather than deal with a tantrum.

He glanced towards a pile of books the boy had pointed to, which showed a variety of age-appropriate storybooks. Swallowing some of his dignity, as he saw the bright covers displaying fuzzy animals with unrealistic grins, too many colours, and other decorations he wanted to cuss at Molly for buying because he had to be the one to read them.

Picking the darkest and smallest one he could find, Severus walked to the bed and sat on the edge. Harry tossed the sheets off himself and scurried close to his dad, so he could look down at the book and see what was going on.

'In a far, far away land...' Severus began, feeling his dignity shedding with each page.

It was a story about a lonely bat who lived in a dark part of an otherwise magical forest. Severus quickly wished he'd picked a different book. Honestly, he was certain he'd hate every one of them, though Harry seemed to enjoy the selection immeasurably.

'The tiger opened his mouth wide, showing all his sharp teeth...' Harry read, which caused Severus to pause and stare at him. 'And roared!' The boy continued the sentence, giving a roar of his own to accompany the story.

Severus couldn't believe it, as he sat there reading a story to the three-year-old in effort to get him to sleep, only to realise the child could still read! Harry didn't seem to have any of his former memories, but his reading skill was apparently intact.

When the story was over, Severus returned it to the pile and lifted another.

'What does this say, Harry?'

'Milly's Secret Owl.' The boy read it aloud. 'Are you gonna to read that one too, Daddy?'

'No.' Severus dropped it onto the pile and returned to the bed. He nudged the child into the bed, covering him with the sheet. 'It is time for you to go to sleep.'

'Can I have a drink?' Harry asked.

Severus narrowed his eyes at the boy's delaying, and sighed. He left the room, and spelled it shut as he went. As predicted, the moment he was out of the room, Severus heard the boy's attempts to escape. Walking to the kitchen, hoping the child would go back to bed and fall asleep before he returned, Severus fetched a glass of milk.

When he got back to the bedroom, Harry sat crossly on the single bed. Severus handed him the milk, which the boy drank very little of, and fixed the blankets once more. Accepting the returned cup, Severus watched as Harry lay down against the pillow.

'I'm not tired.' Harry said, shortly before releasing a wide yawn. 'Really, Daddy.'

'Very well.' Severus played along. 'If you are not tired, than you can close your eyes without going to sleep.

'Yeah.' Harry sighed again, closing his eyes slowly. 'Not...sleeping.' 

Severus stood there for another five minutes, making sure the child was finally asleep.

He backed out of the room and exhaled with relief on the landing outside. Leaving the door partially ajar, Severus headed to his own room and stepped inside. Percy was no longer doing school-work; he sat on his bed with a magazine, and looked up when Severus entered.

'Did you finally get Harry to bed?' Percy asked.

He was amused when Severus walked to his own bed, and lay face-down on it, despite still being dressed in his day clothes. Percy had heard some of the commotion, since there was only a wall separating the two rooms, and felt a bit sympathetic for his brother.

'Yes, finally.' Severus' voice was muffled by the pillow. 'Parenting is hard.'

A silence filled the bedroom.

Percy left to have his shower, and Severus contemplated never moving again. He was at peace, to leave the brat asleep in the next room, and be able to focus on himself. He planned to shower when Percy was done, and then go to bed to sleep the entire day away.

His plan worked well; Severus was soon comfortably resting in his own bed, with Percy asleep across the room. He closed his eyes, blissful to be able to rest, when a yell startled him and probably everyone else in the house as well.

Percy had nearly fallen out of bed in shock.

'Blast!' Severus growled furiously.

He threw back his blanket, and stomped to the door. Flinging it open, Severus marched to the next room in a state of immature irritation.

'What?!' He demanded, glaring over at Harry, except the bed was empty.

'Daddy!' A wail came from underneath.

Severus, casting his dignity aside in favour of sleep, crouched awkwardly on the floor to look under the bed. The boy was huddled in a corner.

The three-year-old was scared, and glad his dad had come to save him.

'What happened?' Severus asked. Though he was nowhere near calm, his anger ebbed away at the sight of the vulnerable child.

Harry had never looked so small.

'It got really dark.' Harry whimpered. 'And scary.'

Exhaling, Severus spent the next half an hour convincing the child to leave the “protection” of the underside of the bed. He conjured a no-burn blue flame and placed it inside a lidded jar. Resting it on the bedside table, which he didn't recall being there earlier, Severus put the boy back into bed and covered him up.

'Stay.' Severus ordered.

He left the bedroom and was glad the boy didn't follow. Severus collapsed onto his own bed again, seeing it was nearly midnight, and yawned. Closing his eyes, and not bothering about the covers, he finally fell asleep.

Percy had been re-awoken by Severus' return. He looked around with a contained chuckle when he heard the patter of little, bare feet on the floor. Severus had forgotten to close their bedroom door, Percy noticed. The teenager lay still and discreetly, at the aid of moonlight streaming into their room, watched as Harry crossed the room.

The child jumped onto Severus' bed and scurried closer to his father. Severus grunted, and moved over to Harry could curl up beside him, allowing the little boy to steal most of the blankets in the process.

'Keep still or I will feed you beans.' Severus' mumbled response was barely audible from where his face was buried against the pillow.

Too tired to even realise his actions, or bother to acknowledge the boy beyond his half-asleep threat, Severus fell back to sleep with Harry snoozing comfortably beside him. 

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.

Severus had hoped things would improve.

He finally gave in, after many more restless nights and struggles with the screaming child, to follow Molly's advice. He sat at the kitchen table during the afternoon, almost a week since he had finalised the adoption of Harry, and worked on a schedule for the boy to follow. He used a few recommendations from Molly, as she knew more about child development at Harry's age, and what times would be suitable for things like bedtime, naps, and meals. She had experience in raising children, whereas Severus only knew the curfew and other important times for eleven-year-olds and above.

'Whatcha do'in, Daddy?' Harry wondered.

He climbed onto the seat beside Severus, and looked over at the large chart of sturdy parchment where he would be writing the new routine. It was going to be stuck in the living room, but Severus was still drafting it on a piece of parchment.

'I'm creating your new schedule.' Severus answered. 'You will be following it every day, which shall ensure you go to bed at the same time very night, among other necessities.'

'I don't want a sked'yule.' Harry frowned and crossed his arms in a pout.

'And I do not want to tolerate your whining.' Severus scowled. 'Life isn't fair.'

'You're no fair, Daddy!' Harry argued back.

It was one of the reasons Severus realised Molly was right about requiring a set time for everything the boy did. Until now, Harry often fell asleep during the day if he got tired, but without it he was extremely cranky. He needed a time reserved every day for a nap - yet another thing Severus had learned about three-year-olds.

'Harry, go and play in your room.' Severus was not in the mood to deal with the brat right now, as he had to get the schedule finished before dinner. He still had several timeslots to be filled, and the boy was breaking his previously comfortable focus.

'I don't wanna.' Harry insisted. 'I'm bored, Daddy. Come play with me.'

'No.' Severus answered firmly. 'I am busy. Perhaps Percy will play with you?'

'He locked the door.' Harry grumbled.

'Then he too wishes to be left alone.' Severus was already on the edge of his temper and didn't understand why the child had to be so difficult all the time. 'Maybe one of your other uncles want to play with you?' He already knew Ginny couldn't, as she was once again visiting the Lovegoods and their eldest daughter Luna.

'Uncle Fred and Uncle George are fly'in.' Harry evidentially tried to find something to occupy his time before he'd sought out his constantly reluctant father. 'Uncle Ron is too. Grama is in the shed with Granpa, and I'm not 'llowed to go in there.'

'Finally, an instruction you obey.' Severus muttered sarcastically. 'I too am occupied with a far more important task than stacking blocks. I insist you leave me in peace!'

'But I'm bored!' Harry whined and stomped his foot. 'You're always busy!'

'Harry!' Severus snapped and turned to glare at the irritating child. 'I am tired of your whining and disobedience. I cannot play with you every moment of the day.'

His tone was louder than he intended, but Severus had reached his wit's end and could take it no more.

'For once, will you do as you're told? Go. Away!' He said harshly.

Harry was halted in his tracks, his eyes filled with tears and hurt, as his father said those things to him.

All he wanted was someone to play with him, or give him something to do. Everyone else was busy. Harry thought his daddy was really smart and could find something. He only had a couple of books and a few toys, after all. But his daddy didn't help him. Instead, he'd shouted and said mean things. Didn't his daddy love him at all? Harry didn't think so anymore because his daddy never had time for him, unless he was annoyed so much he had to.

That didn't work now, and Harry didn't know how to get his dad's attention without making the man angry.

Ducking his head, fists clenched to his side, Harry's hurt boiled to anger as he glared at his father in retaliation. Severus would not have noticed, if the boy hadn't said anything or if a plate nearby didn't burst from the boy's unexpectedly strong magic.

'I HATE you!' Harry screamed at his dad, tears sliding down his red cheeks.

Another plate exploded.

'You're a bully. I don't want a daddy anymore! You're mean!' With that, the little boy's sadness took over in the form of sobs, and Harry turned to flee the room.

Severus sat there, shocked by the display, and could not deny he had been hurt by the outburst of words. Harry hating him was not necessarily something new, at least not from their former life, yet Severus felt the sting from it this time around.

Even if eleven-year-old Harry had never said such words to him.

He didn't think he'd ever bullied the child, just told the brat to leave him alone and do as he was told. Why was Harry acting out so much, all the time, but more to Severus than anyone else? He'd seen Harry with Molly, and the boy was quite well-behaved. Harry listened to her and didn't scream or throw things like he did with Severus. In fact, he got along with every other Weasley in the house apart from Severus. Ron was reluctant and often said the wrong things, and even he had more luck than the child's own father.

Crushing his guilt the best he could, Severus lowered his gaze to the schedule and forced himself to believe Harry was only tired and angry he couldn't get his way. He was behaving like a spoiled brat - that's what was wrong. A spoiled brat, just like James Potter.

Severus finished the schedule and cast a sticking charm to place the chart on the designated living room wall, where it could be seen from the kitchen. Finishing with a few protective charms, Severus' thoughts went back to the angry child who had given him nothing but a headache in the last few weeks.

Hearing a crashing sound above, Severus cussed to himself and stormed up the stairs. Percy opened his door the moment Severus reached their landing.

'It's the boy.' He told his younger brother. 'He appears to be throwing a tantrum.' Severus growled.

Percy decided to stay out of it, and retreated back inside the bedroom.

Severus threw open the door of Harry's room and snarled when he saw the child throwing things in the room. Luckily, the boy had limited belongings, as a shopping trip had not yet been scheduled to buy him more items and decorate his bedroom. Severus did not think the child earned such a privilege and stubbornly dismissed every argument Molly threw at him.

'Harry Liam, stop that this instant!' Severus shouted over the noise the small child was making.

Harry threw books against the walls, kicked his train under the bed, and began tossing his wooden blocks at Severus.

Casting a shielding charm between himself and the boy, Severus could not believe how destructive and angry the three-year-old had become over something as small as boredom and not getting all the attention he wanted.

'Go away!' Harry screamed, using the same words Severus had against him. 'I hate you!' He said again, throwing another block and not noticing it bounce away from his dad before it could have hit him.

'I HATE YOU!' The boy bellowed.

Severus could not take it any longer.

He could not contain the building rage he had pushed down every day Harry ran from him, whined about something, or bluntly did nothing he was supposed to. He tried to make an effort, Severus really did, but now all he saw was an insolent brat with Potter's spoiled attitude.

In the back of his fury-driven mind, Severus had just enough grip on himself to know he had to leave the room right away. He feared hurting the child, like Tobias did, and didn't trust himself to be in the same room as Harry right now - not when the boy was behaving this way. He would have shouted himself hoarse, and perhaps given the boy a hard smack as well.

He would never allow himself to do that, so Severus turned on his heels and strode out of the room. He knew Percy was next door, and therefore cared nothing for marching right out of the house.

He passed Molly along the way, who was startled by the absolute loathing on his face.

-- 

Severus kept walking - all the way up onto the hill where he had once stood in the rain to face Fate, on the day Harry had woken.

He stood there, looking over at the hills where everything seemed so calm and undisturbed. He was angry. Beyond furious, actually. Severus could not be the father to a child he was beginning to honestly hate. Every effort he made to be the boy's parent was met with opposition. Things started out well enough, but over time Harry was less satisfied with anything and it was Severus he always expressed his disagreement towards.

Severus didn't know what he was doing wrong, yet it reached the point where he didn't care anymore. The child was a brat, and he had no idea how to change that. At Hogwarts he'd glared, scolded, taken points, and given detentions - even then it usually only delayed the boy from causing more trouble.

Harry wasn't eleven now; he was three. Severus had no experience with such a young child, and he didn't know why Harry was acting out the way he was. He had considered asking Molly, who had proven to be a well of parenting knowledge, but Severus was too determined to work it out on his own without help.

He didn't want to admit he couldn't handle a single three-year-old child.

Severus sank to his knees on the grass, looking at the natural green tone of the hill, and wondered where his Slytherin cunning was now. His composure was as lacking as Fate had told him it would be. She'd said it would stop him from holding back, but Severus doubted she realised how easily he reacted in anger if he didn't grasp it. He did not handle a lack of control well, and Severus was scared. He was fearful of lashing out at the child, and that he wouldn't be able to overcome this nerve-grating challenge.

Somehow, under all of his anger and helplessness to fix the situation, Severus felt defeated. He loved Lily. Severus gave the impression it was an awful duty to protect her only son; the child she'd given her life for. When the child came to Hogwarts, he thought Harry was all Potter apart from his eyes.

After being de-aged, Severus held onto a small hope that the boy would wake and show more of his mother's genes. And when the boy's eyes opened, the emerald of Lily was gone. Even after all that, Severus was told by fate that the boy was more his son now, and he was Lily's son, which he had to realise without the green eyes shining into his own. Now, with his confused and inexperienced efforts resulting only in outbursts and screaming, Harry hated him.

Lily's son hated him.

Severus thought it was all worthwhile, to have lost Lily and his former life, if it meant he could at least raise her boy as his own son. He was never a man to give up, or he'd have died many times over in the past, but hearing the little boy shout his hatred for Severus was a heavy cut in the heart.

Harry was all Severus had left of a girl who had been his best friend, and grown into the woman he loved, and the boy hated him. He fought Severus at every turn - the man was left with no knowledge to guide him, no potions to alter things, no new spell to fix the situation, and no mentor to advise him through these troubling times.

He had nothing.

Much like the scared child he himself had once been, Severus felt completely alone in his efforts towards something wonderful...It always ended sourly.

Maybe if Fate hadn't used her magic, things would have been different. She said it was a do-over, but Severus thought it was worse than ever. At least, back then, Harry only glared and occasionally back-talked, while Severus kept his composure and handled the situation with a rational mind and practised skill. The skills which had saved him from Voldemort, and Azkaban, which had given him a job and a place to live, and enabled him to progress instead of spinning in confusion, unable to cope with a world he was mostly despised by. His situation had been familiar, comfortable, and he could tolerate it - Severus knew his purpose and did not allow himself to give in.

Fate said she was helping him, giving him a second chance, and Severus believed she'd made a terrible mistake. Why did people always have to meddle? Why can't they just leave things well enough alone?

'Fate!' Severus called out.

He left the hill to wander further away from the Burrow so his shouts would not trail to any of the other Weasleys.

'Are you pleased now? Is this working out how you planned?' He growled. 'The boy hates me, and you call this a second chance?'

No answer.

Severus, emotionally exhausted, sat on the grass and glared into the distance. He knew he couldn't stay there all night, but Severus could not find the will to return to the house where the boy was probably ripping the sheets off the bed by now.

There was a sensation of magic in the air, and a gentle breeze blew at Severus' hair. The man slowly rose to his feet when he heard a strange sound.

Looking around, he saw a boy standing a few feet from him. The child looked like eleven-year-old Harry Potter, except his clothes were far too big for him, and he was sad. The child stared at the ground, being almost transparent, as the hills faded into dark mist - which surrounded himself and Severus in every direction.

Severus, on edge and cautious, deemed this to be Fate's doing. She hadn't appeared herself, yet the magic felt similar. He didn't know what was going on, but it was almost a relief when the child looked up with his Lily-like emerald eyes.

'I'm still here.' The memory-Harry said. 'Every night, when I sleep, I dream of my memories. Every night, when I'm asleep, I know who I am and how I used to live. Every morning, when I wake up as three-years-old, it's all gone. Sometimes, just sometimes, I am haunted too. Just like you are.' His voice was quiet and miserable.

'You are not real.' Severus said. 'You're merely a memory. Fate, this is your doing, isn't it?' He called for her, but only the child in front of him answered.

'Yes, I am a memory.' He nodded. 'But you haven't figured it out yet. Memories are the most important thing in the whole world. Without them, we don't learn from our mistakes, or find motivation to keep going if we can't recall where we've been. You got a second chance, you really did, and your memories hold you back. You have them, though, when I don't, because you need them. You need to remember your childhood. If you weren't still hurt by what your father did to you then you might have hit me today. I'm a memory now, but my three-year-old self...'

Severus did understand why Fate had chosen for him to retain his memories now.

It was unsettling to be told these things by a sad eleven-year-old boy; the same child the brat back at the house had once been. In a strange way, Severus found himself missing this child - the young wizard he'd watched be sorted into Gryffindor, who had taken his Potions class every Friday, and who he had given detentions to on countless occasions.

'Without our memories, we don't know what it's like to be loved forever. Or hated every day for reasons we don't understand.' Memory-Harry continued. 'You've asked yourself why my three-year-old self behaves so angrily, and so rebelliously? It's because he doesn't have me.'

His tone reduced to a whisper.

'I am the memories of Harry Potter. If he had me, I think you would find the situation to be very different. He would almost never talk to you, and certainly not argue back. He wouldn't throw things, or dare act in such a loudly offensive manner like he is now. He would go to bed when he was told, right away, and he would follow every other command you give him.'

'Then why must I retain my memories while the brat has none?' Severus growled, wanting those described things to be true; that the brat would obey and not be so irksome.

'Because a three-year-old cannot handle eleven years of me.' Memory-Harry sighed. 'He wakes every morning thinking he'd dreamed of climbing towers of blocks as big as Hogwarts, or running from green beans that want to eat him. If he had me, his memories, then he'd be having nightmares of his mother screaming, accompanied by a flash of green light.'

Severus halted at those words, horrified the child even recalled Lily's death. Harry had been right there, inches from her, when it happened, but Severus never imagined the toddler might have remembered it. He had prayed Harry had been too young, and therefore his toddler memories had faded over time.

'Did you try to understand my three-year-old self, or just stop him from annoying you?'

Memory-Harry looked irritated now, which was a reflection of his former self.

'Fate told you I have a good reason to also deserve the do-over you have been given. My three-year-old self could never tell you because he doesn't have his memories. Without them, he's confused and frustrated.' Memory-Harry explained. 'He can do things he doesn't remember learning, he feels he shouldn't need help for certain activities he somehow struggles with, and he has no idea why instincts make him not want to do something he thinks he should do.'

'He shall adapt.' Severus said. 'It has only been several weeks. I trust, then, that things will improve?'

'No.' Memory-Harry shook his head. 'It'll only get worse, until you see what you've missed this entire time. You were too busy in the past, looking for James Potter, to find Lily or Harry. Now you're repeating your mistake. Your memories remind you what you've suffered, and you take betrayal very personally because of it, which is why you hold onto your grudges. A wise wizard once said: “To hold an eternal grudge or extract revenge is a poison meant for others.” You need to let go.' He said, and quickly interrupted when Severus opened his mouth to object.

'No, don't saying anything. I know it won't be nice. You need to not comment or judge right now. You need to listen. Just listen, and I'll tell you.'

'Tell me what?' Severus narrowed his eyes, looking around at the mist when he felt a peculiar magic shifting within it, though it otherwise didn't appear to change.

'By the time you realise on your own it will be too late.' Memory-Harry sighed. 'I don't want to tell you, but I have to. I am just memories, and I have no power or hold on my three-year-old self. You still think he's a brat, someone who was spoiled in the past and can only be trouble now because of it. I promise, neither he nor I hate you. Not even a little.'

Severus hadn't moved, yet he felt mildly unbalanced. The mist swirled and darkened all around them. Memory-Harry didn't react to it. Severus squinted in attempt to catch glimpses of a few flashes of images in the mist. He saw a house, the same as so many in the street, and thought of Spinner's End. It was gone in a flash, and he saw a cupboard under some stairs, where a woman was knocking on its door.

Suddenly, a sound burst through the mist and startled him.

“Up! Get up!” She screeched. “Now!”

'My aunt.' Harry provided a name to the man's confusion. 'That's her waking me, as she did every morning at sunrise. I had to cook dinner for the Dursleys while they ignored me. If I was lucky, I got more than a single piece of toast or a bit of egg. Maybe even a strip of bacon. They didn't starve me, not exactly, but I was never allowed as much as I liked or needed.' Memory-Harry said. 'My bedroom...'

A flash of the cupboard was shown again, though this time the door was open. Severus stood there in shock when he had a clear view of the tiny space. He saw the camp bed, the tiny assortment of broken toys, a discarded book, an aged apple in a corner, and a crayon inscription reading “Harry's Room”.

As he stared, a six-year-old Harry Potter walked inside it and sat down. He was dressed in over-large clothes, and his hair was as messy as always. His glasses were wrapped in tape, as they had evidentially been broken a few times, at the section resting on the boy's nose. The boy was trying not to cry.

Watching the reformed mist, Severus could hear the boy's soft sobs sounding innocently heartbroken. It was followed by the sharp tones of Petunia, deep growls of Vernon, and mocking laughter of Dudley. Severus caught a glimpse of each of their faces as Memory-Harry told him their names. He heard, but not saw, various things the boy had to hear throughout his childhood with his uncaring relatives.

Petunia only acknowledged her young nephew a few times, though usually only to unkindly warn him not to burn the breakfast, to get his filth out of her clean house, or to hurry up with his work. Severus despise her even more than when he'd been a child and lived nearby her.

Vernon's words were similar, but much more constant. Severus cringed at the loud and angry tones as they reminded him heavily of his father. Vernon was always snapping at Harry to go faster, and get out of sight, or warning him time and time again not to mess something up. It was often followed by threats of going without meals or being locked in the cupboard for long lengths of time.

He saw brief sights of Harry, being obedient each time. It told the story of a sad and lonely orphaned boy Severus had assumed to be doted on, and allowed to get away with anything under the coddling care of his relatives.

'On my seventh birthday, I was stuck in my cupboard all afternoon.' Memory-Harry told him, looking at his hand where he now held a fresh red apple. 'This was my present. I remember savouring it at lunch time. Mrs Figg, a lady who lived nearby, had given it to me in the morning. It was right before my relatives got home from a short trip to the countryside.'

Severus looked at the fruit as well, remembering three-year-old Harry loving apples in any form. Was this why? Did he have a feeling of fondness for the fruit even without the memories to accompany it?

'They wouldn't let me have my Hogwarts letter.' Memory-Harry continued. 'I never knew the truth until Hagrid told me, after my aunt called me and my mum a freak. I'd grown up thinking my dad was a drunk who caused a car crash, which had killed my parents and given my the scar.' He brushed his hand against his hair-concealed forehead, the apple now gone. 'Hagrid told me I was a wizard. He told me about how my parents died. I never knew what I did was magic. I was told there was something wrong with me, and I was just freaky.'

Severus felt a terrible guilt and unexpected shock to hearing details regarding the real life of Harry Potter.

Mostly, he could only listen to the memories and hear the occasional cry or harshness. He rarely saw anything, except the one solid memory that surfaced for him to view, which was difficult to endure. It was only a memory, but when he watched eight-year-old Harry run from his fat cousin, and some other boys Dudley's age, in a game of “Harry Hunting”, Severus wanted to shield the child and hex the bullies. They reminded him of the Marauders.

Except, the Marauders had pranked him and called him horrendous names - only once or twice had they ever actually punched him or caused great pain.

Severus watched the boy raise his hands to protect his face from the multiple oncoming punches of his own cousin. It was a sickening sight for the formally bullied and mistreated Severus, who could relate to Harry Potter in ways he never deemed imaginable or possible.

'I was usually faster.' Memory-Harry sighed, as the view faded. 'When I was two, I used to follow my aunt around the house and ask her to play with me.'

Severus heard the voice of a small child doing exactly that. He was polite, though a bit hard to understand with his young age, and not at all as bothersome as the three-year-old Severus had been dealing with for the last few weeks.

'My aunt was very angry when I told her I loved her. She acted as though I had sworn at her or something. She shouted at me to get out of her sight and never bother her again. She'd slapped me, in one of the few moments she did, though it was only against my hand. I was also hungry and wanted a cookie, but she'd made them for Dudley and no one else.'

Memory-Harry looked downwards, a cookie sitting in his hand crumbled to dust and swirled to become part of the mist. Severus glanced at the mist and was reminded of a penseive.

'There is something I wanted you to know.' Memory-Harry said, taking a step forward. Appearing on the “ground” beneath them was a book. It was a schoolbook of the boy's, with “Potions” scrawled on the front.

Severus somehow regained his ability to control a portion of his composure, up until now - when the sight of the book made him very emotional. Everything to this point had been about the Dursleys shunning their nephew and giving him barely enough to survive, and no love at all. Severus knew what was coming was going to relate to him and to the boy's time at Hogwarts.

He didn't want to see or hear any of it.

He looked up and saw a faded glimpse of the eleven-year-old Gryffindor seated in the Potions classroom. Severus wondered if this was the first lesson he'd had with the boy, when he'd asked him questions the child would have had to memorise his textbook to know. It wasn't. The class began and Severus quickly noticed it was from sometime in November. Harry was trying to brew his potion, but kept getting frustrated and nervous.

It was all he saw, but Memory-Harry explained.

'It didn't make any sense to me, the potion. I read over the textbook, but it was no use.' He said, reminding Severus of Percy for a moment. 'My potion was the wrong colour, and I couldn't fix it. Hermione offered to help, but I wouldn't let her. I figured you'd know and we'd lose points for it. I wanted to do it on my own.'

“Potter.” Came his own memory-voice. Severus didn't like the sound of it, and couldn't believe it was the tone he'd used constantly against an eleven-year-old child. He tried to defend his actions in his mind, but they were less of reasons now than excuses.

He felt ashamed and hateful towards himself.

“Another zero, it seems.” Said his voice from the past, sounding pleased to fail the boy - who Severus now knew had been trying to fix his potion, and actually wanted to do well in the subject if he could.

'Go ahead.' Memory-Harry said, seeing Severus stare down at the book again. 'You should have a look.'

Severus, surprised by how solid the item was when it should just be a memory, picked up the child's book and flipped through it carefully. He took in everything he could make out, passing pages and pages of notes Severus didn't remember asking the first years to copy down. He always had less expectations than that. But Harry's book was loaded with notes, and most of it was things Severus had merely told the class.

It dated all the way back to the first lesson, when he'd been scolded for “not paying attention”.

'Most of the time, I never said anything.' Memory-Harry sighed. 'I couldn't. You'd take points or give me a detention. Besides, the Dursleys taught me it was best to keep quiet.'

Severus continued perusing the book, thinking shamefully that his father had educated him on the exact same thing. Silence didn't save him, but it made harsh moments less likely to escalate.

'My book hadn't helped me that lesson.' Memory-Harry added. 'I couldn't find a solution, and I knew better than to ask. Never ask questions – that was the first rule of the Dursley household, and I knew you weren't like the other Professors.' He said.

'I returned to my brewing, and did the best I could with what I had. I believe it was barely passable when I was finished. Not that it mattered to you.'

Severus understood - the boy wasn't in Gryffindor for being bold and reckless, he was there for having the courage to do what he had to in order to survive. Severus had done the same, yet he'd gone to Slytherin for his ambition and self-preservation. He wanted to overcome and be more than he was, whereas Harry just wanted to do what was right and be content with who he was.

'The hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, actually.' Memory-Harry said when the mist swirled around them once again, though no images or sounds emerged this time.

Severus closed the book, resting his palm against its surface as gently as he could.

He felt terrible. 

Almost as awful as he had when he'd apparated to Godric's Hollow on the fateful night and saw the hole in the house - not knowing the outcome, but fearing the worse. In that incident, much like now, he realised he was to blame in a part for the scenario that frightened him. Then he'd realised no favour of the Dark Lord was worth what could have happened.

Such as, no grudge he'd held against the surviving child was worth putting the boy through more than he'd already endured. Severus felt three-year-old Harry was right: he had been a bully. He had singled the child out and made his life harder, not extremely so, but after the Dursleys...

'Yes.' Memory-Harry nodded. 'Do you see it now? Your father was cruel to you. My relatives never loved me. Yours was worse than mine, but all the same it was unfair and undeserved. We thought Hogwarts was home, or a place where our lives could be happier and we weren't despised for existing. You had the Marauders to remind you how unfair life was, and how hard it is to prove your own worth.'

There was a brief moment of dramatic pause.

'Does it hurt, Severus Snape, to realise that you were my Marauder?'

'Yes.' Severus admitted, wishing he had seen through his own blindness before. 'And I do not deserve this second chance. You do. I have failed; I have become what I cannot live with. What does it matter now? I have done too much - caused too much pain. I beg of you, end this.'

'No.' It wasn't memory-Harry who spoke this time, it was Fate herself.

The boy faded into the dissolving mist, and the hills returned. Severus crumbled to his knees once he had solid ground beneath him again. He hung his head, ashamed and tormented by the undeniable truth he'd been a fool not to see sooner.

'You put your life on the line every day to protect that child.' Fate told him. 'You did so without anyone, apart from Dumbledore, knowing. And myself, of course. I watched you suffer for years, yet I knew you had more mistakes to make. You had to be stripped entirely of all dear to you. Except the boy.' She said.

He listened, but his mind felt numb under the guilty crushing it.

'You protected him, Severus. That is your redeeming quality. You became a spy and you held to your duties no matter how hopeless they seemed. Yes, you treated Harry very judgementally, that cannot be overlooked, but you still protected him. You saved his life more times than you even realised.'

'It does not excuse what I have done.' Severus gasped, trying to contain his emotions.

'Had you been kind to him, you'd never have convinced anyone you were still a Death Eater.' Fate added. 'I can see where people go; where their futures will take them. Your choices - they weren't in vain.'

He looked up quickly.

She had a far-away gaze in her bright blue eyes, her silvery hair sweeping over her shoulder with the breeze. His hair did not move; Severus assumed she was using some sort of magic he could not quite feel.

'For the rest of Harry's schooling, you would have continued to save him.' She said smoothly, in a quieter voice. 'Each time, it will nearly cost your life and position as a spy. You will even kill someone you know well, for the boy's safety and the sake of war in favour of the Light. It would be upon request, but nevertheless - the one asking had no idea that in all your time as a Death Eater you have never murdered a single person.'

'Not with my own hands or wand.' Severus frowned. 'But I am to blame for her death.'

'No, Lily's death was already written.' Fate said. 'She still would have died, just several years later. If you hadn't shared the part of the Prophecy, then begged Dumbledore to have her go into hiding...'

Fate looked reluctant to tell him, but soon continued.

'Your actions led to Harry's survival. Asking the Dark Lord to spare her was another. He gave her a choice, and she refused to stand aside from her child. It wasn't that she had died protecting her son that helped him live - it was because she chose to sacrifice herself. There is a tremendous difference between the two.'

Severus didn't know what to think of that. Had his ill-causing actions led to the survival of the boy? Had his bad deed saved a life? He couldn't fathom such a thing, but he was surprised to realise how much he had helped Harry. It made the bullying he later aimed at the child a little less cruel. It was inexcusable, yes, but it wasn't enough to make Severus wish a terrible punishment upon himself in repayment.

'You see it now.' Fate nodded. 'In all my time in this job, I have never had to intervene as much as I have with with you and Harry.' She frowned. 'You know the truth now, so you can improve your new fate. And I have to go. There are rules even I must follow.'

The air felt oddly cold. Her next words were spoken without anger yet as seriously so, and Severus knew not to take the warning lightly.

'Mark my words, Severus Snape - if you should ever call or need me again, it would be at a terrible consequence.'

--

It was an hour before dinner when Severus stepped inside the Burrow.

Molly was knitting in the living room, and looked at him with concern. She never said a word. From what he had seen on the hill, the other Weasleys were all in the backyard. Even Percy, though he was once again reading a book rather than playing Quidditch.

Crossing the room, Severus slowly ascended the stairs until he reached his platform. Peering into Harry's room, he was relieved to see the mess had been cleaned. Probably by Molly, Severus thought to himself. The boy was sitting in the middle of the room, playing with his blocks. He still seemed a bit moody, yet not in the disastrous manner as earlier.

'Harry.' Severus spoke.

The boy looked at him, seeming prepared to run at Severus and hug him. Harry froze, and his eyes widened with shock, as he stared at his returned father. Severus was alarmed when the child's obsidian pupils blinked bright emerald for a second, then were dark once more. He stepped further into the room and crouched in front of his wary three-year-old son.

Lily was still there, and so was James, but someone else was as well. A person Severus should never have overlooked - not years ago and not now.

'Harry.' He said again, placing a hand on his son's head. 'Your behaviour earlier was unacceptable. Had I not cast the shielding charm, you may have injured me. No one will listen to you if you're shouting and throwing your toys.'

'I'm sorry, Daddy.' The three-year-old looked painfully guilty; his eyes welled with tears and he lunged to hug his father.

Severus stood with the child in his arms and, for the first time ever, cuddled him close with a loving embrace. He pressed his cheek to the child's head and rubbed his back softly to soothe him. He knew there was still a lot to work on, but he could never hate the boy again. Severus was determined more than ever to make this work.

He understood now, why Harry was behaving this way, and therefore he could adjust and make sense of the situations they were bound to fall into once again.

'You are forgiven, Harry.' Severus told the child. 'From now on, you will have a schedule to follow every day. I will be putting you into time-out if you misbehave. And, I promise you, I will take better care of you.' He didn't apologise to the three-year-old for anything because it wasn't this child he felt he owed the apologies to. One day, if he ever saw Harry Potter again, Severus was going to beg for his forgiveness.

Hopefully, a boy could forgive what his mother could not.

'I don't hate you, Daddy.' Little Harry sobbed. 'I'm so so sorry!'

'I know.' Severus whispered. 'I know everything now.'