Three Gryffindors and A Baby by celeste
Summary: An accident in Potions (where else?) turns Snape into an infant. Dumbledore in his glorious wisdom (and because it makes a nice plot) leaves him in the care of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
Categories: Reverse Roles > Parental Harry Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Hermione, Remus, Ron, Sirius
Snape Flavour: None
Genres: Action/Adventure, Humor
Media Type: None
Tags: Baby fic, Deaging
Takes Place: 5th summer
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 4 Completed: No Word count: 16159 Read: 13267 Published: 27 Sep 2002 Updated: 27 Sep 2002
Story Notes:

Disclaimerness: I don’t own Harry Potter (duh) that honor belongs to Rowling, the genius that she is. I’m just borrowing her people and locking them in little cages for my (and your?) amusement. I promise to give them back relatively unharmed. Well, Snape may need some serious counseling after this. Anyhoo I make not one penny off this story, and I don’t even have a penny so it’s quite pointless to sue. Thanks.

Special Thanks: My eternal gratitude to my four Beta Readers: Kerguelen, Aemos, Ms. Prongs, and Sharon. Without whom this story would be filled with too many errors to count. Also to the reviewers, who make it all worth my while.

Oh Baby by celeste

Neville Longbottom was shivering so hard during Potions that Hermione feared all his teeth would break. The chattering of his jaw as it connected around thirty time a second was even beginning to set Ron on edge as he tried to stir the contents in his cauldron the same way Snape had demonstrated. Neville continued to shake as he attempted to drop the Mersalt into the mixture.

“Neville,” Hermione whispered from the corner of her mouth. “You’re adding too much. Just a dash, not a handful.”

“Sss-ss-oo-r-rrr-y,” came the frightened young boy’s reply. Hermione could understand his fear well. She would probably be shaking as well if Snape had threatened to flunk her for one more botched brew. Just as she thought his name, Snape’s head snapped up from the desk.

“If you are assisting Longbottom in any way Miss Granger, it will be a failing grade for you as well.” His lip curved slowly upwards into a menacing sneer. “I would absolutely hate to be the one to give your first F.”

By the tone in his voice Hermione very much doubted that. In fact, he would probably relish an ability to prove that little-miss-know-it-all didn’t know everything. Tightening her lips to keep her dark curses to herself, she returned to stirring the aging potion.

Ron however didn’t share her common sense. “Greasy git,” he murmured to Harry. “Just wants to watch Hermione lose her place in line for Head Girl. So some Slytherin can claim it.” Harry nodded his agreement.

“Not that there is a Slytherin-”

“Mr. Potter?” Snape hissed from behind Harry’s shoulder. Only one table away, Neville began to shake even worse.

“Yes Professor?” Harry didn’t glance back, just continued to chop up the baby Eels.

“Don’t let me interrupt your little conversation.” His voice was deceptively soft, a tactic Harry had learned meant the trap was closing fast on his ankle.

“I think you already did, Sir.”

Neville was so shocked he dropped the entire tray of Eels into his potion. Unfortunately this went unnoticed by Snape. No one in the class noticed either- an eerie silence interrupted only by the light bubbling of cauldrons had floated over the room. If a snitch flew past the window it would be heard.

Snape’s mouth tightened, causing the edge of his eyes to narrow until only black slits peered down at Harry over his crooked nose. “Very cute Mr. Potter. Your powers of observation are simply astounding. Tell me, because I’m sure everyone here would like to know, what were you about to say regarding my House?”

During his response, Snape’s face had steadily grown closer to Harry’s until the Professor was slightly bent over and nose to nose with him. Harry could feel Snape’s breath hissing against his face, and wanted nothing more than to turn away and stick his head into a pen of Blast-ended Skrewts. Instead, he gazed back defiantly. “I was about to say that your house couldn’t produce a Head Girl even if Rowena Ravenclaw was alive today and sitting under a Slytherin’s banner.”

Snape’s eyelids twitched. No one dared to breath, not even Malfoy and his two shadows. Snape slowly pulled away from Harry, but continued to throw hexes with his twin black eyes. “Hmm,” was the first sound to leave his mouth. And then, “As opposed to a glory-seeking, loose cannon, such as yourself? Someone who paints a bulls-eye on his back and tramps around in front of Voldemort any opportunity he can grab? An honor bound Gryffindor who shielded himself with a Hufflepuff’s body, and under the guise of fair play no less? Fifty points from Gryffindor Mr. Potter for-just-being-you.”

Snape turned on his heel and began to walk away when what would be known as one of the greatest disasters in Snape’s potions class struck. Harry, blinded by the fury that Snape had produced when he insinuated in front of the entire class that he had purposely sacrificed Cedric, leapt from the spot he was standing at before Ron could react and grab him. He flew towards Snape like a bat out of hell- and collided just as the Potions Master was nearing Longbottom’s table.

Surprised by the sudden weight of the fifteen year-old boy jumping onto his back, Snape stumbled forward and fell onto the cauldron where Neville’s botched aging potion was brewing violently. It tilted as soon as Snape’s chest collided with it and the contents poured all over the Professor’s black robes.

It dripped down Snape- purple and thick as gel. He bit out a cry of shock when the scalding potion met his skin. Almost as suddenly it cooled to his own body temperature... and then the most extraordinary thing happened.

Snape started shrinking.

Harry, Neville, Hermione, and Ron watched with growing horror as the tall, gangly Potions Master grew an inch shorter every second. It was as if someone was twisting a time-turner a hundred times. His face began to fill in and grow rounder, his narrow and hawk like eyes also grew to the size of chestnuts. His hands and fingers- normally long and elegant- began to shorten and bulge out. His back twisted and then he began to shorten, sinking closer to the floor with each passing instance.

The great billowing robes engulfed his body slowly covering his hands. Soon only his head-- now tall as the table-- was the only thing visible. And in the moment after that it too disappeared within the folds. The lump which remained grew smaller and smaller until finally- no longer than Hermione’s arm from hand to elbow- it stopped.

Everyone stared down in shock. No one breathed- no one moved. It seemed that everyone was at a loss for what to do.

And then…

“WWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!”

A scream so shrill erupted from the pile of robes on floor that everyone quickly covered their ears. Still the cry continued to permeate through the palms of their hands pressed tightly to their heads. Ron shook his head violently and if anyone could have heard over the piercing wails he would have been heard saying over and over, “This isn’t happening! This isn’t happening!”

Hermione was the first to act. Shoving Harry and Neville roughly out of her way, she knelt by the small bundle where the screams were emitting from and gingerly picked up the collar of Snape’s robes. Revealed beneath was a very un-happy and very baby-looking Snape.

“Oh Merlin!” she screamed out, voice breaking from trying to raise it above his. “He’s a baby!! My goodness Harry- he’s a baby!”

“I can hear that Hermione!” Harry called back, fingers embedded deeply in his ears.

“Now you’ve done it Potter! You’re expelled this time for sure!” Draco cried out from the corner of the room.

Neville began to cry. “I’m so dead when he turns back. He will turn back, won’t he?!”

Hermione gazed up sympathetically before reaching into the robes and pulling out the naked infant from inside. Everyone crept closer despite his continuing cries. Hermione cradled Snape in her arms and stood up before them all. “We’ve got to go to Dumbledore!” she shouted while everyone nodded numbly and looking as if they’d just walked into a nightmare. “There there,” she cooed.

Snape stopped wailing and drew in a long breath. Everyone sighed and pulled whatever they had stuffed into their ears out. Gazing with dumbstruck eyes at the small form of the most menacing man in the school. His pudgy body contrasted deeply with the thin bat they were use to.

“Merlin save me he’s almost cute,” Pansy muttered.

At that Snape began to scream again. Hermione glared at her before smoothing the soft black hair on his head. “C’mon you guys!” she called out to them. Most of the class shook their heads. Hermione stomped her foot. “Fine then. Harry, Ron, Neville come with me. The rest of you," she paused before adding, "clean this place up!”

“Why us!” Draco snarled back. “Let the elves do it.”

Hermione glared at him for several moments before answering. “Fine. You take him to Dumbledore.” She repositioned Snape till her hands fell under his armpits and presented the screaming Professor to Draco.

He held up his own hands in surrender and shook his head. “No way. We’ll clean up. It’s your fault anyway, Potter!”

But Harry didn’t answer, he just stared at Snape. He was sure that his days at Hogwarts were numbered. Assault on a teacher was one thing, but transforming them into a baby? He really hated Snape now- even worse then before. “All your fault.” He muttered to Snape as Hermione cradled him again in the crook of her arm.

She gave Harry a stern glance before sighing and moving to the door. Motioning the three of them to follow with a nod of her head.

Neville clutched at Ron. “How are we going to explain this to the Headmaster?” Eyes brimmed with tears as he looked to Ron for answers. Ron shook his head and pulled at Harry before following Hermione out the Potions door. It had to be one of the first times in years that it hadn’t slammed behind with Snape’s exit.

To be continued...


This story archived at http://www.potionsandsnitches.org/fanfiction/viewstory.php?sid=305