Cherished by Roselina4389
Summary: '"Mmm," Harry copied him, a small smile forming on his lips. "Mmmm!" He said again insistently, as if expecting praise.'
After being rescued from the outrageous treatment of the Dursleys, Harry Potter is handed to Severus Snape and at first nothing good can be made out of this relationship. Babies can be quite a handful and Snape is NOT a tolerant man. Baby!Harry and lots of fluff.
Categories: Parental Snape > Guardian Snape Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Charity Burbage, Draco, Dumbledore, Lucius, McGonagall, Narcissa
Snape Flavour: Canon Snape, Snape Comforts, Snape is Kind, Snape is Loving, Overly-protective Snape, Snape is Stern
Genres: Canon, Family, Fluff, General, Humor, Hurt/Comfort
Media Type: None
Tags: Baby fic, Child fic
Takes Place: 0 - Pre Hogwarts (before Harry is 11)
Warnings: Abusive Dursleys, Character Bashing, Neglect
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 29 Completed: Yes Word count: 51165 Read: 189719 Published: 23 Jun 2014 Updated: 13 Sep 2016
Chapter Fourteen-Train Ride Part One by Roselina4389
Author's Notes:
A/N: Thank you sooo much for all the support!

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own here is the plot.

Snape walked absent-mindedly to the train station, Harry in his arms. A lot had happened in the past week.

Charity was being threatened by some people who didn't like her teaching children about Muggles.

Snape hated Muggles, actually. Every Muggle he had met so far were nothing short of cruel and disdainful. However, he was not involved in Muggle-hating either,-well, not anymore-and understood the stress Muggle-borns went through. He had tried comforting Lily when his Slytherin friends had been racist towards her, but it had only made matters worse. Snape had a feeling she thought he was sticking up for them, which made no sense at all. But anyhow, he couldn't let Charity get into trouble like that. He was thinking about this when Harry let out a rather loud squeal, "Ooooo!"

He had been like this for a while now, pointing and oohing and trying to nudge Snape into looking at the unfamiliar and fascinating surroundings of King's Cross. Now Harry was looking in utmost fascination at a stationary train with small puffs of smoke going up into the air occasionally.

"Yes, it's all very interesting," Snape said dryly, as Harry now began to lean on the man's chest and stare down at a pet cat and it's owner.

"Cat," Harry pointed at it.

Snape moved on, not listening. One of the other things which had happened during the past week was Harry's (hopefully last) temper tantrum.

Start Flashback

Snape and Harry had been having a good time. Harry had been cuddling with Snape (Snape preferred it to be known as 'sitting' and sitting only) because Snape had been in a particularly good mood. Snape had read to Harry, even drawn a bit with him, and then they had had a quiet chat.

Snape had been teaching Harry new words and Harry had been sitting on his lap, looking up at him and repeating. When Harry had refused to learn the word 'Potion' and had kept mumbling 'Shun!', Snape had given up. Harry had then buried his head in the black robes, hiding himself in the folds. 

He was just mumbling, "Nape nape nape..." in a low voice, when Snape suddenly said: "It's time for a nap, Potter-Harry," Snape didn't like calling Harry by his first name much, but if he used his last name Harry would call himself "Pot" too and everyone disapproved of that.

Harry gasped in shock. Noooo, he wanted to spend more time here with Nape! 

But Snape had already picked him up and was heading for the nursery. Harry felt baby tears in his eyes at the injustice of it all.

"No, no, Nape, go ni' pwease!"

"But you go to sleep at this time everyday. Stop arguing with me, you've played as much as you've wanted,"

"NO! NO!"

Snape paused. What was this?

"What did you say to me?" he asked sternly.

"No! No ni' go 'way, go 'way!"

Snape glared at him and gritted out. "You won't say 'no' to me. I am older than you, and you follow my rules. Is that clear?"

"Play wiv Nape, plaaaaaaayyyy!"

Snape felt the boy kicking his legs, flailing uncontrollably.

"Ah!" Snape cried, as Harry aimed a kick right at his chest-and he was still wearing his tiny sneakers.

"That's it," Snape snarled, setting Harry down on the floor, where some tears leaked out of his eyes and he wore a furious expression, yelling and stamping his feet. Then Harry fell to the ground on his stomach, because he still wasn't too steady a walker. He began to yell some more.

"If you insist on acting like this, I'll treat you just how spoilt brats get treated," Snape declared. He took Harry to a corner of the room and said. "You're going to stay right here until you calm down and I think you've learnt your lesson."

Harry wasn't having it, so Snape had to shake him (lightly) and go off on a fearsome lecture: "You do not behave in this way. I am very upset at this behaviour. You will receive punishments if you continue to rebel me. Now stop it, or I will be more severe."

Harry paused. 'Set? Oh no! He didn't want to make Nape 'set!

But his only choice in this situation was to obey, since the man seemed to be rather annoyed now. Harry faced the corner, now very scared and upset himself.

However, he still kept his angry face and still cried loudly.

Snape left him, shocked at his behaviour. He decided that he wouldn't let the child out until he had calmed down and had apologized adequately.

A few minutes passed, and Harry felt disturbed. His legs were too wobbly so he sat down and then began whimpering. Tears dripped down his cheeks. He turned to chance a glance at Snape.

But Snape caught him. He raised his eyebrows and said curtly, "Turn your head, Harry, did I tell you to move?" he beckoned his fingers to show what he meant.

Harry gasped wetly and cried. "No, no, sowwy!"

He looked so pitiful and adorable that, for a second, Snape almost let him out. But then he hardened his resolve, feeling annoyed at his softness.

"I'm glad you are, but your punishment isn't over. Now turn," Snape judged that he was being extremely reasonable-the boy was sitting after all and the punishment had hardly lasted for a few minutes.

However, after a while, he called out. "That's it Harry, you can come out. Have you learnt your lesson?"

Harry turned. He nodded tearfully, looking remorseful. He hadn't wanted Nape to be so upset with him. He broke into a run trying to get to Snape, but fell midway. He crawled the rest of the way, and tried climbing onto Snapes's lap.

Snape helped him up, and was surprised but not really displeased, when Harry wrapped his arms around his waist and hugged him.

"Sowwy, sowwy! Nape 'set? Love Nape, no be bad!"

"You're not bad," Snape said tactfully. "A few mistakes don't make you bad,"

Harry snuggled up to him, sniffling some more and looking very distraught and regretful.

Snape helped him calm down, rubbing his back. Then he heard Harry whisper: "Ni'?"

"Of course you're still taking a nap." Snape said. He got up. 

Harry nodded to show that he was going to listen now. He asked timidly, "Nape ni' wiv me?"

Snape considered. He could see that the boy was shaken enough. "Fine, but only this once."

Harry gasped happily as Snape went into his room, sat on the leather chair and held him close. Harry yawned cutely several times and cuddled into Snape's chest. "Love Nape," he said, right before they both dropped off.

End Flashback.

Now, coming back to the present, Snape flushed a little at the memory. Harry had really changed him a lot. He was going softer by the minute and he was actually growing fonder of the green-eyed, mischievous baby. Harry, on the other hand, had always loved Snape and just wanted to be accepted by the man.

They neared the station of nine and three quarters. Snape, with all of his and Harry's luggage, nodded in reply to the station master's greeting, and went through the wall. He could see the Hogwarts express now, scarlet and gleaming.

Harry squealed loudly. "WOW!"

Snape tried to keep him in control as Harry clapped and oohed and began to act insane with rapture. They quickly entered the train. No one knew who he was as he was a new teacher. He had to make an impression. Snape had decided to be a strict and firm teacher whom everybody feared. It was about time he got some respect.

As he imagined giving detentions to Gryffindors, Snape entered an empty compartment and locked it so that he would have no company whatsoever.

He put Harry on the seat and sat himself, breathing deeply and looking out of the window. He was going to Hogwarts at last! His first time as a teacher.

He felt rather nervous and kept thinking about how he would first introduce himself to the class.

Snape's thoughts were interrupted as Harry suddenly yelped "Ooooh!", pointing at the window where a bird was perched, looking at him.

"Look birdie!" He whispered, enchanted, crawling over Snape and trying to reach out...

"Behave," Snape held him back. "Why don't you sleep for the first part of the journey?"

Harry did not want to sleep. He giggled and ran and crawled around the compartment, very hyper. He then played with his stuffed cat. Then he bothered Snape and had arguments about various nonsensical things. Then he made the cat be 'Napey'.

He furrowed his brows, looking grave, and said in a deeper voice: "Wello, I Napey! Love Hawwy!"

Snape found himself being portrayed in a rather incorrect way, and was about to say something, when-

"No Hawwy! No!" Harry made the cat say. He took out his toy frog and made the frog portray him.

"Napey," the frog said. "Ga ga ga la la..."

"Love Hawwy," The cat mumbled. Harry shook the frog.

"Love Nape!" The frog replied, promptly. "LA LA LA LA!"

"I think you're getting a little over-excited," Snape fought with his face not to smile. He picked the boy up gently and laid him on his lap. Harry suddenly gave a yawn and looked sleepy.

He didn't rest though. He was still as energetic as ever, trying to impress Snape. He sat up on the man's lap and began pulling his buttons.

"No, don't," Snape chided.

"No," Harry agreed, but he didn't stop.

Snape held both of Harry's hands together in his and shook his head. Harry giggled and lay against Snape's robes instead. He loved the soft fabric. "Love Nape."

"Professor Snape, now that I'm about to teach a bunch of students. And I don't want you making any noises, it'll ruin my reputation."

"Nape," Harry repeated. "Nape. Napey,"

"No. Under no circumstances will you call me that."

"Napey!"

"No, Professor Snape,"

"No, no, Napey!"

"It is rude to talk back," Snape growled.

Harry giggled happily. He leaned in closer to Snape and mumbled, "Napey, Napes," under his breath.

Then the train began to move and Harry squealed again: "Whe' we goin'!"

Snape had not sat on this train for years, and it stirred back old memories. As he held Harry close, the boy began to grin open-mouthed at the window, which showed that they were moving fast, through many trees and roads.

 

The End.


This story archived at http://www.potionsandsnitches.org/fanfiction/viewstory.php?sid=3067