Summer of the Unexpected by beargirl1393
Summary: During the end of Harry's fifth year, it's revealed that his parents weren't James and Lily Potter, and that his biological parent is Severus Snape. How did it happen, and what are they going to do now that they know?
Categories: Parental Snape > Biological Father Snape, Fic Fests > #18 Summer 2015 Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Draco, Dumbledore, Lucius, Narcissa
Snape Flavour: Snape Comforts, Snape is Kind, Snape is Loving, Snape is Stern
Genres: Angst, Family, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort
Media Type: None
Tags: Alternate Universe, Pregnancy, Snape-meets-Dursleys
Takes Place: 0 - Pre Hogwarts (before Harry is 11), 6th summer
Warnings: Abusive Dursleys, Neglect
Prompts: My Mum Severus Snape
Challenges: My Mum Severus Snape
Series: None
Chapters: 11 Completed: No Word count: 13133 Read: 61236 Published: 30 Jul 2015 Updated: 01 Sep 2015
Chapter 7 by beargirl1393
Author's Notes:
The idea that Severus created potions that saved Draco's life when he was a baby comes from Sheankelor again, from her awesome series 'A Place'.

Severus rubbed his back, leaning back in his chair and propping his feet up on the small footstool. After a day on his feet, he usually spent the rest of the night sitting with his feet propped up, getting up only when the baby sent him to the bathroom or when he was going to make food. It seemed he was always craving something now, although he wasn’t surprised. His body and magic were nourishing the baby as well as himself, so it would require more energy, and thus more fuel, than it would ordinarily.

An owl tapping at the window started him out of his thoughts, and made him remember that he was planning to add anti-owl wards to the list of wards he’d already cast on his house. A flick of his wand was enough to unlock and open the window, letting the owl fly over and drop the letter in his lap. He summoned a treat for the bird, feeding it and then turning to the letter.

He recognized the stationary and penmanship, of course. He had become well familiar with them during his years with Lucius. The owl was new, but it was quite likely that Lucius had simply bought a new owl, as his was getting on in years. Merlin forbid that Lucius Malfoy have anything that isn’t perfect.

His musings are brought to a halt when he reads the contents of the letter. Narcissa had gone into labor, the healers had been unable to stop it, and their son had been born. There was little that the healers could do, he knew well the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of the potions used on premature newborns. He had already made notes in several different potions books, plans to fix existing potions and to make new and better ones.

Unsurprisingly, the Malfoys were asking for his help. They wanted him to make new potions for their son, to try to help him survive. It was clear they were desperate, as Severus hadn’t had any contact with the Malfoys since the conversation about the money.

Severus set the letter aside, resting a hand on his stomach, feeling his son moving around, as best as he could in the increasingly limited space. Two of the potions would be safe for him, even with his additions, so he wouldn’t need to take any precautions. The other three, however…the fumes could harm his son, and he didn’t want to risk that.

As bitter as he was over the separation, he did not want to force the Malfoys through the pain of losing their child. Whether or not they deserved it, the child deserved the chance. And he would fully blame the hormones for that thought, but he couldn’t help it at the moment.

He would not risk his son’s life, however, so he would need to find a way to brew without worry over inhaling the fumes. Perhaps a carefully applied bubblehead charm would work. He would need to change his clothing, the fumes often clung to his clothes, so he would simply wear one of his old potions’ robes, enlarged of course, and he would take care of it when it wasn’t dangerous for his son.

“Just this once, little one,” he murmured, getting to his feet with a soft groan. “You will have your first experience with potions. At least I do not have to worry about you sneaking into my lab after this.” He could see that in the future, the curious imp would try to go back down whenever his back was turned, because he would be curious about all of the different vials, ingredients, caldrons and books. Still, as the child was still three weeks from being born and it would be at least a year after that before the child was mobile, so there was little point in dwelling on it now.

Mostly, he was stalling because he was worried. His bubblehead charm would prevent the fumes from getting to him, his robes were specially made for potions masters to wear and had a myriad of protective spells woven into the fabric. It didn’t stop him from worrying, however, but he gritted his teeth and went down to his lab.


“Draco was born early?” Harry asked, surprised. He wouldn’t have believed it, the arrogant prat who tormented him and his friends whenever they were in school had nearly died as a baby. “You saved his life?”

“The potions I brewed helped to keep him stable until he’d grown enough to make up for his missed growth in the womb,” Severus said, shaking his head. “He needed to be dosed daily, initially. Once he began to improve, the frequency decreased. It took months, of course, but he was eventually a healthy child. The potions I created to help him were the first that I patented once I received my Mastery. My correction of the other potions used for him were the next I submitted. Of course, that was after…”

“After you thought I was dead,” Harry finished softly, noticing the pain on Snape’s face. From what he’d heard, the man would have been a good father. He couldn’t believe that he was saying that about his terrifying potions professor, but it was the truth. He thought that Snape would have been a good father, that he would have been strict, obviously, but he would have also been fair in his treatment of his son.

“What happened? How did it happen that you thought…?”

Severus sighed softly. “I hadn’t expected that you would arrive when you did. I was visiting Draco in the nursery at the hospital when I began having contractions. I left before Lucius or Narcissa could notice, going back to my home to wait until the time had passed that I was far enough along to justify them keeping me. On my way out, I passed Albus Dumbledore, not that I had cared at the time.” He had been too taken up with the thought that he was finally going to meet his son to care why Dumbledore was pacing the ward. Now, of course, he could look back and curse himself, but then all he had cared about was going home and ensuring that everything was ready for Henry’s arrival.

To be continued...


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