My Little Runaway by krosi
Summary: After little Harry Potter runs away from his relatives’ home for the sixth time, Albus decides something drastic must happen. Instead of sending a friendly witch from family services like he had done before, he sends Severus Snape in hopes of scaring the boy into staying put. But when a blizzard interferes with plans, Severus learns why Harry keeps running away and a change of plans ensues.
Categories: Parental Snape > Guardian Snape Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required)
Snape Flavour: Snape Comforts, Out of Character Snape, Snape is Stern
Genres: General, Hurt/Comfort
Media Type: None
Tags: Alternate Universe
Takes Place: 0 - Pre Hogwarts (before Harry is 11)
Warnings: Abusive Dursleys
Prompts: Runaway
Challenges: Runaway
Series: None
Chapters: 34 Completed: No Word count: 163347 Read: 107702 Published: 23 Oct 2017 Updated: 08 Jan 2024
A Special Place by krosi
Author's Notes:
I apologize for the long wait. I will do my best to update sooner on this story.
             

               The first rays of sunlight streamed through the windows, striking Severus in the face. The man turned over in his bed before blinking his eyes open. He remembered the events of last night and looked to his side to find an empty space in his bed. Feeling more awake, Severus sat up and glanced around the room.

               “Harry?” Severus asked, his eyes glancing over to the attached bathroom and then to his open bedroom door. He jumped out of bed, throwing on a light robe and making his way over to Harry’s room. Perhaps the boy had gone back to his own bed and was still sleeping. Severus opened Harry’s door to find the bed made but no child on it. The rabbit was shuffling around the room, occasionally twitching his nose. He looked up at Severus as the man entered. Severus stepped further in the room, making sure Harry wasn’t in the room for sure.

               Without realizing it, panic was starting to creep up on him. He stepped out of the boy’s bedroom and checked the restroom in the hall. Noise from the kitchen caught his attention and he rushed down the stairs to see who was causing the ruckus.

               “Good morning,” Eileen greeted with a smile, stirring the scrambled eggs. “I’ve got a good breakfast cooking for us. I hope you’re hungry—”

               “Where’s Harry?” Severus demanded.

               “He’s out in the barn,” Eileen answered, frowning at her son as he ran out of the house. “He’s with Peadar—I’m sure he’s okay. Severus!”

               Severus didn’t really hear anything else his mother said. He had already slipped on his shoes by the door and was running over to the large white barn behind the house. The chilly morning air was being chased away by the rising sun, but Severus didn’t let either slow him down as he made it to the opened barn doors. He sighed in relief as he saw Peadar holding Harry up to pet one of the ponies, a gray one with dark eyes.

               “He’s pretty,” Harry was saying.

               “She is a beauty,” Peadar corrected gently. “Her name is Asphodel, and she’s a Connemara Pony.”

               “It’s a pony? But she’s so big!”

               “That’s what makes her special. It makes them all special.” Peadar gestured to the rest of the Connemara ponies in the barn waiting to be let out to the pastures. “But this one is particularly special.”

               “Why?”

               “There you are,” Severus said, walking into the barn, glad to see that the boy was wearing a coat and boots.

               “Hi, Mr. Snape!” Harry greeted, reaching out to the man when he was close enough. Almost instinctively, Severus took the boy from Peadar and held him against his hip. “Papa was showing me the horsies. Isn’t she pretty? Maybe I can ride one?”

               “You should have told me you were awake,” Severus scolded slightly. “I didn’t know where you were.”

               “I’m sorry. Nana said not to wake you. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

               “I wasn’t . . .” Severus trailed off as he realized how he was acting. It didn’t even occur to him that he was acting like a concerned helicopter parent who had lost sight of their child for three seconds too long. In all honesty, in the time he had spent with the boy, the child had always been within immediate sight, for the exception of his classes, that is. Severus realized Harry and Peadar were staring at him, and he cleared his throat. “I wasn’t scared, it just caught me off guard. Next time let me know when you wake up. Okay?”

               “Okay.”

               Severus went to set Harry down, but Harry clung to the man. “Wait, I want to pet the pony!”

               “How do you ask?”

               “Please.”

               Severus sighed, and lifted Harry back up, moving closer to the horse. Harry smiled as he stroked the pony’s mane while Peadar grabbed two flakes of hay and set them down in front of Asphodel. The pony lowered her head and began munching away, her mane now out of reach from Harry’s hand.

               “She’s so soft,” Harry smiled. “Mr. Snape, did you know she’s eight year’s old? I’m going to be eight this year, too!”

               “I know,” Severus said. “She’s my horse.”

               Harry’s eyes widened. “Really? Is that what makes her special?”

               “It sure does,” Peadar said, nodding. “She was a gift to Severus when she was still in her mama’s womb. Severus picked out the name.”

               “Why that name?” Harry asked, looking at Severus. “It’s a strange name.”

               “It’s a plant,” Severus answered with a roll of his eyes, “with very pretty flowers about her color.”

               “Did you know she was going to be white?”

               “She’s actually gray, like her father,” Peadar said. He turned and pointed to a couple stalls down. “Her mother, Acting the Maggot, is the roan in that stall over there. We thought the foal might look more like her, but that’s the fun of genetics.”

               “Acting the Maggot?” Harry frowned. “That’s stranger-er.”

               Peadar chuckled. “That’s her name. But we call her Maggie.”

               “Can I ride Maggie?”

               “I’m afraid not, laddie. She’s pregnant.”

               “What about Asphodel?”

               “That’s the other thing that makes this horse so special.” Peadar smiled as he scratched the mare’s neck. “She’s also pregnant.”

               “Really? When will she have the baby? Did you know Mr. Snape? Your horse is pregnant.”

               “Yes,” Severus answered, switching Harry to his other hip. “They do breed here. I’d figure as much.”

               “Is she going to have the baby now? I want to see.”

               “In a couple months—I’d say late April or early May—she’ll have the foal, but ya’d have to get up pretty late. You’ll need Mr. Snape’s permission for that.”

               “Please, Mr. Snape?”

               Severus frowned, glancing at Peadar’s smirk and at Harry’s pleading eyes. He cleared his throat. “We’ll see.” Was all he could say to the boy for now. He would wring Peadar’s neck out later for giving the idea to the boy.

               “Okay. Can I see the other horses? Who’s that one?” Harry pointed to the stall across from Asphodel. Severus walked over to it so Harry could pet the pony’s snout. Harry smiled as the pony sniffed him. Another pony pawing at its stall door caught the boy’s attention, and he reached out to pet that one, Severus walking over to it. After greeting each pony and memorizing their names, Severus was finally able to get the boy out of the barn, taking his hand and leading him back to the house. Peadar stayed in the barn to finish up feeding and some other chores.

               A low growl caught their attention on their way back to the house. Harry froze and looked back at the barn. Two red colored dogs came from around the barn. They were taller and leaner and looked much faster than any of Harry’s Aunt Marge’s dogs. Harry gulped and tugged on Severus’s hand. The dog’s barked and charged forward.

               “Mr. Snape!” Harry screamed, hiding behind Severus when the man spun around.

               Severus held out a hand, ready to command the dogs back when he blinked and smiled, squatting down as the dogs pounced on him, jumping up to lick his face.

               “Shandy, Finn!” Severus greeted. “How have you boys been? Good dogs. I’ve certainly missed you guys.” Severus laughed as the two wriggled and rolled around in front of him, enjoying the rough head and stomach rubs. The Irish terriers whined and barked happily. Severus remembered Harry and looked back at the boy, who was watching him a couple steps back with fearful eyes.

               “Come here, Harry,” Severus said, waving to the boy to come closer. “They won’t hurt you. Come pet them.”

               Harry shook his head and took another step back. One of the dog’s saw Harry and barked at him with a wagging tail, but Severus grabbed its collar before it could jump on Harry in greeting. Harry, however, took the barks as a threat and whined, his lower lip trembling.

               “It’s okay. They’re noisy, but they don’t mean any harm. He’s just saying hello. Look, he’s soft like Mr. Trifle.”

               “I want to go inside,” Harry said.

               “They may want to go inside at some point, too . . .”

               “No!”

               Severus was taken back by the firm ‘no’ that left the boy’s mouth. He kept his hands on the dogs to keep their attention on him, but they were becoming more curious about the newcomer. “That’s not fair, you don’t want them to sleep out in the cold, do you? They have nice warm beds inside. What’s wrong, Harry? Why are you so afraid of them?”

               “They’re gonna bite me.”

               “They won’t bite you. I won’t let them.”

               “I don’t like dogs.”

               “Didn’t Minerva give you a stuffed dog?” Severus managed to keep the dogs in front of him as he gently took a hold of Harry’s wrist, trying to pull the boy closer. “You like that one. Think of them as big stuffed dog. Relax and come here.”

               Severus managed to pull Harry a step closer, but in doing so, the boy started crying and yanked away from Severus, backing up several steps.

               “Harry,” Severus said softly, starting to feel sympathy for the boy. He stood, pointing at the ground so the dogs would lay down. He picked up Harry, who buried his head in the crook of Severus’s neck. Severus patted the boy’s back. “It’s okay, calm down. I’m sorry.”

               Peadar was exiting the barn and he frowned at the sight. Severus nodded to the dogs and Peadar whistled for them. Severus began walking back to the house.

               “I’m sorry, Harry, I had no idea you had such a fear of dogs. Why is that? Have you never seen dogs before?”

               “No,” Harry said, peeking out to see if the coast was clear. Satisfied, he reached down and pulled up his pant legs, revealing a couple small scars over his ankle. “They do that.”

               Severus had to awkwardly adjust the boy so he could look at what the child was showing him. He sighed. Of course. Not only did the boy have awful relatives, he had had a bad encounter with man’s best friend. He fixed the boy’s pants and hoisted him up more.

               “Mean dogs do that,” Severus said. “These ones will not. You didn’t even know it when they came in last night.”

               “I was sleeping. I don’t like them.”  

               Severus dropped the subject at that, feeling bad for the two dogs that might end up being isolated from the family for a bit. He carried the boy inside and helped him remove his coat and boots before slipping off his own shoes. He left on his lightweight robe and followed the smell of eggs, sausage, and toast.

               “Breakfast is ready, boys!” Eileen called.

               Harry ran into the kitchen happily, but Severus grabbed the boy’s shoulder and led him into the bathroom to wash his hands. He did the same. Once they were both clean, though still red-eyed in Harry’s case, they settled down at the table and Eileen dished out to everyone before filling a plate for Peadar when he finished outside. Eileen allowed Severus and Harry to begin eating breakfast while she filled two bowls with kibble and sprinkled scrambled egg on top. She set the bowls down on the floor.

               Severus loudly cleared his throat. Eileen looked over at him and the man shook his head. Eileen frowned, and Severus jerked his head at Harry. Understanding dawned on her as she took in Harry’s still puffy eyes and she gave him an apologetic look. She held up a finger to Severus in a ‘one moment’ gesture, then summoned a coat and walked outside with the dishes.

               “Where’s Nana going?” Harry asked.

               “She’s going outside to feed Shandy and Finn,” Severus answered honestly as he continued to eat his breakfast.

               Harry looked back at his own breakfast, picking through it. Peadar and Eileen returned, chatting amiably. They joined Severus and Harry at the table, Peadar complimenting Eileen and digging in hungrily. Severus took the moment to thank his mother for breakfast, Harry copying him.

               “What gentleman I have at the table, today,” Eileen smiled, winking at Harry.

               “It is really good, Nana. Are you a professional chef?”

               “Now you’re just flattering me. I learned from my mother, memorized all her recipes, I did. Maybe you and I can pick out some dinners to make together, hmm?”

               Harry nodded, smiling around his jam covered toast.

               “And then, we could play some gobstones.”

               “What’s gobstones?” Harry asked.

               “Oh, no,” Peadar said, fighting a smile.

“Here we go,” Severus rolled his eyes while Eileen gasped dramatically.

“Now we must play a game of gobstones!” Eileen decided. “I declare tonight to be a gobstones marathon. The boy and I against the professors. We’ll need a team name, Harry. Why don’t you think one up?”  

“Mother was the Captain of the Hogwarts Gobstones Team,” Severus told Harry, who still looked confused. “She was one of the best players, not that that is saying much. Gobstones is a children’s game—hey!”

“A game which you once enjoyed, Severus,” Eileen said calmly as if she hadn’t thrown a hexed napkin to stick to Severus’s face at her son. She smiled at Harry. “It’s an underappreciated game that children and adults can play that can be very fun and complex when you don’t want revolting liquid spat on you. It takes strategy, much like Quidditch or chess. Doesn’t it, Severus?”

“And yet,” Severus said, successfully removing the napkin off his face, “even a four-year-old can play it.”

               “As I said, it’s a game for all ages.”

               “How do you play?” Harry asked.

               “Have you ever played marbles?”

               “No.”

               “No?” Eileen looked to Severus.

               “Having met his relatives,” Severus glared down at his plate, “I’d say the boy hasn’t played many games in his life thus far.”

               “Well, we will have to remedy that,” Eileen shook her head, holding back some hair with a hand. “Maybe tonight, you, Peadar, and I can play gobstones. And maybe Mr. Snape will join us.”

               Harry smiled at Severus, who narrowed his eyes at his mother.

               “How about you tell us about yourself, laddie?” Peadar said, continuing the conversation. “What do you like, what’s your favorite game, favorite food, anything?”

               “Well, what should I answer first? I like trifles. They’re really good. Especially the berry ones.”

               “I guess I’ll have to pull out my mum’s old chocolate strawberry trifle recipe for dessert then, won’t I?” Eileen said.

               Harry nodded, only pausing when Severus used a napkin to wipe at the jam on the boy’s face, smiling up at the man as he did so. Severus paused, as if realizing what he was doing, then set the napkin down. He pushed back his chair and stood, pulling Harry’s chair back as well.

               “We should get ready for the day,” Severus suggested, leaving the table with Harry following, Peadar and Eileen agreeing a second later, finishing their breakfast before leaving the table to their bedroom.

 

               Harry stared out his window while cuddling his stuffed dog, watching the horses in the pasture, the two dogs running through the fields, and a couple hawks circling in the sky. He frowned, then shut the window and sat back on the ground, staring at his stuffed dog. He had always found dogs to be fascinating and even cute when they were written in stories or were stuffed animals. However, the real thing was another story. They had big teeth and paws and scary eyes that zeroed in on him like a predator stalking lunch.

               Mr. trifle shuffled over to Harry, sniffing him. The boy smiled and picked the rabbit up, snuggling him. Rabbits were okay. They were the bestest friend anyone could ask for.

               At that point, Mr. Snape opened his door and walked in.

               “You’re still up here?” Mr. Snape asked, sitting down next to the boy. “I thought you’d be exploring the house again or in the field with the horses.”

               “The dogs are outside,” Harry said, letting Mr. Trifle hop away.

               “I see,” Mr. Snape said, summoning a brush and moving closer to Harry. “I thought I asked you to brush your hair.”

               “I forgot,” Harry admitted, letting Mr. Snape brush through his knots, wincing slightly. “I brushed my teeth. See?” Harry smiled brightly up at Mr. Snape, who snorted and angled the boy’s head forward once more to finish brushing.

               “So, I see. I need to finish grading some essays before I head back to work tomorrow, and you need to get more acquainted with Nana and Papa. After this, you can join Nana in the living room and spend some time with her while I work in my old study.”

               “Okay.”

               Once Mr. Snape finished brushing the boy’s hair, he led Harry downstairs to Eileen, who was working on the couch with parchment spread out of the coffee table in front of her. A hen harrier stood on the arm of the couch with a rolled parchment in its beak.

               “Is that Kieran?” Harry smiled happily, running up to the bird that gave him a sidelong look.

               “It sure is,” Eileen smiled, scratching her bird under the beak. “He and I bonded pretty quickly when I first arrived here. He’s a sweetheart.”

               Harry stroked the bird’s head before Kieran dropped the parchment in his mouth and made a ‘kek’ noise at Eileen.

               “Oh, yes.” Eileen picked up the dropped parchment and handed it back to the bird. “Please take that to Linnea at Durmstrang Institute.”

               Kieran dipped his head before flapping his wings and flying out a window that opened and closed behind him. Mr. Snape settled Harry on the couch next to Eileen and reminded him to behave before he left the two alone.  

               “Why do you use a bird for mail?” Harry asked, swinging his legs.

               “It’s what we do in the magical world,” Eileen said, putting a hand over the boy’s legs to stop him from kicking. She piled some parchment on top of each other. “Most wizards and witches use owls, but the MacAuleys’ are special. They’ve used these special hen harriers for generations.”

               “Why is everything special here?”

               Eileen laughed, ruffling Harry’s hair. “Everything is special here. And those birds are not normal hen harriers. They are part phoenix. It’s a long story, and Peadar could explain it better, but they live here twenty-four seven and they are very devoted and bonded to the family.”

               “Cool.” Harry smiled, picturing a flaming phoenix in his head.

               “Very cool. But do you know what’s cooler? Gallagher’s Fantastical Summer Camp. It’s a day camp for young wizards and witches up to twelve years old here in Ireland. There’s even some night activities and volunteer options for older teens as well. There’s swimming, and crafts, and sports like Quidditch. Papa oversees the trail riding, and he provides the ponies of course. He’s co-manager with Mr. Gallagher.”

               “What do you do there?”

               “I am a camp counselor. I oversee a group assigned to me. Right now, I’m building some charts of different activities we could introduce this year that I’ll share with the other counselors for feedback. Do you have any ideas that you would like to do in the summer?”

               “I don’t know,” Harry shrugged. “I’ve never been to a camp before.”

               “Well, we will have to remedy that as well, won’t we?”

               “So, is that your job? The summer camp thing?”

               “Yes, it is. Otherwise, I tend to the house and barn when Peadar isn’t here. And I volunteer at the local library in my spare time. I run a book club for adults and do book readings for the young children. It is very satisfying work.”

               “And Papa? Does he have another job when he’s not at the camp?”

               “The camp is only open in the summer. Papa is a professor at Durmstrang Institute.”

               “Like Mr. Snape!” Harry smiled.

               “Exactly like Mr. Snape. Except Mr. Snape teaches potions and Papa teaches history.”

               “History? That’s boring.”

               “Not the way he teaches it. He makes it very exciting and engaging and the students learn a lot about the history of magic.”

               “Now it sounds interesting. Will I have him as a professor too?”

               “Probably not. Peadar works at Durmstrang, not Hogwarts.”

               “Another magic castle?”

               “Yes, another one. There are many all around the world.”

               “I had no idea the magic world was so big!”

               Eileen smiled down at the boy before returning to her filing and work. She could sense the child growing antsy and quickly summoned a coloring book for him to keep him quiet while she worked out some minor details. The two sat together in silence for several minutes when Peadar entered the house and slid out of his boots. He walked over to the two, sitting on the opposite side of Harry.

               “Hey kiddo.” Peadar looked at the page Harry was coloring. “What are ya working on?”

               “It’s a castle,” Harry said as if it was the most obvious thing.

               “Of course. Looks almost like Durmstrang.”

               “Nana says I will probably go to Hogwarts where Da-I mean, Mr. Snape works. But maybe I could visit where you work? Durm- . . .” Harry was blushing and hoping no one caught his slip. He hadn’t meant to say what he was going to, but it didn’t look like anyone caught it.

               “Durmstrang. And ya wouldn’t like it there. I hardly like it there, but the wonderful students keep me coming back. Well, most of them are wonderful.”

               “They all are wonderful, dear,” Eileen said. “Some just lose their way.”

               “With how management is at this moment, I’d lose my way too if I were a youngin’. Awful, I tell ya, and it just gets worse each year. Those poor students never have any idea what hits them, but I’m glad I can be there to soften the blow.”

               “You are a great mentor,” Eileen said.

               “I hate where I work, but I love being a professor. The students keep me happy.”

               “Mr. Snape never seems happy at work,” Harr said, thinking back to his time spent in the man’s quarters. “Your job should make you happy, right, Papa?”

               Peadar and Eileen looked at each other. Eileen sighed and said, “I believe that Severus took the potions master job out of obligation rather than out of joy for teaching.”

               “What’s obligation?”

               “This is hard to explain and Sev should probably be the one to explain it to you. I think he does care for the students—in fact, I know he cares for them. He just . . . needs someone to help him feel less lonely sometimes.”

               Harry nodded. He understood loneliness very well. And he couldn’t help but think about how lonely Mr. Snape must be. At lunch, which were simple sandwiches, Mr. Snape didn’t appear, a normal occurrence according to Eileen. Harry finished his lunch then went in search of Mr. Snape. He found the man in a room at the opposite end of the hall and he sneezed as soon as he entered.

               It was a small office of sorts, but it looked as if it hadn’t been touched in years if the layers of dust were anything to go by. The desk was cleaned off where Mr. Snape was working but it was clear the man didn’t bother cleaning anything else yet. A high stack of finished papers sat to one side of the desk while Mr. Snape worked on an essay at a time, a smaller stack resting on the other side of the man.

               “Mr. Snape,” Harry greeted. “You missed lunch.”

               “No, I ate here,” Mr. Snape said without looking up. Harry frowned and looked around. He didn’t see any plates or cups, and Eileen didn’t appear to send anything off with a house elf. Harry shrugged and rubbed his eyes, stepping closer to the man.

               “Did you know Nana and Papa work at a magic summer camp?”

               “Yes.”

               “I want to go there one day.”

               “We’ll see,” Mr. Snape said, his eyes never leaving the essay he was working on.

               Harry leaned against Mr. Snape as he rubbed at an eye. It itched for some reason, and he yawned. It was then that Mr. Snape paused in his work and stared at Harry for a moment. He set his quill down and stood up, lifting Harry with him.

               “You’ve had a busy two days,” Mr. Snape said. “I think you’re overdue for a nap.”

               “I’m too old for naps,” Harry protested even as he rested his head on Mr. Snape’s shoulder as the man carried the boy out into the hall, walking toward the boy’s room.

               “Just a rest then,” Mr. Snape decided. “To make your eyes feel all better.”

               His eyes did hurt a little. Harry rubbed at them again before loosely wrapping his arms around Mr. Snape’s neck. He liked it when the man held him. He wished Mr. Snape would do it more often. Harry was slowly lowered into his bed and a light blanket was draped over him. He felt his stuffed dog placed in his arms and he squeezed it lovingly.

               “I’m not tired,” Harry said, making sure Mr. Snape knew this. “I’m just resting my eyes.”

               “I know,” Mr. Snape said. “Go on and rest your eyes, honey.”

               Harry smiled and closed his eyes, falling asleep quickly.

 

               Severus smiled down at the boy, glad he went down without much of a fight. A voice startled him, and he spun around.

               “I used to call you honey,” Eileen said, smirking from where she leaned against the doorway.

               “I said Harry,” Severus said, walking out of the boy’s bedroom and shutting the door behind him.

               “Sure you did,” Eileen said, walking beside her son. “He’s a good boy. You should enlist him in the school here. He needs to be around kids his own age and should be learning. He’s very eager to learn, you know.”

               “He’s been seeing Minerva for the past month; I see no reason to stop his lessons with her. And I have a schedule he can follow here with you and Peadar.”

               “As much as I would love to homeschool the boy and spend all the time in the world with him, don’t you think it’s a little unfair that he doesn’t get out and see the world, make some friends, get out of his comfort zone. It might help curb some of his fears, like that with the dogs.”

               “He was bitten by a dog in the past.”

               “That doesn’t mean he can’t learn to love our dogs. It’ll take time, I know, but we don’t have to rush anything. The dogs can sleep in the barn while Harry adjusts to being here. School should come first and he does need to get into a routine.”

               “A family should come first.”

               “And you are that to him at this moment. He adores you. He needs you. And I read up on that Bond of the Guardian spell thing you told me about. This was meant to be. Maybe it’s a sign from above, from Lily.”

               “Lily does not want me raising her son,” Severus said quickly.

               “How would you know? She’s probably thinking how much better you are to him than her own sister was. Oh, how sad that must have been for her to see, the poor dear. Her only son treated as if he was nothing by his own flesh and blood.”

               “And this is exactly why Harry should experience a family with a loving couple. Not a miserable potions professor.”

               “You didn’t seem so miserable a few minutes ago, Severus. I saw the way you looked at him. I see the way you are with him. He will be happiest with you. Wherever you go. I’m sorry for the time I let go between us. I can never get those years back. But you have the chance to do what I could not for Harry. Think about it.”

               Eileen walked down the steps to start working on dinner while Severus remained in the hall. His mother’s words surprised him, but he couldn’t deny them either. He glanced back at Harry’s room, then down the stairs again. Perhaps putting the boy in school, even if just for a few days or so, would be a good thing. It would help the boy socially at least. He’d look into it. It wasn’t until an hour and a half later that Severus knew just how much he meant to the boy, and how much more sense Eileen’s words made in that moment.

               “Harry,” Severus said softly, shaking the boy’s shoulder. “You need to wake up now. If you sleep any more, I’ll never get you to bed tonight, and I leave in the morning, remember?”

               Harry whined sleepily, covering his head with the blanket.

               “None of that,” Severus said, removing the blanket and lifting the boy up. “Come on. Maybe a little snack will help you wake up, hmm? Some yummy cookies Mother just pulled from the oven with a big glass of milk. What do you think?”

               “Tired, Daddy,” Harry mumbled, resting his head on Severus’s shoulder, falling back into a light slumber.

               Severus froze, his eyes widening as he looked at Harry’s sleeping face. His heart rate picked up and he could feel a chill on his neck. Had he heard that correctly? Severus wasn’t sure how he was supposed to go about this. He was not the child’s father, nor could he ever be. Harry had never acted like he misunderstood the plan of finding the boy a new family, but perhaps this was the boy’s wishful thinking. Severus shook his head and proceeded to walk downstairs with Harry, his thoughts a million miles away.

               What was he supposed to do now?     

 

To be continued...


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