Lily suddenly raised to her feet as she went over to Harry's crib and gently lifted him out of it and kissing his forehead she brought him to her hip and then a few moments later adjusted her grip on him.




"Lily it isn't safe for you here anymore. Neither is it safe for your son. You should come back with me to Hogwarts. I got a room that you both can stay in and where you'll be protected. There isn't anywhere else safer." Severus told her while pulling himself to his feet.






"I really hate to admit it but when you're right you're right." She began before handing Harry over to him. "Can you hold him for a second? I need to start packing." She told him as Severus simply just looked at her as he hadn't had much experience with babies.






"Uh Lily I__" He began but it was already too late as Lily quickly left the nursery and ran downstairs to get her wand. As soon as his mother left him Harry looked up at Severus with curiosity.





"Da." He said as he reached his tiny little hands up towards him.





"No. I am not your father." Severus began with a shake of his head. "I'm not even close. I'm a professor at a school. A magical school. Your father is dead." He told him as if he expected the toddler to understand him but he just continued looking at him and then all of a sudden he scrunched up his face and started making grunting noises.





"Don't even think about it." Severus told him but it was already too late as Harry left Severus a gift for him in his diaper. Severus looked around and rolled his eyes. "Lily!!" He called and that's when suddenly she came back upstairs and opened the door and reappeared.






"I do believe that your son needs changed." He told her and the tone of his voice definitely wasn't pleasant.







"Oops, I'm sorry Severus, I'll go ahead and take him for you." Lily told him and as soon as she removed him from his arms he started to cry and fuss. "It's alright Harry, Mummy's going to put a fresh nappy on you." She reassured him soothingly before planting a kiss on his cheek and then carried him over to the changing table and laid him down.







Severus watched with interest and he actually paid attention to what she was doing so he would know what to do for the future. After Lily was finished changing him, Severus slowly started walking back over to them.






"So, how do you figure that you both survived?" He wondered.





"I'm not sure, I'm just glad that Harry's okay." Lily told him while she lifted Harry back inside her arms and placed him back up by her hip.






"I'm just glad that you're both alright." Severus told him but Lily just raised a questioning eyebrow at him.






"Really?? You are?? Even though that Harry is the son of James Potter??" She asked him.





"Yes,.. but he is also your son and he has your eyes. Then again he'll probably turn into an arrogant bastard like his father." He said.





"Oh yeah Severus, it sure looks that way alright. The next thing you know he'll probably be purposely leaving you poopy nappies and throwing his food at you." Lily said sarcastically.





"Don't be ridiculous, that's just what babies do." He began. "Or what they CAN do anyways." He clarified.






"I'm sorry what was that? What did you just call him?" Lily questioned him while using her other free hand to cup it behind her right ear.





"A baby. Since that's what he is isn't he?" Severus questioned him back.





"Exactly." Lily began before she handed Harry back over to him and grabbed her things and started heading towards the door. Severus heaved a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes.






"Yeah I get it. I shouldn't be angry with you for what your father used to do to me. You still have his genes though and you look exactly like him so what on earth am I supposed to do with you?" He questioned more to himself than to Harry who gave a rather sleepy yawn and started rubbing his eyes.






"Ah. I see you're tired. That's right you're a small toddler and you need your rest. So best off putting you to bed then." He said as Harry closed his eyes and rested his head upon his shoulder and started drifting off to sleep.






Severus just simply looked at him for a few moments and then rolled his eyes again. "Do I look like a bed to you Harry?" He inquired but Harry was already out like a light. "Well just so you know, you can try and butter me up all you want to but it isn't going to work on me. I am much too strong for that." He said.






"I am only offering to look after you for Lily's sake not yours or my own." He told him while he started carrying him out of the room and down the stairs. As soon as they got downstairs Harry instantly started twitching and rapidly moving just as if he was having a seizure and started to cry.






Lily suddenly grew a worried expression on her face. "What's wrong with him!?" she cried.






"I,.. I don't know." Severus said a bit anxiously.






"I've never seen him act like this before!" she exclaimed over her son's frantic shrieking.







"Me neither." Severus began. "I mean I've never seen any child act like this before." He told her. "Lily, take my hand,.. NOW!!" He instructed her and without hesitation Lily grabbed it and they instantly disapparated and reappeared right inside Severus' room.





Once they appeared, Harry stopped crying and Lily turned to look at Severus with a rather confused look on her face. "I thought that you couldn't apparate and disapparate within the Hogwarts walls?" She said questioningly.







"Yes, that's true. Normally you can't. However, being a professor has its advantages." He explained as Harry slowly glanced up at him and Severus looked back down at him. "You're safe now little one. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you or your mother. I promise." He assured him and Harry looked at him for a few more moments and blinked his bright green eyes up at him.






Then that's when suddenly he did something totally unexpected. He touched his fingers to his chin and then brought his hand out in front of him almost as if he was blowing him a kiss. Severus quickly glanced over at Lily for the translation.





"He's saying thank you. He's using baby sign language." She explained while smiling warmly at him.





"Well, how do you say you're welcome then?" He wondered.





"You do exactly the same thing that he just did." She told him.




"Really? That's rather strange doing the same sign for both but,.." he began before making the sign back at Harry and actually smiling at him for the first time. Harry instantly laid his head back down on top of his shoulder and closed his eyes and Severus glanced over at him.





"He's,.. just like any other child." He suddenly realized.






"Exactly." Lily began. "Which is why he needs his sleep and I best be putting him to bed now." She told him while gathering her son back inside her arms.






"Alright, come with me. I'll show you where you and Harry will be sleeping." He told her while leading them over towards a door that was a connecting room and opened it.






"Thank you Severus, for everything." Lily told him as he watched her head inside and laid Harry down on top of the bed. He tried to tell her that it wasn't any trouble but suddenly he felt mesmerized in the moment as baby Harry started sucking his thumb. He quickly shut the door.





He had to remind himself who Harry was and just exactly WHAT he was. He was a living and constant reminder of the fact that he wasn't his child. He was the child of another man and for that reason alone,.. Severus silently vowed to himself right then and there that no matter what happened,.. he wouldn't ever allow himself to get attached to him.