Albus sighed, shifting Harry in his arms. It was unfortunate, the way Dursley’s had refused to house little Harry after a bout of accidental magic, granted it had ended with Vernon Dursley turning purple from head to toe, but Petunia was the child’s only living relative.

A smile crept up on his face. He had a perfect solution for little Harry’s problem. He had no doubt that Harry would be loved and well taken care of. He just had to be a little creative.

With a plan in his mind Albus put Harry down and set to packing the boy’s belongings.


**


Severus plopped baby Potter on the dinning table, his dinning table, in his home, where he came during the summer, to get away from snot nosed brat like the one currently staring at him. Severus crossed his arms across his chest and glared at the boy when little Potter crossed his own arms.

“You will be staying with me today, tomorrow you will go back to Headmaster Dumbledore first thing in the morning and stay with him while your relatives are on a highly important trip.” he said, rolling his eyes.

Potter tried to roll his own eyes but ended up rolling his head around. Severus frowned, looked like baby Potter wasn’t very smart.

“I expect you to be on your best behaviour, Potter.”

“Potta” baby Potter giggled.

So the boy can talk, mused Severus.

“You will address me as Professor Snape.”

Potter garbled, like the unintelligent baby that he was.

“Pro-fess-er Snape” Severus said trying to dumb it down for the clueless baby.

“Poooo.” The baby beamed at him.

“No, I am not Poooo.” He said seriously, Severus would not tolerate any nickname. “Since, it is too hard for a not-so-smart baby like you, you can call me Severus.”

“Seb!” shouted Potter, clapping happily.

Severus groaned.This was going to be hard if Potter insisted on being such a baby, he thought looking at the boy and frowning at the stuffed wolf Potter was chomping on.


**


Severus configured a chair into a high chair for Potter. Picked up Potter from the couch and sat him on his high chair, and pushed a bowl of spaghetti in front of him.

“Eat, and then you are going to take a nap.” He said, sticking a plastic fork in Potter’s bowl before turning back to his own food.

Potter threw the fork on the floor and started eating with both of his hands.

Severus let him, because the only other option was feeding the baby himself, and no way Severus was going to feed a baby. He was the youngest Potion master in history! He would not feed a baby.

By the time they were done eating, most of Potter’s lunch was on his face.

Severus cleared the table with a flick of his wand. Then picked up Potter and stood him on the table, to inspect him. Potter had managed to smear his food on his face, hands and his t-shirt.

He could wash Potter’s hands and face, then change his t-shirt, no need for a bath.


**


Severus lowered his book to watch Potter struggling to climb on the couch, next to him. He had his face pressed on the couch, his hands beside his head and his little butt sticking in the air. His whole body wiggling.

Severus had tried to put the boy down for a nap, but Potter had wailed and screamed, refusing to lie down. So, Severus had given up and sat Potter down on the floor in front of him with the stuffed wolf, while he read a book.

Severus sighed and picked up the boy and sat him on the couch.

Potter immediately stuck two fingers in his mouth and grinned at Severus.

Severus grunted, and picked up his book, ignoring the boy, he was not going to fall for the Potter charm, the baby did not look cute with his fingers stuck in his mouth, absolutely not.

He could feel Potter edging close to him. Severus ignored the boy and then he was looking at the boy’s face. Severus tried to push the boy off his lap, but the boy held on to Severus’s cloak with his slobbery hands.

“Potter, get off me.” Severus said unclenching the boy’s hands from his robes.

“nooo! Seb.” Potter shrieked.

“Fine.” He huffed, turning the boy around, so he was facing the book in Severus’s hands.

As Severus was reading, Potter put his slobbery hand on the page in front of him.

“No, Potter don’t touch the book. Babies aren’t allowed to touch books.” He told Potter seriously.

Potter immediately took his hands off the book.

“Good boy.”

Potter knocked his head back on Severus’s chest and settled down.


**


Severus startled awake when a wet hand touched his face. He looked down where baby Potter was sleeping on his chest, the book they were reading forgotten on the floor. He must have fallen asleep while reading.

He gently picked Potter off his chest and laid him down on the couch. He froze when Potter blinked and looked at him with his eyes wide open. His lower lip pushed out in a pout, face crunching up and that was it, Potter started wailing, little legs kicking in the air.

Severus hovered over the boy. Maybe he will calm down if I ignore him, thought Severus. As if hearing the man’s thought Potter started crying louder.

Severus grimaced, what was he supposed to do with a crying baby?

When Potter showed no sign’s of settling down, Severus picked him up, holding the baby half a foot away from him.

Potter stretched his arms and tried to get near Severus.

“ No I will not cuddle with you, Potter. You shouldn’t cuddle with stranger’s that you just met today.” He said, giving the boy a stern look.

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say because the boy tried to kick him, his legs almost touching Severus’s chest.

“Fine, come here you ridiculous child.” Severus pulled the baby close to his chest. Potter clutched his robes in his little fists.

“ We need to change your diaper” Severus wrinkled his nose at the boy.


**


Severus glared at Potter, after the boy threw his ball at Severus for the sixth time.

“Potter, I am not playing with you. I have a very important matter to attend to.” Severus said, throwing the ball back at Potter.

Potter just lobbed the ball at him again, hitting Severus square in the face.

“If you insist on throwing it, I will be confiscating it. You will get it back tomorrow.” Severus informed, grabbing the ball and slipping it in the pocket of his robes.

Potter looked at Severus with wide emerald eyes, his cheeks puffing, lower lip pushed out in a pout.

Perhaps, he could play with Potter for a little while. He could make the headache potion some other time, there was still a month left for summer vacation to end. Besides, Potter would be gone by the morning anyway.


**


Severus blew on spoonful of leftover spaghetti as he fed Potter, making sure it wasn’t too hot for the boy, before threatening the boy not to tell anyone about it. He even burped the baby.

Then he changed the baby’s diaper and put on his nightclothes, which he found in the bag that Albus had left along with Potter.

Then he brushed the boy’s teeth which took a lot more effort then it should, considering the boy only had two of them.

Then sat on the couch with Potter on his lap. He read the boy a whole chapter on Anti-Aging potion, feeling generous, until the boy fell asleep on his lap.


**


He lowered Potter in his crib, though why Albus had insisted on bringing a crib for a short overnight stay, he had no idea, Potter looked small enough to sleep in a microwave. Potter could have managed without the crib for one night.

Then went to his own bed which was a foot away from Potter, which would be helpful if Potter needed him in the middle of night. Not that he was worried about the boy, he wasn’t. He wasn’t thinking about the baby having a nightmare or getting cold or waking up in the middle of night, he wasn’t!

He would check on Potter after an hour just in case.

Severus sighed, putting his empty cup on the table, groaning when he accidentally slammed it on the table and massaged his temple with his other hand. He hadn’t gotten any sleep last night.

He had woken up three times in panic, during the night to check up on Potter. Only to see the boy sleeping peacefully, not waking up even once in the middle of night.

Potter had woken up bright and early. Severus had again brushed his two little teeth and then put a refreshing charm on him instead of a bath, Dumbledore could deal with it. Then changed the boy’s diaper and then changed him into a fresh onesie.

“nummy” Potter said, around the dry bread he was munching on.

“Try the actual food.” He replied, gesturing to the Pancakes he had cut in small pieces for the boy.

Potter ducked his head and continued munching on the bread happily.

Severus ignored him, used to the boy’s strange behaviour by now.


**


Severus opened the door to let the Headmaster in.

“Gramma” Potter squealed.

Severus blinked looking at the boy and then looked at Albus. “He is not Gramma. That’s Headmaster Dumbledore.” He reprimanded the boy.

They both ignored him.

“Call me Grandpa, Harry dear.” Dumbledore said, picking the boy up.

“Good morning, Severus.”

“Good morning, Headmaster.” he said watching in distaste as Albus popped a lemon drop in Potter’s mouth.

The boy made a face and spat the candy in Headmaster’s beard.

Severus smirked, looked like, little Potter wasn’t a fan of lemon drops. Good boy, thought Severus.

Albus frowned at the boy.

“How about chocolate frogs then?” Dumbledore asked, putting the boy down and handing him a box of chocolate frogs.

Potter plopped on the ground, looking at the box curiously.


**


“We don’t have tea, would you like some coffee instead?” Severus asked.

“Not today, dear boy. I must get going now.”

“Very well then, I have already packed Potter’s things. I will go get-..”

“About that, Severus. I need to go to America to attend to an important matter. I can’t take little Harry with me.” Dumbledore said.

Severus narrowed his eyes at the old man, he had a feeling, as to where this conversation was going.

“You want Potter to stay with me, don’t you?” He asked suspiciously.

“Yes, Severus. I must go now.” Dumbledore said, already making his way towards the door.

Severus followed him with a scowl on his face.

“Albus-…”

“Good bye, Harry. I will be back as soon as I can. Ok?”

“Bye Bye Gramma.” Potter said, looking up from where he was rolling around on the floor, clutching his legs with both hands, the box of chocolate frogs forgotten next to him.

“Call me Grandpa, Harry.” Dumbledore said.

“Gramma.” Harry insisted.

Albus sighed in defeat.

“Perhaps, if you get a hair cut?” Severus suggested, feigning innocence.

Dumbledore just raised his eyes at the him, pointedly looking at the his greasy hair.

Severus slammed the door in the older man’s face.

“Guess it’s time you had a bath.” He said, turning around to look at the baby. He grimaced at the sight of Potter, the stupid boy was lying on the floor, practically folded in half, trying to lick one of his toes.


**


Turns out Potter hates taking a bath, just as much as Severus hated bathing the boy.

The little boy let his displeasure known by screaming at the top of his lungs, his hands flailing around, while Severus tried to get the boy cleaned up as well as make sure the baby didn’t drown himself.

Finally, the boy was clean and wrapped up in a towel, with only his red face peeking out.

Severus sighed, now all he had to do was drain the bath tub and clean the bathroom and change into clothes which weren’t dripping wet because of Potter’s flailing.

Oh, and not to forget that he also had to go shopping if he didn’t want the boy to starve, only on his second day with Severus.


**


“Blasted boy.” Severus grumbled, picking up the jar of peanut butter that Potter had thrown from the shopping cart he was sitting in.

“Bastad” Potter shouted.

Severus looked at him in surprise. The boy was grinning widely.

“You should be careful what you say in front of kids. They are impressionable at his age.”

Severus looked at the old woman, her lips were curled in disgust which only accentuated her wrinkles.

“I didn’t say that. Potter can be a little dim sometimes.” Severus explained to the woman.

The woman narrowed her eyes. “Are you calling your son, stupid? ”

“He is not my son.”

“You are roaming around the shopping mall with someone else’s baby, who you think is a little dim?” The woman asked snidely.

Severus eyed her, weren’t old ladies supposed to be sweet?

“I am babysitting for a-..”

The woman gasped. Severus grabbed the box of diaper before it could hit the woman.

He glared at Potter. “Potter, I told you not to throw things at people, didn’t I?”

“That boy is nasty. It must be so hard to babysit him.”

Severus turned his glare towards the woman. Wasn’t she just judging him for suggesting that Potter was stupid.

“That boy is just fine. Perhaps you should mind your own business.” Severus snapped at the woman. Potter might be a bit weird and he sometimes acted like a… Baby, but it irked him the way she was bad mouthing the little boy. He was just a baby! Babies tended to throw things!


**


“Here you go, sir.” A young lady in her early twenties at the counter said, handing the bags to Severus.

“Thank you.”

The girl peered over the counter at Harry and smiled.

“And who is that handsome young man? What’s your name, love?”

“Moooo” Potter replied, with a wide grin.

Severus rolled his eyes, he couldn’t believe the saviour of the wizarding world couldn’t even say his own name.

The young lady on the other hand just chuckled at the boy’s response.

“Well Moooo, I have something for a sweet boy like you.” She said, pressing a candy bar in the boy’s hand.

“Repeat after me, say Harry.” Severus said.

The little boy just stared at him with a blank face.

“That's your name, Harry.”

“Pot.” Harry said with a pout.

“No! no that’s not your name, Potter is you-… just say Harry” Severus said, a little desperately.

“Mooey” Potter said. Sticking his drool covered stuffed wolf in Severus's face.

Severus took the damp wolf out of the baby's hand and put it on the floor next to them. “Harry… say Ha-rry.”

“Mooey” Harry insisted. Handing the wolf back to Severus.

Severus sighed in defeat, he had been trying to get the boy to say his own name for days now.

“Just go back to whatever you were doing, Harry” Severus said, getting up off the floor where he was sitting cross-legged next to Harry.

Harry immediately stuck the stuffed toy in his mouth and fell sideways on the floor, his head bounced off the floor making the boy giggle. Severus was glad that he had thought to put a cushioning charm on every floor in the entire house when the baby arrived.


**


Harry looked up at Severus expectantly, pointing at the picture of a cat in a book that he had gotten for the boy.

“Cat.” Severus replied to the boy's silent enquiry.

Then the baby pointed at a picture of a wolf.
“Wolf.” Severus said.

“Woof, Mooey.” Harry grinned up at Severus, wriggling his little body in excitement.

Severus rolled his eyes and adjusted the boy on his lap.
“Yes, Mr.Potter, that is a wolf just like your toy Mooey.”

The boy's grin grew more wide.

“Padfoo!” Harry shouted pointing at a picture of a dog.

“What? Pott.. Harry that's a dog.”

“Padfoo.” Harry said firmly.

“Dog.” Severus replied equally as firm. He wasn’t going to give in this time. Severus was going to win this argument.

Harry turned around so he was facing Severus. “Padfoo.”

“No, Harry that’s a dog.” Severus said wrapping his hands around the boy to prevent him from falling off Severus's lap, like the book that was now lying facedown on the ground.

“Padfooooo…” Harry screamed, his red face scrunching up, he was blowing air in Severus's face by the end.

“Alright Potter, let’s call it Padfoo.” Severus said with a defeated sigh, turning the boy around in his lap, to prevent the boy from accidentally spitting in his face.


**


“…Harry! Let go off me” Severus said, trying to put the boy in his stroller, while Harry held on to him with both hands, he was trying to wrap his little leg around Severus’s waist but came up short.

“Harry if you want to go to the park you have to get in your stroller.” Severus said, Harry did this every time they had to get out of the house. He would refuse to get in the stroller and insist that Severus carry him in his arms.

“Noooo!” Harry wailed, burrowing his face in Severus’s chest.

“Okay, okay, fine I will carry you.” Severus said before Harry could turn on the waterworks and adjusted the boy in his arms.

“Mooey!” Harry shouted just as they were about to leave through the front door.

Severus groaned but set the boy down on the floor so he could get his beloved toy. Harry toddled into the house towards the living room on unsteady legs.



**


Severus looked down at Harry when the boy squealed in delight. Severus felt his own face twitch into an unexpected smile at seeing the joy in the little boys face.

“Well Harry, what do you want to do? do you want to ride the swing? Or go on the slide?” Severus questioned, pointing out both the equipment to Harry.

Harry just wiggled in his arms until Severus put him on the ground. He immediately ran off to the sand box where a little girl in a yellow dress and a little boy in a purple onesie were playing.

Severus sat down on a bench nearby watching Harry. He put Harry’s wolf in his lap, which the boy had discarded as soon as they arrived at the park and Harry realised that there was more to life then stuffed toys. He frowned when the little girl started walking away from Harry.

Harry straightened from where he had crouched down next to the girl. He started toddling after the girl. Both of them ignored the other little boy when he garbled unintelligently.

Harry toddled on unsteady legs, tripping and falling all the time, While the girl walked briskly with sure footsteps. Harry followed her around while the girl tried to get away from him. Finally the girl stomped her little foot and turned around to face Harry and pushed him on the ground and stomped away.

Severus gasped, watching the boy fall on his diapered butt and rushed to the boy.


**


“Shh, it's okay Harry, you are okay.” He reassured Harry, while the boy cried his little heart out in Severus’s arms.

Harry sobbed brokenly and pointed an accusing finger where the girl had pushed him.

“Yes, Harry I saw, that girl was very mean to you. She shouldn’t have pushed you. It's just that girl's don't appreciate being stalked.” He said gently, rubbing circles in his back.

He held Harry until the boy had calmed down. Then wiped his snot covered face and then set him on his feet. He nudged the boy back in the direction of the sand box. Harry toddled away.

Severus face palmed when he saw Harry following another girl, this one was older around six or seven years old, but sighed in relief when the girl held Harry’s hand and dragged him to play in the sand. He snorted in amusement when Harry turned around and gave him a proud grin, already over his very first heartbreak.

**

Severus waited patiently while Harry and the seven year old girl hugged each other goodbye. Harry was reluctant to let her go, wrapping his arms around the girl's legs.

“Zoey! Come on sweetie we need to go now.” A blond woman called out.

“Coming mum.” The girl said, glancing at her mother.

“Baby, you have to let go, my mum's calling me.” Zoey said, patting Harry's head gently. “It’s okay baby, me and mummy come here all the time, we can play next time.”

Harry looked at her miserably. “It’s okay, go with your daddy.” Zoey said nudging Harry towards Severus.

Then she ran towards her mother. “ Bye, Harry.” She called out over he shoulder.

Severus looked at the girl in surprise and then at Harry. “Did you tell her your name, Harry?” He felt the warm feeling of accomplishment and pride.

But Harry had other concerns. “Daddy?” he asked, looking up at Severus.

“No, Harry, I am Severus, remember?” Severus said picking up the boy and handed him the stuffed wolf.

“Daddy!” Harry said, with a grin.

“Severus!”

“Daddy!”

“Severus!”

“Daddy!”

“Harry, go back to calling me seb” Severus pleaded. “Please?”

But there was no changing the boy's mind, he had already picked up his new favourite word. “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy….”