Barely Functioning, Deeply Loved by krosi
Summary: When six-year-old Harry Potter finds floo powder while cleaning the fireplace, he is accidentally sent over to Severus's Snape's house, where he discovers that Snape is his biological dad, he has a half-sister, and Aunt Petunia has been abusing him all his life. It's almost too much for little Harry to handle. Can Severus help this boy through the traumas he's suffered?
Categories: Parental Snape > Biological Father Snape, Parental Snape > Godfather Snape Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Original Character
Snape Flavour: Snape Comforts, Snape is Kind, Snape is Loving, Overly-protective Snape
Genres: Family, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort
Media Type: None
Tags: Alternate Universe
Takes Place: 0 - Pre Hogwarts (before Harry is 11)
Warnings: Abusive Dursleys, Out of Character
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 31 Completed: No Word count: 131786 Read: 47017 Published: 23 Jan 2021 Updated: 20 Mar 2024
How Rainbows are Made by krosi

Severus kneeled in front of the fireplace as he listened to Sirius’s fiery head blather on about the days he was available and could potentially take Harry for a night or two to visit. Severus wasn’t completely sure that visiting was an option right now, as Harry was still coming to terms with his new life at the Snape house, but he was sure Sirius visiting a couple times within the month would help Harry get to know his uncle better before any other overnight visits became a thing. Besides, Severus wasn’t quite ready to let Harry out of his sight quite yet, save for school hours.

               “So,” Sirius continued, trying his best to sound courteous the whole time, “which days do you think will work best for you?”

               “The ones that aren’t school days,” Severus said, frowning at the calendar in his hands then at Sirius. All the days Sirius had mentioned were during the school week, save for two in the next upcoming month. He used a quill to draw a question mark on those two days with the initials SB next to those marks. 

               “Right,” Sirius frowned. “Forgot about muggle school. I guess that leaves the two Saturdays . . . next month.”

               “I think that’s for the best,” Severus said, picking up on Sirius’s annoyed tone. He shifted so he was now sitting in front of the fireplace as his knees were starting to hurt from the kneeling. “Harry is still settling in here and trying to learn every name and face of his new family. You are just one more extension for him to adjust to and include in his life. He needs time to process all of this. And with the trial tomorrow, he doesn’t need more distractions.”

               “You better win this for him,” Sirius said. “That bitch has to pay for what she did to Harry. James would have hexed her to the moon if he knew. And Lily—” there was a pause as Sirius sighed. “She’d be so disappointed.”

               “Agreed,” Severus said with a heavy sigh of his own. “Have no fear, my lawyer is rather confident in our chances. Petunia will pay for what she did.”

               “She better, or I’ll be paying her a visit myself.”  

               Before Severus could comment on that, a stringy, colorful substance began raining down on him while child laughter filled the air. He jerked his head away from the onslaught, realizing the substance was silly string, and he shook it off his head and shoulders. He looked up at his two kids giggling, cans of silly string at the ready to spray him again.

               Sirius’s head in the fireplace laughed.

               “I guess I’ll leave you to deal with your pranksters,” Sirius said, smirking. “I think Harry and I will get along just fine.”

               “That’s what I’m afraid of,” Severus muttered as Sirius’s head disappeared. He was hit with more silly string from Iris, and he stood up, brushing the string off himself as he did so.

               “You little brats!” Severus said, chasing after them when they ran from the living room and back up the stairs. “I thought you were painting Harry’s bedroom!”

               Severus followed them into Harry’s bedroom, where the two sprayed more silly string at him, making a mess all over the floor.

               “Will you stop that?” Severus said, snatching the can from Iris and tossing it aside. Then he grabbed Iris and pinned her against him so he could tickle her.

               “Harry, help me!” Iris squealed, reaching for her brother while struggling in her father’s arms.

               Harry charged forward, throwing the can aside and grabbing Iris’s outstretched hand before trying to pull her from Severus’s grasp. Severus kept one hand on Iris to keep her trapped, then used his free hand to grab Harry’s arm and pull his son in close, trapping the child against him. He tickled them both mercilessly.

               “Now what are you going to do?” Severus asked.

               Harry and Iris shared a look. They smiled, then screamed, “Addie!”

               “Addie?” Severus frowned. “What do you think she will do, you little traitors? And where on earth did you get the silly string from?”

               “Ruth gave me a couple cans,” Iris confessed, smiling at her father. “Her dad bought them for her, but don’t tell Tori.”

               “Samuel is a very bad influence on you children.” Severus said, swinging his kids slightly.

               “What’s going on?” Addie cried as she appeared in the doorway, her yellow gloves still on her hand from washing dishes and her grey hair pulled up in a messy bun. “Is everyone all right—oh.” Addie smiled at Severus and the kids as she realized there was no trouble, and she rested her hands on her hips. “Do you need help whooping the kids, Severus?”

               “I always need help whooping the kids,” Severus said, smirking down at his children.

               “Let me get my gloves off,” Addie said, pulling off her gloves and sending them flying to the kitchen. “Who’s first?”

               “You can’t whoop me,” Iris said indignantly. “I’m an angel.”

               “That’s a bold-faced lie,” Severus said. He released Harry and lifted Iris in his arms bridal style. “This one first.”

               “No!” Iris screamed, kicking futilely. She burst into laughter when Addie ran into the room and tickled her while Severus kept her from escaping. “Run, Harry, run!”

               Harry ran out of his bedroom laughing. He ran down the hall, down the stairs, through the living room, and into his father’s study, shutting the door until it was slightly ajar, and he peeked out of the crack. A smile stretched across his face as he waited expectantly.

               “Hoo,” a sound came from behind him.

               Harry turned around, staring at the eagle owl that was hopping along its perch curiously, tilting his head at Harry. Harry had grown comfortable with the large owl’s presence and would often stroke the bird gently and offer treats, which was unlike Iris’s rough love for the bird. Tum had seemed apprehensive with the addition of another kid, but Harry’s gentle treatment had the bird eating out of Harry’s palm in no time.  

               “Hoo,” Tum repeated.

               “Shh!” Harry shushed the owl, still smiling at Tum.

               The owl tilted his head more, staring intently at Harry.

               Suddenly, the door opened, and Harry shrieked as he was thrown into the air, then laughed as Addie tickled his ribs while Severus held him captive in his arms. However, a few seconds in, Harry started coughing, and the tickling stopped, and Severus held Harry upright on his hip, patting his back. It took a minute before Harry caught his breath, and Severus gave him an apologetic look.

               “Are you all right, son?” Severus asked.

               “I’m okay,” Harry said, rubbing his teary eyes.

               “Sorry, Harry,” Addie said, “we got a bit caught up in the moment.”

               “I think it’s almost bedtime anyway,” Severus said. He set Harry down and placed a hand on his back, guiding the child out of his study. “Thank you for your help tonight, Addie. With the trial tomorrow and Harry needing . . .”

               “Oh, stop it,” Addie said, waving her hand at Severus dismissively. “As I’ve said before, I’m always here to help.”

               Severus offered a small smile to Addie before wishing her goodnight and leading Harry upstairs and back to the boy’s bedroom, where Iris was staring at a side wall studying the pictures she and Harry had created with the magic paintbrushes. The trick to the brush was to imagine what you wanted to paint on the wall, then the paintbrush created the image for you when you brushed it along the wall. Severus had allowed Iris to use the method to paint her own room last year, which was mostly pink with butterflies and unicorns here and there. It appeared that she tried to transfer her bedroom over to Harry’s if Severus was to go off the butterflies on Harry’s blue walls, which were surrounded by small angry dinosaurs and crocodiles that threatened to swallow the insects.

               “I see you two had fun painting the walls,” Severus said.

               “He keeps trying to eat my paintings,” Iris said, pointing an accusatory finger at Harry.

               “I told her I didn’t want butterflies on my walls,” Harry said, pouting slightly.

               “It is his room, Iris,” Severus said, pulling out his wand. He vanished the butterflies, much to Iris’s disappointment, then used his wand to enlarge the cartoonish dinosaurs and crocodiles so they took up a bit more of Harry’s wall. Harry smiled proudly at his work while Iris pouted. Severus swished his wand at the silly string all over the floor and it vanished, along with the near empty cans.  

               “Okay, you two, time for bed. It is way past your bedtime.”

               “By like ten minutes,” Iris argued.

               “Regardless, it is late,” Severus said. He rested a hand on Iris’s shoulder and led her out of the bedroom. “Get ready for bed, Harry.”

               Harry waited until Severus and Iris were out of his room before he dressed into his pajamas. He padded out of his bedroom once he was changed and headed into the bathroom to brush his teeth, joining Iris. They finished at the same time then both ran to their bedroom and jumping in bed, calling their father at the same time. Severus smiled in the middle of the hallway, wondering how he would go about this.

               “Oldest first tonight,” he announced. He headed to Harry’s room, ignoring Iris’s muttering of unfairness.

               Harry seemed happy to be tucked in first, and he grinned at Severus as he sat patiently on his bed.

               “You couldn’t even get under the covers?” Severus asked as he pulled back the blanket.

               Harry crawled under them and allowed his father to tuck him in snugly. Severus sat on the edge of Harry’s bed, reaching across to grab Spikes and hand the stuffed toy to Harry, who hugged it close.

               “All settled?” Severus asked.

               Harry nodded with a smile.

               “Good. Did you take your medicine?”

               “No. I forgot.” Harry reached for the inhaler resting on the nightstand next to his bed and took a puff of his medicine. He set the inhaler back down then settled back into bed, allowing Severus to readjust the blankets and remove his glasses from his face. Severus folded the spectacles and set them on the nightstand.

               “Good boy,” Severus said before leaning down and giving his son a quick peck. “Goodnight, son. Stay in bed tonight.”

               “Yes, Daddy.”

               Severus turned the lights off and moved down the hall to Iris’s room. He smirked when he saw the lights were out, but a light was visible under her blanket. Having caught her in this position before, Severus moved through the dark room and pulled the blanket off his daughter, revealing her with a flashlight shining down on her Charlotte’s Web book. She gave her father a guilty smile.

               “Did you think that because your light was off, I wouldn’t come in to say goodnight?” Severus asked, taking the book and flashlight from his daughter. He set the book on her stand but held on to the flashlight so he could see Iris.

               “What if I was sleeping?” Iris asked, leaning back in her pillows.

               “I would still come give you your goodnight kiss,” Severus said, leaning down to do just that. He lifted the flashlight so he could see her face and peered closely at her ears. “How are your ears?”

               Iris reached up and gently touched her earringless ears. When she had returned home yesterday afternoon, her ears had started to really itch and bug her, and when her father had checked them, her ears were red and swollen. Severus had removed the earrings and applied a healing balm with antibacterial properties and the swelling had gone down, but they still itched some.

               “They’re itchy still,” Iris said, scratching at her ear lobes slightly.

               “Hmm.” Severus summoned a jar of his healing balm and sat next to his daughter. He used a sticking charm on the flashlight to keep it on the headboard of Iris’s bed so he could see what he was doing and opened the jar, then applied a generous amount of the balm to both of Iris’s ear lobes. “Let’s see if another coat takes care of any lingering pain. Next time your mother asks you to have anything on your boy pierced, please say no.”

               “But I wanted my ears pierced,” Iris said. “Mum said it would be all right.”  

               “Your mum and I need to discuss things like that beforehand. And a simple healing charm like the one the piercer used on you does not prevent infection from what could have been nonsterile needles, or dirty earrings. Did anyone at least wash their hands before messing with your ears?”

               “She used magic to do it.”

               “If nothing else, she was definitely an amateur. She should have given you a balm like this for aftercare at the very least. If you want your ears pierced, we can try again in a couple years, okay? And with a certified piercer and the right aftercare.”

               “But I liked them. They’re my birthstones and they’re going to protect me from nightmares.”  

               “You are more than welcome to keep the stones.” Severus helped Iris settled down in her bed and covered her with her blanket. “And you know what else can protect you from nightmares?”

               “What?”

               “Kitty Mitties,” Severus said, grabbing Iris’s stuffed silver kneazle from the end of her bed and holding it out to her. She laughed and squeezed the stuffed cat close. Severus grabbed another one of Iris’s stuffed animals, a long snake. “And Squiggles.”

               Iris accepted the snake and squeezed the toy in her other arm.

               “And Honey!” Iris added.

               “Yes, Honey, too,” Severus said, picking up Iris’s favorite red-headed baby doll. He gave the doll to Iris, who included it in her embrace of the three toys.

               “Are you quite content now?” Severus asked as he adjusted her blanket around her and the toys.

               Iris nodded.

               “Good. Go to sleep. You have school in the morning.”

               Severus kissed his daughter and turned out her lights. He walked out of her bedroom and down the hall toward his own bedroom. He wasn’t tired yet, but he was caught up on all his grading and Addie had taken care of most of the evening chores. For once, he decided he might enjoy some peace and alone time to himself.

               Severus changed into a clean tee and shorts, then scrubbed his face and his teeth. Once he was finished in the bathroom, he dimmed the lights in his room, then settled in bed, grabbing a book he had been wanting to read for a while now, something that wasn’t a potion journal, research article, or a student’s essay. He summoned himself a glass of wine and, leaning back against the headboard, opened his book to the first chapter and took a sip of his wine.

               “Daddy!” a voice screamed for him.  

               Severus sighed, closing his eyes. So close, he thought to himself.

               Standing up, he walked down the hall and back toward Harry’s bedroom. He casted a gentle lumos on his wand and leaned against Harry’s doorframe. Harry blinked at the late, then rubbed his eyes and said, “I need a drink.”

               With a sigh, Severus summoned a glass from the kitchen and used his wand to fill it with water. He walked into Harry’s room and offered Harry the cup.

               “Can I have pumpkin juice?” Harry asked, frowning at the water.

               “Not now, it’s too late for that,” Severus said. “You may have the water, or you may wait until the morning. Those are your options. It is too late for anything sugary.”

               Harry slowly drank the water before giving the empty cup back to Severus. He laid back down with a yawn. Severus sent the cup back to the kitchen before he ran a hand through Harry’s hair soothingly.

               “Go to sleep now,” he said. “You have a busy day tomorrow.”

               Harry closed his eyes, and after a few minutes, Severus left his son’s room and went back to his own bedroom. He settled himself on his bed and picked up his book and his wine glass. He turned back to chapter one and just as he was about to take a sip of his thankfully still cold wine, he heard another cry.

               “Daddy!”

               With a loud sigh, he set his wine down and cast a cooling charm on it. He set his book aside and slid out of bed. This time, he walked down to Iris’s bedroom. Her nightstand lamp was on, and she was sitting up in bed.

               “I can’t sleep,” she said.

               “And why might that be?” Severus asked, moving into the room. “Is there something on your mind?”

               “Not really. I’m just not tired.” Iris yawned.

               “I disagree with that.” Severus sat down next to her. “Have you tried going to sleep?”

               “I did try. I closed my eyes, but nothing happens.”

               Severus quirked a brow at that. He bit back a smirk and instead said, “How about you try closing your eyes again and I’ll rub your back for you?”

               It was something that made baby Iris fall asleep all the time, and the trick still worked, even now. Iris shifted so she was lying on her stomach, and she closed her eyes while Severus gently massaged little circles into the muscles of her back. Iris slowly relaxed and her breathing evened out. After a couple minutes, Severus was sure she was asleep, so he turned off her lamp and quietly left her room, closing her door most of the way, leaving it just slightly ajar. He checked on Harry has he passed his son’s room, and Harry was in bed, his eyes closed. Severus returned to his bed once more.

               Settling down and picking up his book again, he managed a sip of his wine and turned to chapter one.

               “The day broke gray and dull. The clouds hung heavily . . .”

               A loud thud caught Severus’s ears, and he bit back a growl as he slid out of bed once more to investigate the noise. As he left his bedroom, he spotted Harry coming out of the bathroom, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

               “Sorry, Daddy,” Harry said when he spotted his father. “I tripped.”

               “Are you okay?” Severus asked, looking his son up and down.
               “I hit my elbow on the floor,” Harry said, lifting his arm. “It really hurt.”

               Severus kneeled in front of Harry and felt the boy’s arm. It didn’t feel swollen, and his joint worked just fine, but it would probably bruise later. Even if it did, it was hardly something that needed to be treated. He couldn’t possibly go fixing every scrap and bruise his kids earned themselves. He would never have healing salves or bruise balms in store.

               “I think you’ll be okay,” Severus said. “Would you like me to kiss it for future protection?”

               That was something Iris had come up with, and even she still agreed to it now and then. Harry blinked, as if he had never heard of such an absurd idea, then looked at his injured elbow.

               “Does it really work?” Harry asked.

               “Only one way to find out.” Severus gave Harry’s elbow a quick kiss, then led Harry back to his bed and tucked him back in. “Try and get some sleep. You know you get cranky when you don’t sleep well.”

               “I know,” Harry said. “I’ll go to sleep.”

               “Thank you.”

               One of these days, Severus was going to send his kids somewhere far away and take three hours to himself to read and relax. Once again, Severus was on his bed, his legs under the blanket and his back propped up by pillows and the headboard, and he opened his book to chapter one. Taking a generous sip of his wine, he began reading.

               “The day broke gray and dull. The clouds hung heavily, and there was a rawness in the air that suggested snow. A woman servant came into the room in which a child was sleeping . . .”

               “Daddy?”

               Severus startled and looked up to see his daughter standing in the doorway in her purple pajamas and pink slippers.

               “What is it, Iris?” Severus asked.

               “I still can’t sleep,” she whined.

               “Me neither,” Harry said, stepping in sight as well.           

               Severus groaned, dragging his hands down his face. Leaning back, he set his book aside and motioned for his kids to come over to him. They ran over to his bed and climbed in on either side of him. Crawling under the blanket, Harry and Iris snuggled up to his sides and rested their heads against his shoulder when he lowered himself down a bit. He wrapped his arms around his kids.  

               “Is there a reason no one can sleep tonight?” Severus asked. “Something in the air, perhaps?”

               “I’m scared,” Harry admitted, glancing up at father.  

               “Of what?”

               “Tomorrow.”

               “Of the trial tomorrow?” When Harry nodded, Severus rested his head against Harry’s. “It will be okay. I will be there, and Addie will be there with you the whole time. You’ll go on the stand for less than two minutes to answer the questions we’ve been practicing the last couple of weeks. You will be fine.”

               “Everyone is going to be staring at me.”

               “Ignore them. You can look at me instead.”

               “Aunt Petunia will be there for real this time.”

               “Yes, she will be. That can’t be helped.”

               “I don’t want her in trouble because of me.”

               “It won’t be because of you. She made the choice to break the rules, so she now must be punished for it. That is not your fault.”

               “I still don’t like it. Do I have to go?”

               “Yes, Harry. Do not worry so, you’ll make yourself sick. It will not be nearly as bad as you are imagining it. Samuel had you practice again this evening, and you did wonderful, even with the new counterarguments he brought up. You are very smart, and you will do well.”

               “Really?” Harry blinked up at Severus, his green eyes glistening in the dimmed lighting.

               “Really.” Severus assured Harry, who smiled and snuggled deeper against Severus. Severus turned his attention to Iris. “And what’s your excuse?”

               “I need a story,” Iris smirked up at her father.

               “Of course, you do. And what would you like this story to be about?”

               “Umm, a princess!” Iris cheered. “With beautiful red hair.”

               “Uh huh.” Typical. Severus looked down at his son. “And what would you like in your story?”

               “A dragon!” Harry exclaimed.

               “A red headed princess and a dragon.” Severus looked up at the ceiling in thought. “Let me think . . . once upon a time, there was a young princess with beautiful red hair who lived in a castle with her parents. As is tradition, her parents wanted to marry her off to some strange prince she had never met before. But the princess wanted nothing to do with traditions. She wanted to do what she loved best . . .” Severus looked around the room as he racked his brain for something that a princess might love to do. He remembered having Harry and Iris paint earlier, so he said, “she wanted to be an artist and paint all day, every day.”

               “I like her already,” Iris said.

               “Her paintings were stunning, original masterpieces, and everyone from all over the kingdom came to see the beautiful paintings of the princess. She painted landscapes, portraits, flowers, and animals. She was admired and known across the lands, and when she turned sixteen, she was a sought-after prize by many.”

               “She was?” Harry asked. “Not her paintings?”

               “She’s a princess who has to be married,” Iris explained. “Times were different then.”

               “So,” Severus continued, “instead of marrying the prince, the princess ran away from home. She disguised herself as a commoner among the townsfolk in search for a way to avoid being married off, and she came across . . .”

               “A dragon?” Harry supplied hopefully.

               “A witch,” Severus said. “She was brewing a potion when the princess came in and told her that she could solve all of her problems with just a sip of the potion she made. Eager, the princess told the witch that she wanted to be an artist, and that she did not want to marry the man her parents had found. The witch smiled and vialed a tablespoon of her potion and handed it to the princess. The witch told her that she would find everything she was looking for if she took the potion at midnight.

               “At midnight, the princess drank the potion and instantly felt its magic. It was powerful, and she felt like she could do anything she set her heart to. But that feeling only lasted for a minute, for when it faded, she began breaking out in scales all over, and she grew larger and larger, until she turned into a fiery red dragon.”

               “Wow!” Iris and Harry said at the same time.

               “Appalled and frightened, the princess tried to tell her parents about what she did, but they could not understand her roars. All her parents saw was a vicious beast that must have eaten their missing daughter. They chased the dragon off, and the princess hid away in the forest, crying tears of paint. For many years, the princess searched for the witch that turned her into a dragon, but whenever she thought she was getting close, the witch would move to a further city, and she would have to start her search all over again.

               “Each time she failed to find the witch she would cry, and her painted tears always left colored streaks in the sky, creating a sad but beautiful painting for all to see.”

               “Like a rainbow,” Iris whispered, half asleep against him.

               “Exactly,” Severus whispered back. He glanced at Harry. His son’s eyes were closed, and Harry had a slight smile on his face. He lowered his voice slightly as he finished his story. “Instead of telling her parents how she felt about the traditions, she tried to change her future through darker means, and will forever roam as a dragon with tears of paint and the world’s largest canvas to paint on, the sky.”

               Harry and Iris had fallen asleep, and Severus picked up his wine and took a long drink from it. He was glad they were asleep now, and he hoped they stayed that way. Deciding he wasn’t going to get much reading done now, Severus shifted himself into a more comfortable position, as comfortable as one could get with two kids on him, then closed his eyes himself.

               Tomorrow’s trial was a mere shadow in his dreams, lingering in the background, growing darker as the night went on.  

 

To be continued...


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