Regress and Repress by krosi
Summary: After Harry accidentally deages himself to a baby during a Potions class, Severus is tasked with aging Harry back up to his correct age before any word gets out on Harry's condition. Severus is less than thrilled with the new job, and Harry is less than thrilled with his new caretaker. A novella, will contain mild CP. Set in the fifth year.
Categories: Parental Snape > Guardian Snape Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required)
Snape Flavour: Canon Snape
Genres: Family, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort
Media Type: None
Tags: Deaged!Harry, Deaging
Takes Place: 5th Year
Warnings: Physical Punishment Spanking
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 6 Completed: Yes Word count: 37495 Read: 7351 Published: 29 Jan 2023 Updated: 11 Mar 2024

1. Accident in the Classroom by krosi

2. Toddler Troubles by krosi

3. Slow Age by krosi

4. Follow Through by krosi

5. The Schwinger Effect by krosi

6. Home by krosi

Accident in the Classroom by krosi
Author's Notes:
A new story to help me get back in the groove of writing after a long life block. This will be a novella with five to six chapters. The first three are already written. Mild CP in the story in the form of a spanking.

Severus paced his classroom while the fifth year students worked on a deflating draught. He criticized and corrected where it was needed as he sneered at how incompetent many of the students still were at brewing such a simple concoction. Honestly, if he had it his way, potions class would only be offered to students fourth year and up, and only to students with a true desire to learn its art and study its beauty. Otherwise, this was just a waste of his time and teachings.

As he paused behind the golden trio, his upper lip curled slightly as he watched Harry and Ron whispering quietly to each other over their cauldrons. The magnificent hero of the wizarding world who could hardly maintain an A in the classroom—weren’t they all so lucky to have such an accomplished wizard to rely on? He stepped a little closer behind them.

“Careful now,” he snarled in a low tone, “we wouldn’t want to have any exploding incidents with this particularly draught, now would we, Potter?”

Harry and Ron visibly bit back any retorts as they glared down at the ingredients laid out in front of their cauldrons. Severus noted the disarray of the ingredients and shook his head.

“Five points from Gryffindor for a chaotic workstation. How either of you haven’t thrown in the wrong ingredient yet is beyond me. Finish up, you’re two steps behind the rest of the class.”

With that, Severus walked away from the Golden Trio, ignoring Hermione’s potion as he knew the bushy haired girl would most likely have a perfect result if she wasn’t already finished with it. As much as he wanted a class with only successful students, he also wanted students that weren’t mouthy know-it-alls.

As he moved toward the front of the classroom, he spared one last glance in Harry and Ron’s direction, noting that they were rushing through the last few steps. He rolled his eyes. Every student in the classroom should know by now that rushing a potion only ended in disastrous results. He would not remind anyone of this at this stage in their schooling—he’d rather fail those who refused to remember and not have to deal with them in any future classes. Let’s see what Mr. Auror-to-be Potter thinks of that, Severus thought with a smirk. Ah, to crush the dreams of the wizarding world’s famous celebrity.

It was then that Severus noted a burnt citrusy smell that brought on a wave of nausea. It was rather unexpected, as from what he had observed, everyone had at least been following the potion correctly. Scanning his eyes across the room, he noted the angry, spitting bubbles in Harry’s potion as he added leaf by leaf in what should be the final step of the deflating draught. Sensing danger, Severus whipped out his wand and cast a shield charm around the classroom just as the potion fizzed up angrily like a shaken soda before exploding with a sharp pop.

Severus’s shield charm had covered everyone just in time . . . almost everyone.

“Harry!” Hermione and Ron cried as their friend was no longer standing where he had been, his cauldron empty save for a few blotches of the remaining potion.

Damn it, I’ve killed him, Severus thought as he moved swiftly toward where Harry had been standing. Merlin, have mercy on my soul and God be with me when I inform Albus his hero is dead.

Stepping around the table, Severus saw Harry’s robe on the ground. Preparing his stomach for the worst, he took a deep breath and kneeled, pulling the robe away to see what mess remained.

His eyes widened and, throwing the robe back over what he had seen, he shot up and glared at his students.

“Class dismissed,” Severus said quickly, “You’ve all passed. Leave your potions and get out.”

“But Harry,” Hermione started to say, her hands hovering over her mouth, tears welling in her eyes as she tried to step closer and look around Severus.

“All of you out!” Severus demanded, pointing at the doorway to his classroom. “Now.”

Though Hermione appeared affronted and distraught at the same time, she allowed Ron to drag her out of the classroom, the redhead glaring daggers at Severus as he left with his friend. Everyone else was quick to follow his instruction and ran out of the classroom, abandoning their cauldrons and ingredients scattered on the work benches.

Letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, Severus turned around and kneeled once more, he pulled the robe down once more.

“Only you could manage something like this, Potter,” Severus said.

Blinking up at him with large green eyes was a very small infant version of Harry Potter.

 -

“What are we supposed to do about this, Albus?” Severus asked as he watched his mentor bounce Harry in his arms. Harry was now wrapped up in his robe, which had been shrunk enough to be used like a swaddle blanket. His glasses that had been found on the floor were currently tucked away in Severus’s pocket as the baby kept yanking them off. Severus shook his head at the sight as he continued. “I have no clue how he has even managed to accomplish such a drastic change to the potion he made today. Of course, only Potter would find some way to create a deaging potion.”

“Now Severus,” Albus began as he adjusted Harry over to his other hip. “I’m sure it was an accident at best. I can’t imagine he wanted to turn himself into a baby of all things. However, we must act quickly and restore him to his proper age before wind gets out about his condition. Heaven knows this school is not known for keeping its secrets for long and the last thing we need is for—”

“The Dark Lord to know about Potter’s condition,” Severus supplied. He closed his eyes for a moment, occluding this very conversation into a deep, dark place in the back of his mind, as he often did on a regular basis when conversing with Albus. It helped to occlude often. It became almost second nature to do it when done on a regular basis that he didn’t even have to think about occluding when it mattered the most. These actions have saved him on numerous occasions, and the Dark Lord suspected nothing, even still. Opening his eyes, he studied Harry for a moment. At least the baby was quiet. He would probably lose his mind if the baby started crying.

“Precisely,” Albus said. “As this is potion-based magic, we all know the best counter will be potion-based. Do you think you could reverse this, Severus?”

“Potentially,” Severus said, not wanting to make any promises he couldn’t keep. He frowned as he looked over at Harry’s station. If I analyze the ingredients he was using and check for contaminants, I might be able to find out what went wrong. Then, I would simply have to neutralize the effects of those ingredients. It may take a single dose of a new potion; it may take several, depending on what happened. Potter could be stuck like that for days while trying to age him back up.”

“I see, I see,” Albus said while nodding his head, smiling at baby Harry, who gave him what could only be described as a concerned look. “Well, in that case, I’ll hand him off to you to get started right away.”

Time froze for all of three seconds as those words processed in Severus’s brain.

“What?” he snapped. “You can’t mean that you expect me to watch the little brat, fix his mess, and teach my classes at the same time?”

“Of course not.” Albus chuckled. “I’ll get a substitute. One of your graduates a few years ago is almost finished with his apprenticeship and needs a few hours working in a teaching position toward his curriculum. This might just be the perfect opportunity. That way, you can devote all your time to watching Harry and brewing the potions he’ll need.”

“Oh excellent,” Severus said with a forced smile. “All the time in the world to devote to one precious Potter.”

“He needs your skills right now, Severus,” Albus reminded. “And look at him, he’s just a helpless baby now. Try to be gentle with him. I’m entrusting you to restore Harry to his former self and bring him back in one piece.”

“And what am I supposed to do if I am . . . called away?”

“I am assigning one of our elves to be called upon in case of an emergency. I will send you a name to call for should you need to leave Harry for an extended period of time. Hopefully, it won’t be too long for you to restore Harry. I will inform the students that Harry has fallen severely ill following this incident and that you have taken him to a secure location to help him heal.”

“And where am I supposed to take him?”

“I was under the impression that you have an off-the-grid location that even the Dark Lord knows not of?”

Severus crossed his arms and threw his head back with an inconvenienced sigh. The place in question was his one escape from Hogwarts, students, and Death Eaters. It was a small but cozy cottage deep in the woods of Southern England, somewhere no one else was ever permitted to be, not the headmaster, not the Dark Lord, and certainly not the little prince who was currently a baby. Severus gritted his teeth. It would be a good location to hide away with Potter until he was returned to normal. However, he could only imagine what chaos Potter would unleash on his poor humble home.

“I still have ownership of the house on Spinner’s End,” Severus offered.

“Too risky,” Albus decided.

Right, because every Death Eater knew where that house was.

“What is wrong with hiding away in my quarters? Here?”

“We need you out of the castle in case Madame Umbridge tries to see what is wrong with Harry. If word of his condition gets back to the Ministry, Merlin knows what they might try to do.”

Excellent point, yes, but must he come to my one sanctuary? Severus bit his inner cheek and glared at the baby, but Harry was ignoring him, focused intently on fiddling with strands of Albus’s beard while the adults discussed his fate.

“I see I’m left with no choice but the Escape Cottage. Very well, Albus. I will take Potter and work quickly on getting him back to his fifteen year old self. Hopefully, we’re back within the week.”

“That would be excellent, Severus,” Albus said, grinning broadly. “We certainly don’t want Harry falling behind in school. Of course, Christmas holidays starts in a week, so if you are not back before then, you’ll have plenty of time to restore him and return him before the term starts back up.”

“Lucky me,” Severus said in a dry tone. He huffed before holding his hands out for Harry. “Alright then, Potter, let’s get this over with.”

Albus moved to hand Harry over, but the little brat cried out and gripped on to Albus, hiding his head in Albus’s shoulder. Severus bit back a snarky remark while Albus shushed and reassured Harry.

“It is okay, Harry, you will be safe with Severus. He will take good care of you. He is a good man, you will see.” Albus bounced Harry and patted his back. He pulled out his wand and waved it around the baby, changing the swaddle blanket into a diaper and a dark green onesie as he said to Severus, “An age charm places Harry at about nine months old. Poor child must be so confused right now, having no idea where he is or who we are. Move slow with him, he’ll warm up to you, I’m sure. Harry has such a big heart.”

Severus fought a disgusted look as he reached for Harry once more, removing him from Albus’s hold. Harry whined and reached for Albus, but the older wizard waved goodbye to Harry before leaving the classroom, leaving Severus awkwardly holding Harry in the middle of the potions classroom.

Unsure of what to do, Severus slowly set Harry down on the floor, afraid if he moved too quickly, he might break the baby. Harry seemed able to hold himself up without any support, so Severus slowly backed away as if sudden movement might provoke some kind of reaction.

“Just stay there,” Severus commanded. “I’m just going to be right here at your station trying to figure out where you went wrong, Potter.”

Harry blinked at Severus. After watching Harry for a few seconds and deciding the baby wasn’t going to move, Severus stepped over to Harry’s workbench, which was only a few feet away from where he left Harry sitting on the floor. Peering through the mess of herbs, powders, and animal parts scrambled on the desk, Severus picked through everything, identifying all the correct components of a deflating draught on the table, frowning as he tried to figure out what Harry may have done differently from the other students. His hands pushed aside the ginseng—well, what should have been ginseng. He narrowed his eyes.

“This is ginger, Potter,” Severus snarled, holding up the root and glaring at Harry. The baby’s lip puckered out slightly. “You were supposed to grab the ginseng. Maybe, if you slowed down and paid attention to what you were doing in the storage room, you wouldn’t have made such a silly mistake. And while ginger certainly changes the use of the potion, it wouldn’t have done so this drastically. So what else did you add in to your potion?”

Harry didn’t say anything as he kept his lower lip pushed out, not that Severus expected his help in the matter anyway.

Severus turned back to the mess, shaking his head irritably.

“If you kept all your ingredients separated and in an orderly fashion, you wouldn’t lose your head trying to follow the recipe.”

Severus picked through the leaves on the table, feeling the texture of each one when he noticed a couple differently shaped leaves in the mix. He brought them closer to his nose, smelling them, then looking at Harry pointedly.

“Daisy leaves,” he said. “I’m assuming you didn’t grab these intentionally—knowing how you students raid the storage room collecting what you need, things always end up where they shouldn’t be. However, if you paid half as much detention to detail to your potion as you did to a snitch in a quidditch field, you would have noticed that a few of the leaves were not quite the same. Daisy leaves are very useful in age related potions, preserving youth and innocence. Combined with the ginger, which enhances an ingredients ability, then the ingredients of the deflating solution, naturally, you end up with something that deages the body. Well done, Potter. Your ineptitude never ceases to amaze me.”

If a baby could look annoyed, Harry had managed to accomplish the look. Severus thought nothing of it as he cleaned up every table in the room with a swish of his wand before sending all the cauldrons over to the wash sink. He walked back over to Harry, staring down at the tiny form on the ground.

“All we have to do now is figure out an aging potion that will bring you back to your rightful age.”

Severus reached down to lift Harry but jerked back when the baby let out a loud cry. He hesitated, studying the child before narrowing his eyes.

“Do not do that,” Severus said through his teeth. “I have to carry you whether you like it or not, you little brat.”

Harry slowly pushed himself over on his stomach, then began crawling away as fast as he could.

“Oh no, you don’t,” Severus said, scooping up Harry quickly, holding him out at arm’s length while Harry started screaming. The noise was ear piercing and Severus winced, his temper flaring up quickly. How anyone could stand having one of their own of these tiny human beings was beyond him.

“Stop that this instant before I cast a muffler on you!”

He hadn’t really expected the baby to obey, and much to his surprise, Harry grumbled angrily but stopped screaming. Severus halted in his tracks as something struck him. He set Harry down on a table, keeping a hand on him in case the child tried falling off. He stared directly at Harry, meeting his eyes.

“You understand me, don’t you?” Severus asked.

Harry blinked at him.

“Nod yes if you understand me,” Severus demanded, trying not to grow annoyed at the lack of response.

Harry slowly started tilting his head back, further and further, and when it looked like he might fall backwards, Severus had a horrifying image of a baby breaking his neck, and he quickly put his hand behind Harry’s head, stopping the child. Maybe the muscle tone wasn’t quite all there for nodding yet.

“Never mind that,” Severus said, sitting Harry up once more. “Seeing as your vocal abilities are less than subpar, is there anything you can control to help me understand you?”

Harry’s face morphed into a small frown before he opened his mouth then blew a loud raspberry. Unamused, Severus glared at Harry.

“Cheeky as ever,” Severus said.

Harry laughed, then blew another raspberry.

Annoyed, Severus snatched Harry up, tucking him under his arm in a football hold, earning loud squeals of complaints and protests.

“That’s enough out of you,” Severus said as he paused in front of the stone wall behind his desk. He pushed in a stone and a doorway opened. “It’s your fault we are in this mess and now I have to tend to you and make your potion to get you back to normal. You just had to be the center of attention, didn’t you, Potter? You have to be in the spotlight causing problems and forcing others to fix your mistakes. You had to make every moment of my life miserable somehow this year, didn’t you? Well, I promise you, you will not be pampered or coddled during this. I will return you to your rightful self and then you can serve detention with me—no, with Mr. Filch—every night for the rest of the school year. That ought to strike your fancy, eh, Potter?”

Harry’s cried increased in volume, growing angrier as Severus cut through his office from the secret passageway to the door on in the back of his office that led to his quarters. It was a quaint but comfortable living space, with neutral colors setting the theme, not too dark but definitely not too bright. The door from the office brought them through a small kitchenette that was immediately connected to the parlor, where he set Harry down on the floor once more, ending the angry cries, but Harry still glared up at him.

“Don’t give me that look, you’ve no one to blame but yourself for this. Wait here, I need to grab a few things then we are leaving to my place to fix this mess you’ve made.”

Harry blew another raspberry at Severus as he made his way deeper into his quarters. While the sound grated at his nerves, he chose to ignore it and focus on the task at hand. He needed a few tomes from his study that he knew discussed age related potion consequences and then he needed to pack for his emergency stay at his cottage. He couldn’t believe he would be bringing Harry of all people to his secret location. He would be the first person beside Severus to have set foot in the house in ten years. Special Potter, indeed.

Severus packed a suitcase and stuffed the tomes in with his robes, then shrunk the suitcase and pocketed it. He wondered if he should pack any of Harry’s belongings, but he was sure he wouldn’t have Harry long enough to need any of his things, especially when he wouldn’t fit in them anyway. He would just have to transfigure things along the way. He was sure this would be a multi-potion process. Aging up would have to be done in steps regardless of the quickest solution he found—a slow process was the safest way to recover from a sudden deaging event.

Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Severus rubbed his hands down his face. Of all the people to end up as Potter’s caretaker, even if temporarily, he had never in all his years imagined something like this happening. Was this some sort of sick karma? As much as he hated this, and he was sure he would hate every minute he had to spend with Harry, he had been given a job. And just as with any job, he would fulfill it to the best of his ability. Though he was making no promises both of them would come back alive. Harry was already pushing his limits, and he wasn’t sure how much more of his impertinence he could take.

Finally stepping out of his bedroom, Severus headed for where he had left Harry.

Except Harry was no longer there.

“Potter?” Severus called out as he whipped his head around looking for the tiny baby. “Show yourself this instant!”

No baby appeared, and when he heard nothing, Severus growled loudly before pulling out his wand.

“Point me Harry Potter.”

He felt his wand tug and followed its pull, walking slowly through his living room. The wand kept tugging against his hold, so he followed it ahead, walking past the door to his bedroom and pausing in front of his study as he felt it jerk to his right suddenly. He slowly stepped into his study, glancing around as there were only so many places to hide. He moved around his desk and glanced under his desk, then shoved his wand up his sleeve and snatched the baby, earning an angry shriek.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” Severus demanded, holding the baby out at arm’s length.

Harry blew a raspberry.

“You really are a despicable child,” Severus commented. He hesitated as he thought about what to do next. Throwing the child under his arm resulted in screaming, so he wondered hos he could carry the child without any drama and without keeping him at an arm’s distance. He remembered what Albus had done earlier. Slowly, he pulled Harry toward him and rested the child on his hip, supporting him with one arm. Harry grumbled softly but obligingly accepted the carrying style.

Nodding in victory, Severus carried Harry out to the parlor and headed for his floo.

“I don’t know what you were attempting to do,” Severus said, “probably looking for some adventure no doubt. There will be none of that under my watch; absolutely none of that Gryffindor foolishness you so proudly embrace. Is that clear, Mr. Potter?”

Harry blew another raspberry.

Severus’s upper lip curled but he resisted snapping at the child and instead, grabbed a handful of floo powder, then said a long string of enchantments before dropping the powder. Unlike a regular floo, they did not start falling through a hundred chimneys. Instead, a gold shimmer swallowed them and they slowly faded out of sight, the breath knocked out of them in a familiar feeling as apparition before they reappeared in a chimney thousands of miles away from Hogwarts.

 -

It was a small, one-story English cottage, but the inside was comfortable with a large sofa and a plush armchair surrounding an ornate chimney in the parlor. The small windows did not fail in bringing in plenty of sunlight to brighten the room, but there was also muggle electricity to add additional light, and Severus flicked a switch to brighten the room more. Following the room flow, they were led into a tidy, old style kitchen with appliances dating back to the forties’ and a large pantry. The kitchen led to a hallway that would bring them to two bedrooms connected to a single bathroom, and adjacent to those rooms was a small closet and a large room Severus had converted into a makeshift potions lab. Down the hall led to a newly constructed outdoor deck mahogany stained and overlooking a pond in the far backyard and the forest that surrounded the house.

Severus settled Harry onto the armchair in the parlor.

“Stay here. If you fall off and crack your skull open, it’ll be your own fault for disobeying. I have to babyproof the house for your stay.”

Harry grumbled as he relaxed in the chair, his lower lip puckering out.

Severus ignored him as he checked his house for anything that could harm a baby, plugging up electrical outlets, removing loose cords, and placing a lock on his potion lab door. He wasn’t about to tell Harry he was Potter-proofing the house more than he was baby-proofing it. The cords and outlets were more for sure. Harry clearly still had his fifteen-year-old mind intact, he should know better than to put his fingers in an outlet.

There was also another advantage to having his mind intact. It meant that the deaging process was complete. Harry hadn’t mentally deaged, just physically shrank to his infant self. And growing a body back up to its correct age was much easier than restoring a mind with memories and knowledge to its correct age without screwing something up in the process. The potion he needed for growing a body was a simple potion, but it required several hours of simmering to complete, then it needed to cool down to room temp before it could be consumed. Easy enough, and it would make aging Harry much smoother.

As long as he cooperated of course.

Severus checked the protective wards around his property, then set up a charm that would let him know if Harry every stepped outside of the property boundaries. He debated setting a charm that would keep Harry locked inside but the potion was at least a three to four dose process, and it could only be take every forty-eight hours to prevent over exhaustion on the body from the rapid aging. He would also brew a few painkillers for Harry to take with the potion as well, knowing the growing pains would not be pleasant.

Satisfied with what he had accomplished, Severus headed back to his parlor in time to catch Harry sliding off the armchair, his feet inches from hitting the ground. Severus grabbed the child before he crashed to the floor, holding him up and glaring at him.

“Are you incapable of minding me for more than one minute? If that’s the case, I’ll transfigure you a crib and you can stay there all day while I brew your potion.” Harry pouted at Severus, but he ignored the look. Instead, Severus rested Harry on his hip and carried him to his potion lab. The room was a modern contrast to the rest of the house with its sterile tables and organized shelves of ingredients lining the walls. It had an industrial sink along with cupboards where cauldrons were stored to avoid dust collection.

“You should be very grateful, Potter,” Severus spoke as he moved around the room, grabbing a book off the shelf and slamming it down on a table. He flicked through it. “The potion is simple enough but I could have done without having to look after you and fix your mess. If you’re going to screw up, you have to go all out, don’t you? You never do something halfway. Well, I hope this humiliation will teach you to mind yourself in the future. Slow down and pay attention to what you’re doing in potions class, honestly—is it not the first thing I teach you as a first year?”

Harry remained quiet as Severus bantered, unable to do anything as Severus carried him around the lab, grabbing a cauldron and several ingredients.

Once everything was set out, Severus sighed as he looked at Harry.

“I suppose I can’t work with you attached to my hip all day, now can I? I guess a crib will have to do.”

Severus transfigured an old wooden shelf into a tall baby crib, making sure the side bars were extra high in case Harry got any ideas of crawling out. He remembered hearing stories from older staff members of nieces and nephews crawling out of cribs as tiny babies, and he wasn’t taking any risks.

Transfiguring a pillow into a thin mattress, he summoned a blanket and tossed it in the crib before lowering Harry into it.

Harry screeched angrily, kicking his feet at the bed before Severus plopped him down on the thin mattress.

“I’m afraid you have little choice in the matter. I can’t keep an eye on you and brew the potion at the same time. You’ll just have to make do.”

Harry growled angrily before throwing himself back and crying out, glaring up at Severus.

“Knock that off, you uncouth child. Would you like something to do?”

Severus smirked, then grabbed a stirring rod and transfigured it into a rattle. He offered it to Harry, who’s glare deepened.

“What, not good enough for our little hero?” Severus asked. He set the rattle down next to Harry. “I’m afraid other toys might be too dangerous for you at this size.”

Severus walked to his work table and started prepping ingredients for the potion, glancing at the book for instruction on how things needed to be prepared. He started with mincing the herbs when the rattle struck the edge of the table as it soared toward him, startling Severus as it dropped harmlessly to the floor, landing next to Severus’s feet. He swung his head in Harry’s direction, who had a satisfied look. Severus narrowed his eyes at Harry.

“Impressive throw, Potter,” Severus said as he returned to his work. “But you’re not getting it back.”

Harry babbled as he rolled away from Severus, staring at the plain wall. The silence gave Severus a chance to work through the potion, mincing and chopping and shredding ingredients as he needed and adding them to the potion as instructed, timing everything to the second with his pocket watch. He glanced at Harry now and then, but the baby managed to fall asleep. He was sure Harry was running on a baby’s schedule anyway, a small body could only handle so much after all.

It was an hour and a half later that Severus finished the potion, but now it needed to simmer for six hours, and then it needed to cool until it was room temp before it could be consumed. Severus glanced at the time: it was nearly two thirty in the afternoon. What a long day it was turning out to be.

He glanced at Harry, noting for the first time the pained look on the baby’s face.

Concern washed over Severus as he ran over to the crib. Could he be having a late reaction to the potion’s accident? Was something going on internally that he and Albus had missed?

“What is it?” Severus asked. “Are you alright? What hurts?”

Harry’s face seemed to turn red and he looked away from Severus, refusing to meet his eyes.

Severus wasn’t sure why he bothered asking. Harry couldn’t answer him even if he wanted to, so Severus reached down to lift the boy and check him over when a particular smell struck his nose. Realization hit and Severus pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to keep down the contents in his stomach and remain stoic about this. Merlin give him strength to do what he never thought he’d ever have to do. Was there a spell for this? Some kind of charm mother’s knew that he might be able to look up? Would a cleansing spell work? If only he had stopped by the library for a book on useful parenting spells. Now he would have to change Harry bloody Potter’s diaper the old fashion way. Hopefully he could figure that out.

“I suppose you are in need of a change, Mr. Potter,” Severus said, as he reached down to lift Harry.

The child’s head swung his way and Harry let out a loud shriek, startling Severus, who jerked back. He paused, slowly deepening his glare at the baby.

“Stop doing that!” he scolded. “Do you want to stay in a dirty diaper all day, Potter? You can’t drink the potion until tonight, and even then, it’s an overnight process where you will age, hopefully painlessly in your sleep. I, for one, do not wish to smell your business all day, so let’s do us both a favor and get this over with.”

Severus reached in the crib once more, where once again, Harry screamed, but Severus grabbed the baby and moved him over to a work bench, ignoring the baby’s protests. Harry did not help matters as he struggled to roll away from Severus as he attempted to undo the seat of the onesie, and Severus’s growing frustrations did not make it any easier.

“Be still before I stupefy you,” Severus threatened, though he was sure it was illegal to stun a baby. Harry didn’t need to know that though. Using one hand on Harry’s stomach to pin the baby down and his other hand to undo the snaps, Harry’s angry shrieks turned into a genuine baby cry, much like any other baby with dislikes for a diaper change. The noise was like nails on a chalkboard to Severus, but at least Harry was holding still now.

Now that he had access to Harry’s diaper, Severus tried a more hands off approach as he lifted Harry’s legs up to raise his bottom off the table, then with summoned warm wash cloths ready, he vanished the diaper and the washcloths cleaned Harry’s bottom before a clean washcloth appeared and Severus transfigured it into a diaper. He applied a baby powder potion solution he did have in stock for selling and applied a generous amount on Harry before doing up the diaper three times before he was sure it looked correct. Finally, he sighed and fixed Harry’s onesie before lifting the baby and casting a self-wash charm on his work table, and cleaning supplies attacked it vigorously. Severus carried a red faced Harry back to the crib and set him down.

“There, it wasn’t so bad, was it? Hardly worth the tantrum you threw.”

Harry pouted at him, his face red.

“It’s not fun being humiliated, is it?” Severus continued. “Perhaps you’ll remember this for a long time and think twice before not paying attention in Potions class again.”

Harry moodily dropped on his back and rolled away from Severus. After going through the horrible action of changing a diaper, Severus expected for more gratitude, though he should have known Harry would give him none. Something boiled over in Severus and he bared his teeth at the baby.

“Such ungratefulness,” Severus growled. “You’re just like your father. Ungrateful, reckless, careless, and an absolute idiot.”

Harry made a small noise of protest, glaring up at Severus.

“You have no argument to prove otherwise. Your father would do something this rash and get away scot-free. Except he would have made sure someone else suffered the humiliation of becoming a baby. He was rather partial to that sport—humiliating others for fun.”

Harry squealed louder at Severus.

“What—don’t believe me? What would you know about him? You never met him. You probably think he was some great hero, but he was far from it. Nothing but a pig-headed scoundrel, he was.”

Harry’s eyes watered then he screamed angrily at Severus, repeating it when Severus snapped back.

“Stop it, you’re getting upset over nothing at all,” Severus scolded over Harry’s screaming, raising his voice louder as his anger grew at the noise. “I’m only sharing the truth with you, and you know what, Potter, sometimes the truth hurts. And the truth is your father and his friends were just like you: conceited, thinking themselves above the rules, and getting away with everything without so much as a slap on the wrist. You can go around thinking highly of him all you’d like—stop screaming!—but I was unfortunate enough to meet him and the bully he lived up to be. You can’t imagine how it pains me to have to deal with you every day, a constant reminder of him and his wicked ways, and the product he made with my best friend!”

Severus fell silent quickly, his eyes widening at what he had just said. Harry had also stopped screaming at Severus and was staring wide eyed, then he made a sad face up at Severus. Severus groaned and rubbed his hands down his face as he turned away, sliding down until he sat on the cold floor of the lab, his back against the crib. He shook his head softly.

“I can’t believe I’m yelling at a baby,” Severus said. “Lily’s baby, nonetheless.”

Harry made a soft coo and Severus turned his head to look at him. Harry opened his mouth, ready to make another sound when his stomach growled loudly.

Taking that as cue to move on to a new subject and totally forget about his little outburst, Severus jumped to his feet.

“Ah, I see you’ve made room for food. At your age, you’d still be on formula, so I should find a potion for that, I’m sure one exists. In the meantime, . . . err, here.” Severus summoned a banana and set it in the crib with Harry.

Harry looked at the banana, then gave a pointed look at Severus, making a disgruntled noise.

“Right,” Severus said, snatched the banana and peeling it for Harry before setting it back in. He headed for his table, ignoring another disgruntled cry from Harry. Surely the child could figure out how to eat a banana from there.

As he grabbed one of the tomes that discussed emergency potions, he glanced at Harry, who was busy taking fistfuls of banana and stuffing it in his mouth, making an absolute mess of one piece of fruit. Severus returned his focus to the index, scanning for anything that might be of use. He finally found the perfect potion, an emergency baby formula potion. He flipped to the correct page and studied the instructions.

“Alright then, easy enough,” Severus said, setting up a cauldron and collecting the ingredients he needed. “It’s almost the same as making a nutrient potion, except everything is diluted and pureed a little more. I think I’ve got this. A tablespoon of standard ingredient, three drops of honey, chopped ginger root . . .”

As Severus worked on the potion, Harry finished his fill of the banana, shoving the rest aside and lying down to watch Severus work, blinking blearily. When Severus was finished, he frowned at the thin but slimy looking green liquid that remained, ladling some and letting it pour back into the pot inquisitively.

“They feed this to babies?” Severus questioned. He glanced in Harry’s direction. “You wouldn’t want to sportingly try it, would you?”

The aghast look on Harry’s face quickly morphed into tears as Harry started crying.

“No need to be so judgmental,” Severus snapped. He looked down at the book and studied the side binding. “I suppose this is what they did two hundred years ago. I should really update my collection.” Severus sighed, feeling completely exhausted. And he still had four hours to go on the simmering potion.

Then, two bottles appeared on his table, filled with prepared formula. A parchment slip appeared next to them in very familiar handwriting.

Thought you might need this, the parchment said. Save the other in the fridge for dinner. Also, Frilly agreed to be available to watch Harry for you in the event of an emergency. Just snap your fingers twice and will her access to your home and she will come.

Thank you, Albus, Severus thought in his head. He tapped one of the bottles and it vanished to his fridge for later. He handed the other bottle to Harry, who accepted it and brought it to his mouth. However, he took one gulp and chucked the bottle away, whining pitifully.

“You need it, Potter. That is what your stomach can handle. I will not have you starve under my care.”

Severus picked up the bottle and offered it back to Harry, but the little brat turned away with a whine.  

“Drink it, Potter,” Severus demanded.

Harry took the bottle from Severus, then threw it at the man as hard as he could, hitting Severus in the nose.

“Ow—you incorrigible little brat!” Severus held his nose for a moment, walking away to cool his temper before he reached into the crib and pulled the kicking baby out. Harry screamed briefly before clamping his mouth shut when Severus picked up the bottle. Severus adjusted Harry against himself in a way he had seen young mothers do at parks or in muggle towns. Harry struggled against him however.  

Severus tried to jam the nipple into Harry’s mouth, but the baby kept it shut while turning his head every which way.

“I’m not exactly sure what you were expecting, but regardless of its taste, you need this. Now knock it off and open your mouth.”

Harry refused, whining out a negative answer in response to Severus’s statement.

“Drink this or I’ll force feed you the green slop. And trust me, Potter, I will enjoy every second of it.”

Harry obediently opened his mouth and accepted the bottle, hesitantly drinking from it. Sighing in relief, Severus wondered what he should do now, if he should let Harry continue to feed himself in his crib or hold the baby until he was done.

Severus decided he didn’t want to risk Harry deciding not to finish the bottle so he walked out to his parlor, leaving the Age-Up potion to simmer in the lab. He settled down into his armchair, leaning back slightly so he could support Harry’s weight against him rather than just all in his arm, which was growing tired from the baby’s weight. Harry seemed to have found a rhythm with the bottle and was nursing away, but he did frown slightly up at Severus, who stared down at him, watching to make sure he drank enough, that was all.

After a few minutes, Harry’s eyes began to droop, and he jerked himself awake a couple times, much to Severus’s amusement. However, as Harry faded, Severus found his own eyes closing against his will . . .

-

He wasn’t sure how long he was out for, but he felt small fingers brushing against his cheek and his eyes slowly opened, catching Harry jerking his hand back and staring up at him wide eyed. Severus blinked and pulled out his pocket watch, checking the time. Two hours had passed—how on earth had he slept for so long? He also realized Harry was snug against his shoulder. He must have moved him to a more comfortable position in his sleep, though he wasn’t sure who it would have been more comfortable for, himself or Harry. The bottle was long forgotten on the floor, but the majority of it had been consumed.

“I’m not sure what’s come over me,” Severus said, as he sat up on the chair. He adjusted Harry in his arms before giving him a look. “How long have you been awake?”

Harry blinked at him, then scrunched up his nose as if that would answer the question. Rolling his eyes, Severus settled Harry on his hip and carried him to the potions lab, checking on the potion.

“It’s almost done now. I should make us some dinner. With what little chompers you have, I’m sure you’ll manage soft foods well enough.”

Severus moved the crib into the kitchen before setting Harry inside it. While he made a meal of mashed potatoes, broccoli, and chicken, Harry managed to push himself up in his crib, gripping the bars for support until he was standing.

“Nape,” Harry shouted.

Severus turned sharply, looking at Harry, who bounced slightly on his feet.

“Congratulations, Potter,” Severus said dryly. “You found your voice.”

Harry pouted, then repeated, “Nape!”

“Not now. I’m busy.”

“Nape! Nape!”

“What, is that all you’ve figured out how to say?” Severus said turning away from the food and walking over to the crib. “What do you want?”

Harry let go of a bar with one hand and held it out toward Severus, who frowned, then seemed to get the hint. He wasn’t the least bit fooled that Harry wanted to be held by him of all people.

“Fine, but you stay where I can see you in the kitchen.”

Severus lifted Harry out of the crib and set him on the floor. Harry crawled after Severus when the man went back to the stove, but after watching him for a minute, he crawled around the kitchen, exploring the new place.

He pulled himself up using the chairs for support, looking around at new heights to take everything in.

“What is it?” Severus asked. “Too small for our hero? Not enough gold silverware? It will have to do for the time being. You’ve nowhere else to go while you’re in that condition.”

Harry spared Severus a glance before dropping to all fours and crawling over to Severus. He gripped Severus robe and pulled himself up against Severus.

“Nape,” Harry said, looking up at Severus.

“What do you want now? Food isn’t ready yet.”

Harry’s bright green eyes met Severus’s, and it was as if he was trying to communicate sentences with them. However, as he could not make Severus understand him, he looked down, then leaned into Severus’s leg, wrapping his little arms around Severus. Then he dropped back down to all fours and crawled away.

Severus wasn’t sure what to make of Harry’s actions. He brushed it off as Harry losing his balance. Nothing more.

After dinner and another bottle (and another dreadful diaper change), Harry was given free range to crawl around the house while Severus cooled down the potion. Harry pretty much just followed Severus, ever so inquisitive about what he was doing. Severus nearly tripped over Harry at one point, almost kicking the child in the process, at which point Harry was set in his crib once more, much to his contempt.

Finally, the potion was ready, and Severus changed Harry out of his onesie and into a toddler sized t-shirt and strapped on a pull up over the diaper.

“I highly doubt the potion ages more than a few years at a time, so this will be a slow process, Potter. Do not be disappointed when you are only three or four tomorrow morning, but I expect you to be an obedient toddler or I’ll lock you in a room the entire time you are here, is that understood?”

Harry blinked up at Severus, clearly making no promise of such behavior.

Biting back snide comments, Severus lifted Harry and carried him to the lab. He grabbed on of the bottles and poured a dose of the potion Harry needed into it. He used a dropper to administer three drops of two different kinds of pain killers, which Harry obediently opened his mouth for. Then, he headed to the chair to sit with Harry and feed the potion to him.

Harry opened his mouth to accept the nipple and began drinking quickly, his face scrunching up in obvious dislike of the potion, but he didn’t stop.

“Good boy,” Severus commented, unable to stop himself in time.

Harry’s eyes softened as he blinked up at Severus, then his eyes slowly drooped close. Severus watched Harry closely, making sure he took in every last drop of the potion. Harry continued to drink it even as he appeared asleep. Unfortunately, Severus would have to brew a fresh batch again, as the potion broke down completely after twelve hours. Such a time sensitive potion, but it made sense for what it was treating. Severus leaned back in the chair, holding Harry close so as not to wake him. The bottle fell from Harry’s mouth, but the potion was gone. Harry smacked his lips a couple times and curled into Severus.

Severus didn’t move for a long time as he stared down at Harry. Such a small bundle of trouble he was. He was in for one hell of a week; Severus was sure of it. But for now, there was at least peace while Harry slept. And Severus didn’t want to set him down quite yet. Just to make sure he had no reaction to the potion, of course.

The End.
Toddler Troubles by krosi

Severus’s eyes shot open at the sound of a noise that didn’t quite register in his brain yet. He blinked a few times against the morning light, rolling over in his bed and rubbing at his eyes before glaring up at the ceiling, waiting to see if he’d hear the sound that had woken him again.

“Snape!” a small voice screamed for him in the next room over.

There it was. The sound of a young, annoying Harry Potter calling from the next room. Growling under his breath, Severus forced himself out of the bed then deliberately went about his morning routines first, ignoring a frustrated cry and another call of “Snape!”

The little brat could wait until he was good and ready to take him out of the crib he had spelled with wards to contain Harry should the child even consider crawling out of the crib before he was even awake. He was glad to have thought of it last minute now, as he was sure Harry would already be running around his house causing havoc if he hadn’t.

After a quick wash of his face and teeth, Severus threw on a casual black robe and slipped on his boots. He crossed through the bathroom and into the second bedroom; a room which he had converted into a study, however, he had shoved the desk and chair against a back wall to make room for the crib where one Harry Potter was glaring at him, standing on the thin mattress and holding onto the bars of the crib. The shirt he had put on the baby last night fit toddler Harry, so he only had the shirt and the pull up on.

“’bout time,” Harry said in a small, squeaky voice that Severus was sure to grate on his nerves before the day was over. “Get me outta here. And I want normal shorts.”

“Why should I?” Severus asked, crossing his arms. “If I take you of that, you’ll surely cause all sorts of chaos in my home. I think it best if I leave you inside that crib all day. It would at least give me some peace from you.”

“I’ll scream until you take me out,” Harry threatened.

“A muffler would make your cries mere white noise,” Severus countered.

“That’s child abuse!” Harry argued.

“What would you know of child abuse, you spoiled little . . .”

“More than you, ob’iously,” Harry muttered under his breath.

“Enough. It is your own fault your in this mess and I spend all my time attempting to age you back up to your correct age and this is the thanks I get? You truly are an ungrateful scoundrel. I should leave you to figure out how to fix your own problem but knowing your skills in the classroom, you’d set my house on fire.”

“Snape!” Harry cried out in exasperation. “Let me out.”

“That’s Professor Snape to you.” Severus snapped. He let out an exasperated sigh of his own. “I suppose I must feed you breakfast and set you up with things to do to occupy your time while I gather what I need for tomorrow’s potion.”

“Why can’t I take it again today?” Harry asked as Severus lifted him out of the crib and set him on the floor. Harry wobbled on his feet for a moment before finding his footing. He stared up at Severus, who used his wand to turn the crib into a toddler sized bed.

“The potion is time sensitive, so I must prepare a fresh batch anyway. It is also inadvisable to age more than a few years in a short time span, so a good thirty-six to forty-eight hours is warranted between each dose to give the body a chance to rest up and heal from such a rapid process the potion causes. Of course, I’d love nothing more than to watch you writhe in agony as I pour the potion down your throat daily until you are fifteen again, but I made a promise to the Headmaster I’d have you back in perfect health. How fortunate for you.”

“It was accident,” Harry said. “I didn’t mean to—”

“You never mean to do anything, do you, Potter? It’s always just pure luck, isn’t it?” Severus flicked his wand at Harry, earning a flinch from the small child, which he ignored. “You are three years old. Not bad. A few more doses and you’ll be back to your Gryffindor tower in no time, by the end of the week no doubt. And I may have a peaceful winter break without your presence.”

Severus flicked his wand again and the pullup turned into underwear and the shirt into a gray robe that lengthened to fit Harry correctly.

“I don’t want to be here either,” Harry stated. “I really was accident. You’re bad teacher.”

“Hitting me where it hurts,” Severus said with a smirk. “Which gives me an idea. I have something for you to do while I make breakfast.”

Severus grabbed Harry by his arms, lifting the child and carrying him over to a corner of the room where the desk and chair sat. Harry screamed and kicked at Severus, trying to pull himself free of Severus’s grip. Severus pulled out the chair and set Harry down in it, heightening it for the small child and hexing it so Harry could not leave the seat. He pushed the chair in and pushed away a few things before shoving a quill and parchment toward Harry.

“As punishment for this ridiculous predicament you’ve got us both in,” Severus began. “You can sit here and write “I will pay attention in potions class and not make such a foolish mistake ever again” fifty times while I make us something to eat. That ought to keep you busy.”

Harry glared up at Severus before holding his hand out.

“I need my glasses,” he said.

Severus summoned the thin spectacles and slapped them down in Harry’s small hand. When Harry picked up the quill as best he could, Severus left him alone in the room to focus on a quick breakfast. He knew he couldn’t confine Harry to the desk all day, the child would be screaming and rebelling again in no time. But at least he was out of his hair for twenty minutes or so while he threw something together. He realized he would need to go shopping for more food as he explored his kitchen, then figured he could make a list and send the house elf assigned to him for the week out to do the shopping. That would be much easier.

Severus would work on the list later. For now, he threw together a quick porridge and topped it with a variety of nuts and seeds. It was minimalistic but would serve its purpose. He was sure Harry would have something to say about it though. He’d probably demand a meal fit for a king. Well, he would get no special treatment here.

Severus set the table and heightened one of the chairs before marching back to his office room—or Harry’s temporary bedroom. He paused in the doorway, narrowing his eyes at the boy who was scribbling away on the parchment. At least Harry had obeyed his orders with little complaint. He couldn’t stand whinging.

“That’ll do, Potter,” Severus said. “Let’s see what progress you’ve made.”

Harry suddenly leaned forward and used his arms to cover the parchment.

“Err, I’m not done yet,” Harry said.

“I figured you wouldn’t be,” Severus said with a roll of his eyes. “Let me see how far you got.”

“No.”

“Potter,” Severus growled through his teeth, “do not test my patience. Hand over the parchment this instant.”

Harry bit his lower lip before he sat up and held the parchment out. Severus snatched it and glared at it, and that glare deepened.

At the top of the parchment were large, shaky letters in a sad attempt to write out the required sentence Severus had demanded. Harry hand managed to fill the entire top with “I will pay attention,” with the last word curling down slightly as Harry clearly ran out of room to finish the word. Instead of finishing the sentence, doodles and squiggles covered the entire page, ranging in all shapes and designs with no clear picture of anything on the page.

“What is the meaning of this, Mr. Potter?” Severus asked.

“You try writing with these ‘tubby hands,” Harry said, holding his hands up to show Severus. “It not easy.”

“Regardless, you should have at least tried.”

“I did try.”

“I will not stand here and argue with a toddler.” Severus crumbled the parchment and tossed it in the nearby wastebin. He waved his hand over Harry to free him from the hex that kept him seated before lifting Harry and setting him down. “Report to the kitchen for breakfast. After you are finished, we’ll find you something to do to keep you occupied while I work.”

“I have to go potty,” Harry said, then blushed as he realized how he worded it.

“Of course, you do,” Severus said. “I highly doubt your bladder has grown that much if yesterday was any indication of how small it was.”

Severus made a step stool for Harry to climb in the bathroom, then stepped out to give the boy some privacy, but he stayed right outside the door in case Harry had any trouble. Being as small as he was, it wouldn’t take more than a breeze to knock the child into the toilet. After a minute, he heard the toilet flush and the step stool slide across the floor over to the sink, but no water sounded.

“Snape!” Harry cried.

“Professor Snape,” Severus corrected as he stepped into the bathroom. He turned the faucet on without waiting for a response from Harry, who quickly went to work washing his hands.

“Since you didn’t do us any favors and flush yourself down the pipe,” Severus said, “I suppose you may have breakfast now.”

Harry huffed and glared but followed Severus out to the kitchen, where he struggled to climb into the chair raised for him before Severus lifted him into the seat. Severus pushed a bowl of the porridge toward Harry, who licked his lips and picked up a spoon to eat hungrily, quickly making a mess all over his face. Severus sat down with his own bowl and watched with slight disappointment that Harry did immediately demand for a Full Breakfast, but he didn’t let it show as he instead gave the child a sneer.

“Perhaps I should have transfigured you a bib,” he said.

“It not my fault,” Harry said in between a bite of food.

“Nothing is ever your fault.”

Harry ignored Severus and focused on eating, which for some reason annoyed Severus even more. This was not how he expected breakfast to go, though he wasn’t sure if he was relieved that Harry didn’t complain or annoyed that he didn’t get to accuse Harry of being the spoiled, insolent brat he was.

“Food to your liking then, eh, Potter?” Severus asked.

“It okay,” Harry replied with a shrug. He seemed to remember something and looked up at Severus. “Thank you. For breakfast and helping me.”

Severus inclined his head, but he felt more annoyance grow within him. Harry wasn’t supposed to be polite or thank him for anything. He was supposed to be a James Potter reincarnation and demand he live the rich life Severus clearly could not offer him while he was trapped as a small, helpless toddler.

Breakfast turned into a quite affair and when both were finished, Severus took the dishes to the sink to wash by hand, giving himself something physical to do while he contemplated his day. Harry used a wash cloth Severus had handed him to clean his face as best he could.

“Can I get down now?” Harry asked, kicking his feet as he discovered this chair was hexed so he couldn’t fall—or climb out and cause mischief, as was Severus’s bigger concern.

“And what do you plan to do with yourself?” Severus asked.

“I don’t know. Look around?”

“And find all sorts of trouble,” Severus said. He shook his head. “I think not. You may get down when I’m finished so I am better able to keep an eye on you.”

Harry grumbled under his breath and crossed his arms. Severus smirked as he finished cleaning the dishes. That behavior was more like a Potter. Too bad he didn’t start complaining loudly so he could snap at him to shut up.

Finally, Severus allowed Harry out of his seat, then directed the young boy to the parlor. His first impulse was to have Harry work on his homework, but after witnessing the mess he created with a quill and parchment earlier, he figured that was a bad idea. So instead, he set Harry to the task of alphabetizing the books on the shelves. Harry seemed less than thrilled but did as he was told, struggling the with some of the larger tomes. Severus hoped it kept Harry busy while he checked on the food pantry and his potion ingredients stock room to make sure he had everything he would need for the future potions.

Severus checked out the fridge and pantry first, writing a list on a scrap of parchment of a variety of items he would like on stock. Once Harry was aged up at the end of the week, he was packing him up and sending him straight back to Hogwarts while he finished out his winter break at the Escape Cottage in peace and solitude. He might as well as have enough food to last him the entire time. Once he made a decent sized list, he moved onto the storage room. The potion was simple enough and required few ingredients, all of which he had in stock. Severus sent the list to the house elf, Frilly, using a special spell that transported objects outside of the protective wards surrounding the cottage. After, Severus worked on reorganizing his stock room for a bit, finding it a nice way to pass time and get into his own thoughts.

Some people wanted to escape their thoughts, but Severus found comfort getting into his own head and letting his mind wander sometimes. With how often he needed to occlude to keep safe, letting his guard down in the safety of his home was a rare and treasured time. He could reflect and remember, look back on memories he had to hide from the rest of the world. He could ponder the crisis he found himself in, the decisions he made, and the philosophies that kept him going through this war. He could get lost in his own head, and lose track of time.

“Shit!” Severus said suddenly as he glanced up at the time, seeing that several hours had passed. “Potter.”

He left his potions lab and stepped into the parlor, not surprised that Harry was no longer there. He scanned the room, then moved through the dining room and into the kitchen, then glanced into the bedrooms and the bathroom.

“Potter!” he called out, panic rising in his chest. How on earth did he lose the Boy Wonder? “Come here this instant!”

There was no response, but he did feel a small, cold draft.

Glancing down the hall and into the makeshift mudroom, he noticed the back door slightly ajar and swaying the slightest bit with the breeze. Breathing heavy, fists clenching at his sides, Severus stormed down the hall and threw the back door open. Harry wasn’t on the wooden deck, but he did see the small child sitting way out in the frosted backyard near the pond, poking a stick at the ice on the water. And the child didn’t even have a coat on over his robe.

Eyes flaring, Severus down the steps and across the yard with swift yet silent footfalls, catching Harry by surprise when he grabbed the boy’s arm, yanked him up, and swatted his small, troublemaking rear end.

Harry sucked in a breath and covered his bottom with both hands, wide eyes staring up at Severus while tears began welling up.

“I did not give you permission to go outside, Mr. Potter,” Severus scolded. “I had no idea where you were.”

“I’m sorry,” Harry said with a quiver in his voice as he sniffled.

“You should have at the very least asked me before vanishing like that and you do not even have appropriate attire on for this kind of weather. What were you thinking?”

“I don’t know.” Harry rubbed his left eye, pushing his glasses up slightly. “I was bored.”

“Bored? Perhaps I should find a list of menial tasks for you to fill up your day, then maybe you wouldn’t be so bored that you take off without my knowledge.”

A small sob broke through Harry’s lips as he alternated between rubbing his eyes and his bottom. The noise sparked a small rage within Severus, and he bared his teeth.

“Stop your sniveling, you got exactly what you deserved,” he snapped.

That only seemed to make Harry’s eyes water more, and Harry choked slightly before tears streamed from his eyes and he began crying softly, apologizing again under his breath.

“Stop crying before I give you something to cry about!” Severus nearly shouted.

That’s right, Severus, an old, familiar voice sounded in his head, and his eyes widened. Stop your sniveling. Real men don’t cry. Tough it out before I give you something to cry about.

Heart pounding, mind racing, hands shaking, Severus realized exactly who he sounded like, and it brought back awful memories he thought he had shut out forever. He realized he hadn’t occluded earlier when he suddenly remembered to check on Harry, and his mind was still wide open and allowing this . . . this . . . whatever was happening to him. Severus backed away from Harry, looking back and forth between the child and his shaking hands. He stumbled as he turned around and nearly tripped up the stairs as he walked back into the house.

You got exactly what you deserved. You had it coming. Quit that annoying whinging! Man up!

Severus slowly slid against the wall in the hallway, lowering himself to the floor as he closed his eyes and tuned out the rest of the world, then shut down the assault on his mind, forcefully occluding everything away. He breathed slowly, willing his heart to slow and his hands to stop shaking.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Again and again.

Control was an illusion.

But it was an illusion he enjoyed, and he slowly felt himself gain back control of himself, of his mind, of his emotions.

A small tap on his shoulder brought him back to reality, and he opened his eyes and was face to face with the small three-year-old who stared at him with a guilty look. Harry fiddled with something in his hands before he held out the object.

Instinctively, Severus accepted whatever it was Harry held out to him. It was a stuffed green snake, coiled and it’s neck held up in a strike pose, its mouth open to reveal two fangs and a forked tongue. It was a gift his mother had given him several years ago, one of the very few Christmas presents she managed to scrounge up for him as a young boy. Without thinking, Severus traced a finger over a stripe on the snake’s back before his voice came back, and he looked up at Harry.

“Went through my things, did you, now?” he asked.

“It was behind some books on the shelves,” Harry admitted. “I wanted to play . . . I mean, look at it.”

“Naturally.”

“Are you okay, Professor?”

“I’ll live if that’s what you’re asking.”

Harry slowly moved next to Severus, then sat down on the ground, his back against the wall. He looked up at Severus.

“I really am sorry for not telling you I went outside. I didn’t think you . . . care.”

“It is okay,” Severus answered. “We never did go over rules and what I expect of you while you are here and in a state of vulnerability. That is on me. I apologize for yelling at you. That may have been a bit . . . uncalled for.”

“You hit me, too,” Harry pouted at Severus.

“I did, and this once I will admit I was hasty to do so, but if you act up or pull a stunt like this again during this process, you’ll find yourself receiving more of those. This was serious, Potter, you cannot disappear like that. And you cannot go outside as you wish without my knowledge. The wards are strong, but anything is possible, and anything could have happened while you were outside out of my eyesight.”

“Okay. I’m sorry.”  

“So you’ve said. Make sure it does not happen again.” Severus paused, looking down at the snake in his hands. “Also, disregard what I said about your crying. You had just been swatted, probably for the first time in your life, and you had every right to cry. It is okay to express your emotions. You know this, right?”

“Yeah, I guess. I mean the Dursleys would always tell me to stuff it if they ever caught me crying.”

“Hmph. I’m assuming they wanted to toughen you up?”

“No, they just didn’t like it when I made noise. They didn’t like anything that reminded them I existed. Is that what your parents wanted? To toughen you up?”

Severus’s eyes strayed from staring intently at the snake plush over to Harry’s inquisitive but perceptive look. He sighed and leaned his head back against the wall.

“My father did. My mother was a much kinder person.”

“That nice,” Harry commented. “At least you had one person who cared.”

Seeing Harry’s face fall brought questions to Severus’s lips, but they couldn’t break past his closing seal. Clearly, Harry’s world was not all glitter and gold and pampering as he had first suspected. Severus looked back at the snake in his hands, then offered it back to Harry.

Harry reached for it, then jerked himself back.

“Oh, I’m all done . . . looking at it.”

“If you’re sure,” Severus said as he set the plush down next to Harry on the floor. He stood himself up, glad he had successfully occluded everything back to the locked compartments of his mind where they belonged. He realized the kitchen and pantry had been restocked, and he snapped his fingers at Harry.

“Up with you. You can help me make lunch. That way I can keep an eye on you.”

Harry stood up, his hands twitching as he clearly resisted touching the snake.

“I be one second,” Harry said.  

With a knowing look, Severus walked out of the hall and into the kitchen, waiting for Harry to secretly take care of the snake, probably to put it on his bed or something. Severus was hardly bothered that Harry found the play toy, honestly, he had forgotten that he still even had it. If it kept Harry out of trouble, he was fine with the toddler finding comfort in it.

Harry reappeared in the kitchen with the stepstool from the bathroom. He put it near the stove and stepped up on it.

“What are we making?”

“Funny that you think you’ll be managing anything on the stove,” Severus said as he flicked his hand at the stool, causing it to slide over to the countertop. Harry waved his arms around for balance at the jerky movement but a spell kept him from falling off of it. He gave Severus an annoyed look.

“Come on,” Harry whined, “I’ve been cooking for the Dursleys since I could walk.”

“I find it strange you refer to your family as “the Dursleys.”” Severus pulled out a pot and set it on the stove while summoning a variety of ingredients from the fridge.

“All right, little chef,” Severus said as he handed Harry a chopping knife. Onions, tomatoes, an avocado, and a green bell pepper arranged themselves in front of Harry. “Cut up these vegetables while I work on the meat. Do not make me regret handing you a knife.”

Severus did not regret his decision. Turned out Harry was quite good with a knife, albeit slow. While his penmanship was atrocious, his chopping skills were refined, even with stubby hands, which brought many questions to Severus’s brain, but he decided not to push for answers now. The two worked side by side to make a simple chili dish while discussing Severus’s rules he expected Harry to follow, and the list was not much different than Hogwarts: obey, follow curfew (bedtime), always tell Severus where he was going or doing, ask permission for everything, so on and so on. Punishment was much like Hogwarts as well, lines when Harry could write legibly again, restrictions to his bedroom, or a good old fashioned corner time. Harry wondered about any more swats to his bum but Severus warned him only serious offenses would warrant that again.

The ingredients were all combined together once finally prepped, and Severus added a couple cans of pinto beans to the mixture with a variety of seasonings and a dallop of sour cream. The pot simmered while Harry asked a question that had been on his mind for a while.

“There were fish in the pond,” Harry said.

“Yes, I put them there,” Severus said dully.

“Are they dead?” Harry asked, his eyes widening. “Are you going to fish them out later and use them in your potions?”

“What a ridiculous notion.” Severus shook his head as he stirred the chili. “Of course not. They are simply hibernating at the bottom of the pond. They are very much alive.”

“They looked dead.”

“They are not.”

“After lunch, can I go back outside with Fangs—I mean, the snake toy.”

“I don’t see why not,” Severus said, ignoring the mention of the now named plush. “But you will check back in with me every so often and stay away from the pond. The ice is very thin.”

“I wouldn’t walk on it.”

“Maybe not, but you were sitting very close to it. Lean forward too much and you would have fallen in and I would have to explain to the headmaster why his Golden Boy is an ice pop.”

“I’ll stay away from the pond,” Harry finally agreed.

“Thank you.”

After lunch and a couple hours outside, which Severus couldn’t help but check on Harry every fifteen minutes to know he was still there and safe, Severus had Harry take a bath to clean off the dirt he managed to get all over himself. Harry cleaned himself quickly, then sat in the warm water for a while, Severus checking in on him by knocking on the door and asking if he was all right. He would never tell Harry that he charmed a small window on the door so he could see Harry but Harry couldn’t see him. It was for the toddler’s own safety, after all. He remembered hearing a tale of young children drowning with just a drop of water, and he wasn’t taking any risks.

His third time checking on Harry, Severus peered through the window he created and made sure Harry hadn’t drowned. Harry was clean and simply relaxing in the warm water. Severus frowned slightly, then flicked his wand at the tub.

Bubbles foamed in the water, startling Harry at first, who looked around as the bubbles slowly filled the tub, stopping at the rim and covering Harry all the way up to the neck. Harry looked at the door, as if expecting Severus to burst into the room. When nothing happened, Harry smiled and slapped at the bubbles, then picked some up and pushed them on his face, giggling at the ticklish feeling.

Severus smirked, then walked back to the lab to finish taking inventory of what potions he had.

The rest of the day ran smoothly, though Harry wasn’t too impressed with an early bedtime.

“But I’m really fifteen,” Harry said. He fought back a yawn.

“Yes, but you’ve had a long and tiring day for your size,” Severus argued. “It’s bedtime.”

“I’ll never fall asleep this early.” Harry plopped down on the floor in the middle of the parlor where he had been enjoying a mug of hot cocoa near the fire. He crossed his arms and pouted.

“If you really were fifteen,” Severus began, “you wouldn’t act so much like the toddler you physically are. Remember, I have a potion to brew tomorrow and it’s quite time consuming. If you wish to be of any assistance tomorrow, you will get a good night sleep now or you won’t step one foot in the lab or outside your room tomorrow.”

“Fine,” Harry said, standing up and stomping toward his bedroom. “I’m going to bed.”

Severus sighed a relief that the toddler hadn’t decided to give in to childish instincts and throw a tantrum. That relief was short lived.

The next morning, the toddler woke up in a fowl mood, and Severus wasn’t entirely sure why. Harry also hadn’t let go of the plush snake he acquired yesterday, and the poor toy was stuffed under Harry’s arm, its neck squeezed against Harry’s chest as the child sat on the floor of the kitchen sniffling and rubbing his eyes.

“Potter, I’ve asked you twice now to get off the floor,” Severus growled under his breath as he scrambled eggs in the frying pan. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, today, but might I remind you that you are a fifteen year old boy, not an actually little brat of a toddler.”

“I know!” Harry whined loudly. “I’m not trying to be brat!”

“Stop your . . .” Severus took a deep breath and stopped himself from finishing that sentence. He turned the heat off as the eggs were finished, the final dish to his usual breakfast meal in the morning, and he turned his attention to Harry.

It all started with a cranky toddler that had fallen out of the bed that morning and cried as he clutched a hand over his slightly bruised cheek. Severus had applied a bruise balm and chalked up the reaction to Harry’s toddler instincts kicking in, but those instincts did not go away. Instead, Harry grew frustrated when he couldn’t get the button of his robe on by himself but refused help from Severus, then he couldn’t get himself in his seat, once again, refusing help from Severus.

“You do not have to prove your independence to me, Potter,” Severus said. “I am aware you are more than capable—when you are fifteen. A little help is necessary at your current age. Now, may I set you in your seat?”

Harry held his arms up and Severus lifted the toddler and put him in the raised chair. Harry cuddled the snake and rubbed his eyes once more, his glasses nearly falling off his face.

Severus was trying to remain as patient as possible with Harry as he knew many of his reactions and tantrums were not intentionally trying to drive him insane. A lot of it was simply Harry’s immature emotions flooding the small body and overwhelming him. He was even sure teenage Harry would look back at this moment and be greatly embarrassed.

Severus dished up two plates, one dish being more of a dessert plate for Harry, and he gave the toddler a scoop of each food before setting the plate down. Harry glanced down at his food, then made a face.

“What this?” Harry pointed at the greens on the plate.

Severus sat down at his seat with his dish of scrambled eggs, sauteed mushrooms and spinach, and chopped avocado, a breakfast he ate most mornings. He did not think much of Harry’s preferences when he fell into routine making it, but Harry had eaten similar vegetables in the chili yesterday, so honestly, Harry should have no problems with these foods.

“Your breakfast,” Severus answered. He dug into his own. “Eat it.”

“Yucky.” Harry pushed the plate away.

“It is not. Try it. You might like it.”

“No.”

“Quit this childish behavior you’ve adopted. You are fifteen years old inside that small body, and I expect you to act like it.”

Severus did not really expect Harry to act his true age, but he had hoped the threat might convince the child to at least try some of the food and eat a little. Instead, Harry pounded on the table with a fist and screeched out a loud, “No!”

“Do not raise your voice,” Severus scolded. He felt a rise in his temper, but he tried to bite it back as he instead tried a different tactic. “If you do not eat your breakfast now, you can put it in the fridge for later. By lunch time, if you still have not eaten it, that food becomes your lunch. If you do not eat it then, it becomes your dinner. Are you getting the picture, Potter?”

Harry pouted at him. Still, a spark of recognition and understanding glazed over Harry’s eyes and he picked up his fork and pulled the plate closer, stabbing at his eggs first and taking a bite. Feeling victorious, Severus nodded his approval at Harry and focused on his own food. When he finished, he sipped his tea while Harry picked away at his food, eating a fair amount of everything on his plate.

“All done,” Harry said.

Severus took the dishes to wash, leaving Harry in his seat while he did so. He did not miss the way Harry yawned and snuggled his snake. An idea struck him then, and he realized what the problem with Harry might be.

“Perhaps you are overtired. Children your age do have a tendency to nap now and then and you did not nap yesterday. While I don’t want you falling asleep now having just eaten a full meal, perhaps in an hour or so you can lie down again and sleep.”

“No nap!” Harry declared, his lower lip quivering.

“Oh yes, I think a nap is very much a priority today.”

“Down,” Harry demanded.

“I will get you down in a minute. Then, you may assist me in prepping the ingredients for your potion.”

He really didn’t need help with prepping ingredients, Severus simply wanted a reason to keep Harry close so he could watch him. A tired Potter could only mean trouble. Harry rubbed his eyes but didn’t object to the plan. After dishes were washed, Severus freed Harry from the seat and led him to the potions lab. He picked Harry up once more and settled him on the table next to where he would be prepping ingredients.

“I need you to powder some bicorn horns for me while I get everything else ready,” Severus said as he set a mortar and pestle down. He brought over two horns and set them next to Harry. “It’s simple enough. The horns are fragile when shed, which makes powdering them very easy.”

Severus picked up the pestle and struck one of the horns with the blunt end three times, breaking the horn into smaller pieces and sending horn dust flying. Severus picked up one piece and set it in the mortar and used the pestle to crush the horn.

“Crush the horn like so into as fine a dust as you can. Make sure there are no chunks left before you dump the powder into this container. When you fill this entire container, let me know. Can you handle that, Potter?”

“Yes, Professor,” Harry said, scooting closer to the mortar and pestle and taking over on crushing the powder.

Severus nodded in approval and worked on prepping the ingredients he actually needed for the potion. The bicorn horn was not necessary, though he did need a few powdered for his stock collection. Severus kept a close eye on Harry as he chopped, minced, and measured. Harry’s eyes would slowly flutter shut every few minutes but the stubborn child would jerk himself awake and refocus on powdering the horn pieces surrounding him on the table.

Severus snorted as Harry jerked himself awake once more before sticking his tongue out as he picked up another horn piece and carefully set it in the mortar before bringing the wrath of the pestle down on the horn. It was almost a cute picture.

It was hardy forty minutes when Harry was falling over on the table, leaning dangerously closer and closer to the table while still trying to powder the bicorn horn. However, Severus felt better putting Harry down for a nap now that his stomach had time to digest some of the food. Besides, it hardly took him thirty minutes to prep his ingredients, he had been stalling and moving slow intentionally. Pushing everything aside, Severus carefully removed the mortar and pestle from Harry’s grasp.  

“That’s enough, Potter,” Severus said as he gathered the toddler into his arms. “You were very helpful, but a nap is in order now.”

Harry wrapped his arms around Severus’s neck and rested his head in the crook of Severus’s neck, one hand loosely gripping the snake plush’s head. Warm breath tickled Severus’s neck, sending a shiver down his spine. Severus paused for a moment to consider readjusting Harry so that he was not so close to his neck, but he stopped himself. Harry’s breathing had evened out and his eyes were closed. How he was holding on to the toy was beyond Severus. And how he was supposed to move now without waking Harry was also beyond Severus, but he carefully took a couple steps toward the spare bedroom and the toddler did not stir.

Arriving in the bedroom, Severus slowly lowered Harry to the bed and tucked the child in. The toy finally fell from his grasp, but just off to the side of his bed. Severus picked up the snake plush with the intent of tucking it in next to Harry, but he caught himself and pulled back, toy still in his hand.

What on earth was happening to him? He was not becoming soft. Not him, the bat of the dungeons, the miserable, unfair potions master. Besides, this was POTTER.

He was just putting Potter’s toddler body down for a nap cause the child needed it. That was all. And just to prove it, Severus set the plush toy at the other end of the bed, in a corner near Harry’s feet. There. That way it wouldn’t fall off, though who cared if it fell off, right? He certainly didn’t. He was not becoming soft.

Severus quickly left the room.

Harry woke up in a more tolerable mood, and he assisted in making another lunch meal before playing outside once more, exploring the yard and checking out the pond to see the hibernating fish when Severus wasn’t looking. That evening, the potion was ready, and Harry was very eager to take it. After dinner, he bounced about in his room with excitement, jumping on the bed and hopping off to do something else to prep for bed, such as brush his teeth or actually change into sleepwear.

“Calm down, Mr. Potter,” Severus said. “You are screeching like a banshee and if you do not stop this instant, I will exorcise you like one.”

Harry thought that was the funniest thing as he fell over on his bed in a fit of giggles. His new night shirt was one of Severus’s plain, muggle shirts shrunk down a bit to Harry’s size, though the length was left alone, so it was like a long dress on Harry.

“I’m serious. Calm your immature excitability so you can take the potion.”

“I am calm,” Harry said as he sat up in the bed. He held his hands out for the vial of potion Severus was holding.

“Are you ready to go to sleep?” Severus asked. “This is not pleasant when you are wide awake.”

“I know. I’m ready.”

“First a pain reliever and a sleep aid.” Severus handed the vials in question and Harry quickly tossed Fangs down by his pillow and slurped down the tiny doses in a rush. Severus hesitated with the large dose of the Age Up potion. “Be careful and slow down.”

“I am being careful.” Harry held his hands out for the next potion.

Severus kept his hand on the vial as Harry accepted it, but Harry did not like the attempt at assistance.

“Stop, I can do it!” Harry insisted as he tried jerking the vial out of Severus’s hands. “Let go.”

“Stop that and let me help you. You do not want to get that anywhere else but—”

“I got it!” Harry exclaimed as he jerked the vial free, falling backwards on the bed from the exertion of doing so.  

And the vial spilled all over his face and exposed chest.

“Goddamn it, Potter!” Severus shouted as Harry screamed in agony as the potion fizzled and burned the pale flesh.

The End.
Slow Age by krosi

Severus picked up the screaming toddler off the bed and rushed him to the adjacent bathroom, where he turned on the shower head and sprayed down Harry’s chest and carefully splashing Harry’s face to try to remove as much of the potion residue as possible. Harry’s cries increased before the child suddenly blacked out, going limp in Severus’s arms.

Severus removed the contaminated shirt and summoned a towel to dry Harry off, being mindful of the superficial skin wounds on Harry’s face and chest. Unfortunately, the potion had managed to soak into Harry’s skin, and there was no telling what kind of consequences that would have for Harry. He would have to monitor Harry very closely over the next few days to make sure no further adverse reactions happened from this experience.

Summoning a burn salve and a fresh shirt, Severus shrunk the shirt and dressed Harry in it before applying a generous amount of the burn salve to Harry’s wounds, watching them fade away quickly.

“Potter,” Severus said softly, rubbing Harry’s sternum with a closed fist. “Wake up, Potter.”

Harry did not stir.

Severus picked up the child and carried him back to bed. There was nothing he could do now except give Harry time to recover from the traumatic experience. He felt Harry’s head, relieved to feel no warmth, then rested a couple fingers against his neck, feeling his strong pulse. Harry’s breathing was steady, and Severus felt better about not rushing him off to St. Mungo’s. He covered Harry with a blanket, and something fell at his feet.

It was the snake plush.

Severus picked up the toy, hesitated, then rested the snake plush in the crook of Harry’s arm before tucking the blanket around the small child. He dragged his desk chair over to the bed and transfigured it into a plush armchair. Sitting down, Severus sighed as he watched Harry’s chest rise and fall evenly. Stubborn, difficult, disobedient, impudent child, Severus couldn’t help but think even as he reached out to readjust the blanket once more before leaning back in his chair and dimming the lights in the room. He watched Harry for a few minutes before his own eyes betrayed him and he fell asleep.

A scream woke him an hour later and Severus was on his feet with his wand out.

“No, no, please!” Harry cried out, his eyes still shut. “Don’t lock me in my cupboard, I didn’t mean it!”

Harry turned back and forth in the bedsheets, sweat dripping down his forehead.

It took Severus a moment to realize there was no danger and that Harry was having a nightmare—no, a night terror by the looks of it. Severus put his wand away and leaned over the bed.

“Potter,” Severus said gently, but when Harry didn’t respond, he raised his voice. “Potter!”

“No, please, don’t,” Harry whimpered.

“Potter, wake up!” Severus grabbed Harry’s shoulder and pinned the boy back to the bed to stop his thrashing. “Wake up, you’re having a nightmare.”

“Don’t lock me in!” Harry cried out as his eyes shot open and darted around wildly, his breathing heavy.

Severus kept Harry pinned to the bed for a moment to make sure Harry was truly awake before he released him. He stared down at Harry for a moment, studying the lengthened hair on Harry’s forehead. There was a slight change in Harry’s nose as well as his ears, an obvious change even in the dark room. Severus frowned and stroked his chin in deep thought. While the potion was meant to be given orally only, the effects of the potion appeared to be working dermally as well, although very slowly. He wondered how long it would take for the effects to stop and at what point. Severus realized bright green eyes were staring up at him and he shook himself out of his analytical head and cleared his throat.

“Are you okay, Potter?”

Harry’s lower lip quivered as he shook his head.

“No? What is wrong then?” Severus swallowed before forcing the next words out of his mouth. “Did the nightmare scare you?”

Harry nodded and Severus resisted rolling his eyes, reminding himself that Harry was functioning on child instincts and emotions.

“Are you going to lock me in my cupboard?” Harry suddenly asked.

“Why on earth would I lock you in a—did you say your cupboard?”

Harry nodded his head, and Severus realized that Harry seemed fearful of him as the child held the blanket up close around his head and was squeezing the snake plush tightly against him. Severus frowned.

“Do you know where you are, Potter?”

Harry blinked a few times, then shook his head.

Severus leaned forward, pulling his wand out and flashing a bright light in Harry’s eyes, startling the child who pushed back in the pillow. Harry squinted at the light, but Severus noted that his eyes reacted normally. Severus then noted a warmth emitting off the child and he rested a hand on Harry’s head, feeling with his palm first then the back of his hand to be sure. Harry felt very warm, and his wand confirmed a fever of thirty-nine degrees Celsius.

“Am I sick?” Harry asked.

“In many ways, but I believe you are simply delirious right now. Most likely from your fever.”

“Am I going to die?”

“Unfortunately, no. You are, however, going to take this potion.” Severus summoned a small vial from his supply closet and held it out to Harry.

“Potion?” Harry frowned. “Like magic?”

“Yes.”

“Magic isn’t real. You’re trying to trick me. What is it really?”

“You are indeed delirious. Take the potion now, Potter. I don’t have time for games.”

“It’s not a game. Aunt Petunia says only freaks believe in magic.”

That statement whipped an old wound within Severus, and he slammed his hand forward into the headboard with a loud thud, startling Harry who let out a small shriek.

“Watch it, Potter. I don’t care how old your present mind is but you will not be an insolent brat in my house.”

Harry started crying softly, hiding his face in the snake plush.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be a freak! Don’t lock me in the cupboard.” Harry mumbled the last part in the most pleading manner.

Severus narrowed his eyes as he pulled back and stared down at the blubbering child, realizing he had misread what Harry had been trying to say. He felt a twinge of guilt in the pit of his stomach for upsetting the child, but he ignored it in favor of getting Harry back to sleep as quickly as possible, at least to silence him again so he didn’t have to confront awkward feelings.

“You are not a freak, Potter. I should not have snapped at you. This is . . . medicine that will help your fever.”

“Really?”

“Really. Enough tears, no need for you to choke on it. Take it quickly, then I have—err, some warm milk you can drink to wash it down.”

“You’re not tricking me to take the medicine, are you? I really get milk?”

“Yes, Potter. I will give you milk when you take the medicine.”

Harry brushed away the last of his tears and sat up in the bed, setting the snake down next to him. He reached a hand for the vial. Severus gave Harry the small dose and watched mildly impressed as Harry drank the whole thing down with nothing more than a slight grimace. True to his word, Severus summoned a glass of milk from his kitchen, then held it in his hand for a minute as he cast a steam charm on it, heating up the glass until the milk was slightly frothy. Severus traded the glass of milk for the vial, which Harry accepted with wide eyes.

Harry stared down at the glass of milk before slowly bringing up the milk to his lips and sipping it. As if he had never indulged in such a treat, Harry began to gulp the milk quickly. Severus made no comment as he watched Harry drink it down. Once he was finished with the milk, he yawned and handed the glass back to Severus.

“Thank you.”

Severus sent the glass flying back to the kitchen to be washed and set away.

“How did you. . .”

“No questions,” Severus said, holding up a hand to stop Harry from asking anything further. “It is time for you to fall back to sleep. You are sick and need to heal.”

“But—”

“No, Potter. Go back to sleep. You are clearly tired.”

“No, I’m not,” Harry said through a yawn.

“Indeed.”

“I just wanted to know . . . about . . .” Harry tried to fight back every yawn that escaped his lips.

“You’ll find out everything you need to know soon enough. Go to sleep.”

Finally, Harry rolled over and snuggled the snake plush, yawning one last time before falling into a deep sleep. Severus didn’t move as he contemplated everything that had transpired. He remembered Petunia from his childhood, and while he didn’t like her as a teenager, he had thought she of all people would have grown up and matured enough to treat Harry like the prince the boy acted like. Perhaps that was not the case after all. Freak. The word rang over and over in his head. And locking him in a cupboard? Had Petunia really stooped so low. He wouldn’t even inflict that kind of trauma on a child—deserving of it or not.

Severus barely got any sleep that night as his mind fought with images of himself locked in small tight places, and then Harry would wake him with his own terrors. This went on for the next few days. Harry remained in a delirious state as he fought with a fever that would rise and drop faster than the Whomping Willow lashing out at an intruder. Severus would spell food and water into Harry’s stomach and used an elimination charm to manage Harry’s toiletry needs while the child was too out of it. Twice Harry had wet the bed when Severus was too late with the elimination charm, but Severus managed to spell the sheets clean once more.

Every few hours, it seemed, Harry was awake in bed crying over something. Sometimes it was a nightmare, and Severus heard some awful things.

“I didn’t mean to steal food, I’m just really hungry!”

“I really tried finishing all the chores! Don’t lock me up, please!”

“I’m sorry I’m such a freak. I’m sorry!”

Every time, Severus would gently wake Harry from the nightmare, and the child would be just as confused about where he was and would stare up fearfully at Severus, who would then amaze the child with small uses of magic.

Yet, other times, Harry knew exactly where he was and he would cry out for other reasons, usually for pain relief from a super high fever or because he was actively vomiting. Harry was usually still quite out of it, but at least he was coherent.

“Snape!” Harry called out as he thrashed in his bed, kicking the blankets off. “Help!”

“I know, Potter,” Severus said wearily as he entered the bedroom. “Is it your head again? I have a fever reducer and a headache reliever for you.”

“My hand hurts, too.” Harry said, clenching his fists and squeezing his eyes shut. At this point, he had slowly grown to about the size of a five or six year old, and it had been a slow and painful process indeed.

“Your hand?” Severus asked. That was a new one.

“It really hurts.” Harry insisted.

Severus draped the cool cloth he had brought in over Harry’s forehead before picking up Harry’s hands and looking at them both. He huffed as he saw nothing obvious.

“Which hand, Potter? I cannot help you with phantom pains you might be feeling in your fevered state.”

“It hurts, it hurts,” Harry mumbled, clenching both hands again. “Make her stop, I don’t want to write anymore lines.”

Hmm, that’s an interesting request.

“Make who stop?”

“Umbridge. It’s cutting my hand. It hurts, it hurts.”

Harry thrashed in his bed once more before Severus carefully restrained Harry and poured the potions in Harry’s mouth. Almost routinely, Harry managed to be still long enough to swallow on his own. Harry seemed a little more comfortable, but he continued to whine as he settled back in the bed.

“I don’t want to write any more lines.”

“What lines is Umbridge having you write?”

“I . . . I must not tell lies.”

“Have you been telling lies, Potter?”

“No, I promise. It hurts. I don’t want to write with my blood anymore.”

“With your blood? What in Merlin’s name are you talking about, Potter?”

“It’s cutting me.” Harry slowly faded back into a turmoiled dreamworld. “Make it stop.”

Severus agitatedly rubbed his hands down his face. What the hell was Harry talking about now. What was Umbridge doing to Harry and perhaps even the other students. Something was cutting him while he was writing lines. What an absurd thought. Severus stared down at the sleeping child for a moment before reaching out his hand and feeling Harry’s head. It was still warm but much cooler than it had been moments ago. Severus picked up Harry’s right hand and rubbed a thumb over the smooth skin. While the deaging potion had made Harry younger, old scars never left, not even the lightening bolt scar that remained so prominent on Harry’s forehead. However, he did notice that scars were faded and hard to discern at the moment. But he knew just the recipe for faded scars.

Rushing to his lab, Severus pulled out a few basic ingredients: string of turtles, a red thumb, two goat’s beards, and a mother-in-law’s tongue. He had discovered this recipe on accident while messing around with enhancement healing potions. He had uncovered an enhancement potion that reveals old scars to their fullest, regardless of concealment charms, which Aurors quickly started buying for several cases. However, it would work nicely with Harry as well.

With a hot cup of milk thistle tea, he mixed the ingredients and let it simmer for twenty minutes before returning to Harry’s bedroom with the small cauldron held in large forceps. He allowed the cauldron to continue cooling while he pulled out Harry’s hands and ran his fingers over them gently, making sure he wasn’t missing anything obvious.

Finally, the potion was cool, and he applied a generous amount of the thickened salve to Harry’s hands, then allowed them to soak in the potion while he put the cauldron back in his lab.

When he came back, he saw a few scars on Harry’s hands, old ones most likely earned from Quidditch games. But the one that held his attention the longest was not only a scar but a damn full sentence.

Carved in Harry’s right hand were the words “I must not tell lies.”

What the bloody hell was Umbridge forcing Harry to do?

Severus stood stock still for several moments as anger seethed within him. He had never liked that pink, disgusting, self-egocentric toad from the Ministry, but this was far above a personal dislike of character. This was child abuse on a whole upper level than even himself was willing to commit. Sure, he probably scarred himself into many students’ nightmares which wasn’t great, but he had never caused physical harm to any of his students. And especially nothing permanent.

The potions effects faded away with the scars that disappeared into the background, waiting to reappear in full force when Harry was of the appropriate age he had earned the scars. Harry was still in a deep sleep, and like the last few days, would probably remain in a deep sleep for another hour.

Plenty of time.

Severus turned sharply and went back into his lab. He grabbed a vial from the far back wall in his supply closet and pocketed it. He headed to his living room, grabbed a handful of floo powder, then vanished in a flash of green flames as he floo’d from his safe house.

“No!” Harry cried, bolting up right in his bed. “Snape!”

Severus shot up from his own bed in the next room over and hurried to his lab for a fever reducer and a headache reliever, as he had done several times before.

“Snape!” Harry cried again in a very distressed voice.

“Relax, I heard you,” Severus said as he entered Harry’s room. “What is it, a headache?”

“No, no, Arthur—Arthur Weasley. He’s been hurt, the snake, Voldemort’s snake, it attacked him, he’s hurt and bleeding.”

Severus winced at the name, almost glancing over his shoulder as if the Dark Lord would be behind him but he caught himself at the last minute, reminding himself that his home was untraceable and had been for years.

“Enough, Potter,” Severus said, stepping closer and pushing gently on Harry’s chest to encourage him to lie back down. “It was most likely a nightmare.”

“No, it wasn’t a nightmare. It wasn’t, I know it wasn’t.” Harry pushed against Severus then gripped Severus’s wrist desperately. “You have to believe me. I saw it, I saw everything, through—through the snake’s eyes. He’s really hurt, we have to tell someone.”

“We are doing nothing,” Severus said firmly.

“No, you have to believe me,” Harry pleaded.

“I will alert the headmaster of . . . what has occurred, but you will remain here and rest. You are still affected by the potion in your system, and you need to take it easy.”

“I need to be there,” Harry insisted.

“No, Potter. You are in a very vulnerable state and you are still very ill. You will stay put while I go speak to the headmaster of what you have witnessed. Do not get out of this bed for any reason and do not even think of leaving the Escape Cottage of so help me, you will regret it. Is that clear?”

Harry reluctantly laid back down and nodded his head miserably. Severus made sure he wasn’t planning on moving before he stepped out of the room and quickly headed for his fireplace, using the floo to travel back to Hogwarts.

He had an exhausting conversation with Albus, but it turned out Harry had been right. He returned to the cottage two hours later, half expecting the place to be burned down or Harry to be missing in action. He was pleased to find his home intact and Harry asleep in the bed. Severus stepped into the room and rested a hand on Harry’s head. He sighed in relief. Finally, the fever was broken.

Harry stirred under his touch and his eyes blinked open. Then they widened and he sat up abruptly.

“Is he okay? He isn’t dead, is he? I should have been there.”

“Enough, or I will tell you nothing.”

Harry stopped talking and waited for Severus to explain.

“Mr. Weasley is alive though in critical condition at St. Mungo’s. The Dark Lord’s snake did attack him tonight. The snake’s fangs have an unusual kind of venom that keeps wounds open, so Mr. Weasley is taking blood replenishing potions until he recovers on his own or an appropriate antidote is found.”

“What about his family?”

“They are with him currently, giving him their full support. They are all safe.”

Harry visibly relaxed before he gave Severus a concerned look.

“What did I see?”

“About that,” Severus said, sitting down in the armchair he had left up so he could closely monitor Harry during really bad spells, “the headmaster and I talked about this vision you had. It appears that you have a connection to the Dark Lord, one that allows you to see what he is up to, and . . . could allow him to see what you’re up to.”

Harry’s eyes widened. Severus continued slowly so he didn’t frighten Harry.

“It is unclear what the extent of this connection between you and the Dark Lord is, but it seems that he is unaware of it and we need to keep it that way. But it is highly likely he will discover the connection you both possess, so the headmaster and I both agreed that you need to be taught Occlumency.”

“What’s that?” Harry asked.

“It is the ability to close one’s mind against a Legilimency, which is the act of navigating through the many layers of a person’s mind and potentially extracting information if you know how to interpret what you find.”

“So . . . it’s like mind reading?”

Severus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“The mind is not a book,” Severus explained, “to be opened at will and examined at leisure. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls to be pursued by any invader. The mind is a complex and many layered thing, Potter. Or at least . . . never mind. The point is that the Dark Lord is a master Legilimens and an expert at invading and interpreting thoughts and emotions correctly.”

“So he could read my mind and use that information against me,” Harry theorized.

“It’s not mind reading,” Severus snapped then growled under his breath. “But yes, Potter. He could. That is why you will be taught Occlumency.”

“By who?”

“Me. And you will start your lessons when you are back to your correct age.”

“But what if he . . .”

“If you experience any more visions, and you report them to me. However, Occlumency is taxing mind magic and something young bodies should not be attempting. For now, you will rest. It appears the potions effects have finally ceased.”

Harry looked down at himself.

“How old am I now?”

Severus flicked his wand at Harry.

“You are seven years old now. While the potion is not meant to be applied to the skin, its magic still worked, albeit very slowly. And because of that, you will now take it easy for a couple of days to make sure there are no adverse reactions, and that the potion has in fact worked itself out of your system.”

“How long have I been in bed?”

“Five days. And you will stay in bed until I say otherwise.”

“I’ve been in bed that long? What about aging up? I have to start learning the Occlumency and . . .”

“No, Potter.” Severus stood up and once again gently pushed Harry back down in the bed. “Rest. You will take the age up potion when I feel you are ready again. As I’ve said before, you are not to leave this bed for any reason.”

Harry crossed his arms and pouted but laid down in the bed.

As Severus began to walk out of the room he heard a softly muttered, “Joke’s on you, I already left the bed when you were gone.”

Severus turned sharply and glared at Harry, who blanched before saying, “Just to use the loo.”

Severus pinned Harry with a glare for a few seconds longer before stepping out of the room.

“Stupid dungeon bat ears,” Harry muttered again.

Severus smirked in the hallway. I can let that one go, he thought.

For the next few days, Harry remained confined to his bedroom, though he was allowed to get up and stretch his legs now and then. The first and last time he had dared to wander farther than his bedroom door, Severus had chased him back in his room with the threat to use the stirring rod to swat his insolent rear end.

Finally, Severus allowed Harry free range of the house on day four, the day before Christmas Eve.

“Can we go to Hogwarts for Christmas Eve?” Harry asked during a lunch meal.

“No.”

“Why?”

“Do you really want to parade around Hogwarts as a seven-year-old?”

“Well, I guess not. But it’ll be my first Christmas not in Hogwarts since I started school.”

“What a pity you’ll have to break the trend.”

Harry huffed and picked through his food.

“At least I won’t have to see Um-err, Professor Umbridge until after the holidays.”

Severus glanced up from his Daily Prophet over to Harry’s somewhat relieved look.

“Professor Umbridge,” Severus began, “came down with a sudden and severe case of Spattergroit. Unfortunately, she will be out of school on sick leave for several months.”

“Are you serious?” Harry asked.

“I wouldn’t tell you if I was not, Potter.”

Harry was quiet for a few seconds before he eyed Severus suspiciously.

“Did you have something to do with that?”

“Of course not, Potter, don’t be ridiculous. Why would you make such a scandalous accusation?”

“Sorry,” Harry muttered, then whispered, “Would have been pretty cool if you did, though.”

Severus smirked but did not say anything.

“So, who’s taking her place?”

“That will be decided by the headmaster, as it should have been a decision made by the headmaster all along.”

“That’s good,” Harry said, unconsciously rubbing his hand.

Severus observed the action, then changed the topic.

“I understand it can be hard being cooped up in the house for so long. You must be dying for some fresh air. Why don’t you go explore the backyard while I clean up?”

“Really?” Harry frowned at Severus.

“Absolutely. There is also a shed just to the side of the cottage that may or may not contain a broom. If you happen to find one, be sure to put it back.”

Harry shot out of his seat and ran for the backyard.

“Make sure you grab a cloak or something warm,” Severus called out.

Severus cleaned up the kitchen, keeping an eye on Harry from his window. He had watched Harry struggle with an oversized green cloak that fit like a long robe on the child before he discovered the broom in the shed. Before the child could even jump on it, Severus muttered a spell that would keep the broom under twenty miles per hour and would allow it to go no higher than ten feet in the air. Harry was still just a small seven-year-old who could fall off and suffer serious damage. He could tell that Harry had discovered the restrictions when he tried to push against the spell, only to be dropped down to the ground.

Severus checked on Harry every so often while the child played outside, alternating between the broom and checking out the pond. After two hours and Harry was still playing outside, Severus decided to head out to the yard and see what Harry found so fascinating about his half-frozen pond.

Harry was sitting in the grass by the pond, the broom on the ground next to him.

“What are you up to, Potter?”

Harry looked up at Severus, then pointed at the pond where motionless fish lingered at the bottom.

“Just talking to the fish. Nukes is upset that he hasn’t eaten in days, but Lilypad thinks he’s just a bottomless pit that can never be satisfied. Oh, and the big red and white one is Comet, he’s just happy to nap. He’s my favorite.”

While Severus first wanted to ask if Harry had lost his damn mind, he decided to ask, “Are you planning on naming the house next, too? You’ve named everything else.”

“The house already has a name,” Harry pointed out.

Severus snorted.

“So it does.”

“Was that a laugh, Professor?” Harry asked with a grin.

“Don’t get used to it,” Severus said. He motioned for Harry to get up. “If you are quite done making a mess of your trousers, it is time to come inside for a bath. Make sure you put the broom back where it belongs.”

Harry jumped to his feet.

“The next time I age, can you take the restrictions off of it?”

“We’ll see.”

Harry accepted the answer and ran to the shed to put the broom back.

After a bath, some quiet time which Harry spent reading a book in the living room while Severus read research articles, the two made a quick dinner together before Severus wanted Harry to go to bed.

“But it’s too early.”

“You’ve had a tiring day, Potter. I allowed you to do far more than I had originally intended.”

“Can’t we play a game of chess first?” Harry asked. I found your old chess set.”

“It was never missing. I am not arguing with you. I told you to go to bed. Do not end this day on a sour note.”

Harry ignored Severus in favor of pulling out the muggle chess box from the shelves in the living area. He set it down on the low coffee table and began setting it up.

“Potter,” Severus growled. “You are deliberately disobeying me.”

“One game, please,” Harry begged as he continued to set up the game. “I promise to go right to bed right after.”

“Bargaining will get you nothing but an earlier bedtime.”

“I thought Slytherins loved to bargain.”

“Biased, are we?”

“Just one quick game.”

“Oh, I’ll make it quick all right.”

Severus stepped over to where Harry had finished setting up the game and was attempting to hide a yawn. Severus squatted in front of the table, eyeing Harry’s poor attempt to hide another yawn trying to break past his lips.

“You’re sure you don’t want to go to bed now?”

“I’m sure.”

Severus glanced down at the board, then back up at Harry, meeting Harry’s stubborn eyes.

“White first. Make your move then.”

Harry blinked as he realized he had set himself up as white, so he moved one of his pawns one space to f3. Severus studied the board briefly before moving a pawn himself to ef.

“Professor, what do you plan on doing for Christmas?”

“Same thing I do every year. Nothing.”

“Oh. Do you think I’ll get anything from my friends?”

“Perhaps. Our assigned elf can bring your gifts here. I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to do so.”

“Do you think I can ask her to deliver my gifts to my friends too? They’re all back at Hogwarts but I can tell her what’s for who.”

“Of course, now quit stalling. Make your next move, Potter.”

Harry looked at the board, rubbed his eyes, then shot a look at Severus.

“Wait, what about Hedwig? Is someone taking care of her?”

“Your friends have most likely taken on the duty of caring for your owl, Potter. And if not, I’m sure she is taking care of herself just fine. Now enough stalling or I end this game now and you’ll go straight to bed whether you like it or not.”

“Fine.” Harry grabbed another pawn and moved it two spaces to g4.

Severus studied the board, glanced at Harry, then glanced back at the board once more.

He picked up his queen and moved it to h4, where it was directly diagonal to Harry’s unprotected king.

“That would be checkmate, Potter.”

“What?” Harry studied the board. “But how? We just started.”

“Also known as fool’s mate.” Severus stood back up and motioned for Harry to do the same. “Come. You promised to go straight to bed after one game.”

“But . . .”

“No, Potter. Perhaps if you weren’t so tired, that game would have lasted longer, but as it stands, it is your own fault it ended so soon. And a promise is a promise. Let’s go.”

“Fine.” Harry pouted as he stood up and followed Severus to his temporary bedroom. “I can’t believe I lost in two moves.” Harry yawned, then said, “And I’m not tired.”

Severus watched Harry crawl up in his bed and plop down on the pillow miserably, but his eyes blinked blearily in attempts to stay open. Severus rolled his eyes and stepped into the bedroom. He grabbed the blanket and covered Harry up.

“Stop fighting it and sleep. You are most certainly tired.”

Harry yawned again and turned his head to look at Severus.

“When can I age up again?

“After Christmas. Your body still needs a little more time to recover from the traumatic experience of absorbing an aging potion through your skin and going through a very slow aging process.”

“I feel better though. A lot better.”

“I know. But a couple more days, then you can age up again. It will most likely only be another couple of years but as long as there are no unexpected surprises, you will be back to normal within the week.”

Harry smiled, then closed his eyes, his arm unconsciously curling around the snake plush, Fangs.

Severus turned out Harry’s light and closed the door slightly. He looked out at the chess set still on the table, and he couldn’t help the smirk. Harry was rather tolerable at this age, despite the whining and begging he liked to do. All the night terrors had ceased with the break of the fever, but they still weighed heavily on Severus’s mind. Harry didn’t appear to remember anything that happened during his fever and slow aging, and perhaps that was for the better. Severus walked out to the living room to put the chess set away, looking down at the fool’s mate that had occurred. Severus used his wand to pack the game away and set it back on the shelf where it had been.

He was no fool to think that the rest of the week would go without a hitch. This was Harry Potter after all. And as thus far has proven, he was capable of disaster even in the simplest of things.

The End.
Follow Through by krosi
Author's Notes:
Just two chapters left, hoping to have them up in the next couple of weeks.

“Can’t we go to Hogwarts for a couple minutes?” Harry asked. “I just want to see the decorations and say hi to—”

               “No, Potter, and for the last time, stop asking,” Severus snapped before he returned to reading his journal.

               “This is the worst Christmas Eve ever,” Harry muttered as he collapsed on the sofa, hiding his face in one of the sofa pillows.

               “And it will get considerably worst if you do not stop whining and complaining,” Severus threatened. “You have plenty here to do to occupy your time.”

               Harry sighed loudly, a noise that aggravated on Severus’s nerves, but he bit his inner cheek and ignored Harry in favor of turning a page of his journal to begin analyzing the next portion of the decade long research on the effects of sneezeweed petals neutralizing poisons and venoms in as quickly as seconds when boiled with bezoars for thirty minutes. It was a fascinating study, and attempting to read it with a bored child was proving very distracting.

               “I want a Christmas tree,” Harry said.

               “Not in this house,” Severus said.

               “Why not?”

               “I do not need needles all over the place nor do I want some filthy tree in my living room. Besides, what on earth do you want a tree for?”

               “Because it’s Christmas. Even Aunt Petunia would put up a tree. It was a fake one, usually, with lights already on it, but she still put one up. And Hogwarts had a hundred trees. We should have a tree, too.”      

               “Poor reasoning for the presence of a tree,” Severus couldn’t help but say. “I am not taking you anywhere to go tree shopping, so I suggest you get that ridiculous notion out of your head.”

               Harry crossed his arms and pouted, glaring at Severus for a minute before grumbling under his breath. He shot off the sofa and stomped out of the room.

               “Fine,” he said, slipping his boots on before grabbing his winter cloak and throwing it on. “I’ll get one myself.”

               Severus watched Harry walk out the door into the chilly air, shutting the door firmly enough without slamming it. Severus rolled his eyes and returned to his journal, trying to reengage with the study that he had found so fascinating, but now, his brain was preoccupied with what Harry could possibly be up to. Ten uneasy minutes passed, and with a heavy sigh, Severus set the journal down and stood up, summoning a cloak himself and walking to the mudroom, slipping his own boots on, and stepping outside.

               He stepped down the deck, glancing over to the pond Harry liked to frequent, but he did not see Harry there, so he scanned the rest of the yard. In the far back near the start of the wooded area surrounding the property, just on the edges of the wards, Harry was attempting to swing an axe at a young larch tree standing nearly six and a half feet tall. Severus narrowed his eyes and hastened his steps over to Harry.

               “I did not say you could take any of my tools out of the shed,” Severus scolded.

               “This is going to be the best Christmas tree ever,” Harry said with conviction as he tried to swing the axe again, nearly dropping it on his own toes, but managing to cut a root on the ground instead.

               “You are going to get yourself killed. Give that to me.” Severus reached to take the axe away from Harry, but the child pulled it away, backing up more and nearly colliding with the wards around the boundary.

               “No,” Harry said. “Not unless you cut the tree down.”

               “For what, firewood?”

               “No, to be my Christmas tree.”

               “You realize how childish that sounds.”

               “I don’t care.”

               Severus growled under his breath, then moved forward and grabbed Harry’s arm, pulling the child away from the wards so he didn’t accidentally breach them. Then, he positioned himself behind Harry and grabbed Harry’s wrists, correcting Harry on how he was holding the axe, moving Harry’s hands down the handle to a more appropriate position. He used a foot to gently kick Harry’s feet further apart, widening his stance.  

               “Bend your knees slightly,” Severus instructed, then rolled his eyes as he said, “Not that much, you’re not skiing.”    

               Harry relaxed slightly and looked up at Severus, who nodded, then guided Harry’s swing slowly, speaking as he did so.

               “Don’t focus on the axe as much as on where you want to strike the tree,” Severus said, leading Harry into a more forceful swing that left a decent notch, rocking the small tree slightly. “This is a small tree with a thin trunk, so you shouldn’t need to bother with where it will fall too much. A couple more swings, and it’ll be down.”

               After moving through the motions of swinging the axe with Harry, Severus stepped back and allowed Harry to attempt a swing on his own. Harry attempted to strike where it was already notched, but his aim was off, and he struck a lower portion of the tree. However, he quickly tried again, taking a minute to eye where he needed to strike, then hit another lower section of the tree, still inches away from where the notch was, and obviously not hitting in the same place twice. Harry looked back at Severus.

               “I hardly expected you to chop it down correctly the first time,” Severus said. “Something like this takes practice. Besides, that axe weighs as much as you do.”

               Severus took the axe from Harry and swung it twice, which was enough to fell the small tree that had already taken a beating. Severus summoned his saw from the shed and sawed another inch off the base, forming a smooth bit clean bottom to sit in a tree stand. He sent both tools flying back to his shed.

               “Thank you for showing me how to use the axe. How did you learn to cut trees?” Harry asked.

               “Years of living on my own in these woods, I suppose,” Severus answered. “I take it you’ll want help getting it inside?”

               “Yes, please,” Harry said.

               Severus used a levitating charm to bring the tree to the house, and it followed behind the two as they walked back to the cottage.

               “Why can’t you just use magic to cut it down?” Harry asked.

               “I could,” Severus answered. “But magic uses up energy that is best saved for other tasks. It does not ask much to chop kindle for the fireplace or cut down a tree for a child’s juvenile wish.”

               “Hey, it’s not!” Harry argued. “Just because you’re a scrooge doesn’t mean I have to skip out on Christmas.”

               “Calling me names after all I’ve done to help you?” Severus quirked a brow at Harry, hiding a smirk. “I should drop this tree and watch you struggle to bring it up the deck and into the house. Where do you plan on putting it anyway?”

               Harry led the way into the house, kicking off his boots at Severus’s command, then pointed at a spot near the bookshelf, a small corner in the house across from the fireplace. Severus summoned a large cauldron and filled it with water with a spell from his wand before carefully lowering the tree into the cauldron, adjusting the tree and cauldron so it fit in the corner, its branches stretching into the living room space. He used stabilizing charms to keep the tree upright before shoving his wand back in its holster on his arm and looking down at Harry.

               Harry was beaming at the tree and Severus had to resist smiling himself.

               “I do not have decorations for this,” Severus said.

               Harry swung his head up, a disappointed look on his face.

               “Not any?”

               “No.”

               Harry frowned as he looked back at the tree, then said, “I’ll make my own.”

               With that proclamation, Harry walked back to the mudroom, slipping his boots on and walking back outside. While Severus was curious again, he forced himself to pick up his journal and read up on the study, trying to find the same fascination for it he had had earlier that morning, but after twenty minutes, he heard Harry return, and he quickly barked out, “Boots off.”

               He heard Harry kick them off, then headed for the kitchen.

               Afraid of the disaster that might ensue, Severus jumped to his feet and headed to the kitchen in time to see Harry pull down a bag of flour. He leaned against the frame as he watched Harry jump off the stepstool and run back to the dining table, where he dumped some flour in a bowl. Then, Harry poured a cup of water into the bowl of flour and mixed it with his fingers before he started slabbing globs of the mixture along the pinecones rolling all over the kitchen table, giving them a snowy look. After several pinecones were decorated, Harry glanced over at Severus and lifted a pinecone up toward the man, as if waiting for his approval.

               Severus quirked a brow at Harry, then stepped into the kitchen and pulled down the salt, unscrewing the cap and dumping the contents on a plate. He set the plate down next to Harry before he picked up one of the sticky pinecones and rolled it in the salt. After a couple rolls, he set it down in front of Harry, whose confused look turned into one of excitement as he saw how the pinecone shimmered now, and he took over rolling the pinecones in the salt while Severus spelled small string loops in each pinecone.

               Harry hung all the pinecones on the tree in a random pattern, taking care to make sure they were spread out evenly over the tree.

               Then, Harry was searching through the kitchen again, and then he heard the old microwave humming as well as the sound of popcorn popping, and the smell of it filled the house. Severus smiled in his seat as he realized what Harry was up to next.

               And Harry returned to the kitchen with three bags of popcorn and fishing line he must have found in the shed. He had also found a needle, most likely in the junk drawer in the kitchen, and he picked up a popcorn and tried to push the needle through it, only for the popcorn to crumble. Severus watched as Harry determinedly tried to thread the popcorn, his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth as he carefully managed to get the needle through the popcorn, but the motion of the fishing line was too much for the popcorn, and it crumbled away.

               Severus stood from his chair and walked over to Harry, who watched him expectantly as if hoping for instructions. Instead, Severus waved his hand over the popcorn, casting an aging spell over the kernels, and the popcorn aged and staled before their eyes. Severus retreated to his chair, not showing the slightest interest in what Harry was doing as he returned to his book, but he was secretly glad that Harry was finding it easier to string the popcorn.

               It took Harry the rest of the morning and after lunch, which Severus had to drag Harry to the dining table for, for Harry to finish stringing all the popcorn he had. Once he was done, Harry wrapped it along the tree like garland, and he smiled at his work.

               After a few minutes of staring at the tree, Harry seemed to have come up with another idea as he ran toward Severus’s potions lab this time.

               “Potter, do not play with my supplies,” Severus said, standing up from the dining table where he had been grading essays.

               “Just a couple things, sir,” Harry said, running out with a couple hippogriff feathers, and he stuck them into the tree.

               Then, he ran back into the lab, then back out with a couple dragon claws that he tied with the fishing line and hung on the tree.

               He ran back in for a few different flowers that he allowed to rest along the branches.

               And back in for a jobberknoll feather that he tied to a higher branch, using the step stool to reach, and then a peacock feather, which he tied to a lower branch.

               And then he carefully grabbed a few flitterby moths preserved in a glass containment, and he carefully positioned them on the branches.

               Finally, he grabbed a handful of unicorn horn dust, which was much like glitter, so he blew his handful at the tree, covering it in a lovely sparkle.

               Severus kept his temper in check as he watched his potion ingredients adorn a Christmas tree. Harry had been careful with everything, so he had not been concerned about losing any of his items. And then Harry had blown unicorn horn duct over everything, and while it may not have seemed like a large deal, it certainly limited how he could use the ingredients on the tree now. He bit his inner cheek to keep from yelling at the brat as he had allowed everything else thus far, so really, it was his own fault. He stepped closer to the tree Harry was admiring, feeling slightly impressed with Harry’s hard work.

               “Not bad,” Severus said.

               “You really think so?” Harry asked, smiling at Severus. He looked up at the tree. “Too bad we don’t have a star to put on top.”

               “You mean like this?” Severus waved his hand and a star tree topper appeared in his hand.

               It was a silver, five-point, glittery star, and Harry gaped at him then frowned.

               “I thought you didn’t have any Christmas decorations.”

               “I do not. Except this. It was a gift from a close friend of mine.”

               Closer than you will ever know, Severus thought in his head as he recalled the redheaded teenager who had given the star topper to him during their third year at Hogwarts. Harry carefully took the topper from Severus and stepped up on the stool, and he pushed the star down on the crown of the tree, and when he was sure it would stay, he climbed down and pulled the stepstool away. Harry stood next to Severus to stare at the tree.

               “This is the best Christmas tree ever,” Harry said.

               “From the eyes of a potions master,” Severus said, “I agree. I never though a tree covered in potions ingredients would look so . . .”

               Severus could not think of the right word as he tilted his head at the tree, lost in long ago Christmases at Hogwarts with friends he once knew. Harry didn’t need any words though, and he nodded his head in agreement with his professor.

               “How did you know all those nice touches to some of the decorations I made?” Harry asked Severus.

               “I learned most of them from my mother. We would often make our own Christmas decorations. I’d say she would like this tree very much. Where did you learn to make the decorations?”

               Harry shrugged.

               “I guess I just saw other Christmas trees with decorations like that and figured it shouldn’t be hard to figure out how to do myself.”

               “You never decorated with your relatives.”

               “Oh no, I wasn’t allowed to breathe near the Christmas tree, forget helping to decorate. That was a family only thing.”

               “Last I knew, you were apart of their family.”

               “Immediate family. Excluding freaky nephews.”

               “Your relatives were the freaks.” Severus frowned at Harry. “No child should have been excluded from traditions like that.”  

               “It’s okay. Christmas at Hogwarts made up for years of Christmases at my relatives.” Harry looked back at the tree. “This is turning into a nice one, too.”

               Severus snorted at that as he glanced back at the tree.  

               “I wish it would snow,” Harry said, glancing out a window. “That would make this perfect.”

               “Snow does not usually stick around here,” Severus said. “But miracles have been known to happen.”

               Severus felt a strange feeling in his chest as he watched Harry throughout the afternoon as the child alternated between playing outside on the broom, checking out the pond, and staring up at the tree in awe once more. He recalled many Christmases where he felt the same admiration for the holiday, but as he entered his teen years, it had become so meaningless. What was the point of the holiday anyway? A reason to waste money on frivolous gifts and eat an absurd amount of food? And for what? He never had anyone to spend it with anyway.

               And that was just it, wasn’t it? Severus questioned in his head as Harry set up another chess game that evening, setting himself up with the black pieces this time. Severus sat across from him at the dining table, a place he deemed a better fit for a proper, long game of chess. Severus studied Harry as the child carefully set up each piece, the tip of his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth as he concentrated.

               “Professor, you first,” Harry said when he was all set.

               Severus quirked a brow at Harry, then a pawn.

               For some reason, he did not find Harry’s presence as annoying and inconvenient as he had previously.

               After beating Harry twice in two short chess games (that were at least more than two moves a piece), Severus sent Harry to bed, and when he felt ready to retire himself, he paused outside Harry’s bedroom, noticing that Harry was still tossing and turning under the blankets.

               “Settle down,” Severus said as he entered the bedroom, pausing next to Harry’s bed, casting a dim lumos on his wand to brighten the room some.

               “I’m trying,” Harry said. “But I can feel . . . him.”

               Severus inclined his head the slightest, knowing exactly who “him” was.

               “Explain,” Severus said.

               “Every time I close my eyes, I feel like he’s here,” Harry continued, fiddling with a loose thread on the blanket. “And I feel like I’m wherever he is. It’s weird I know, but I keep getting flashes of places I’ve never been before, people I’ve never seen before. It’s . . . kind of scary. Do you think he’s figuring out the connection?”

               “I do not know, but we need to keep him as unaware of it as possible, and that means you need to close off the connection yourself.”

               “But I don’t know how. And you said I had to age up again before I could learn Occlumency.”

               “Yes, but that does not mean you cannot learn to close your mind. The first step to that is simply clearing your mind.”

               “So . . . think of nothing?”

               Severus sighed, realizing the idea of clearing one’s mind could be harder to grasp for some people than for others. He reached into his robe pocket and pulled out an old, silver pocket watch. He held it out above Harry, pulled the watch back and let it swing above Harry’s head, allowing it to create a small arc back and forth.

               “Follow the watch with your eyes, Harry,” Severus said.

               Harry began to do so, then frowned and looked up at Severus.

               “I’ve seen this muggle trick before,” he said.

               “Just . . .” Severus closed his eyes in exasperation. “Follow the watch.”

               Harry hesitated, then returned to watching the watch once more, leaning back in his pillow and staring up at it, his eyes moving with it. Severus waited a moment as he made sure Harry was following his instruction.

               “That’s it,” Severus said in a low tone. “Just follow the watch with your eyes and listen to the sound of my voice. Breathe in slowly. Hold. Now breathe out. Breathe in. Hold. And out. Keep breathing. And follow the watch.”

               Harry visibly relaxed as he kept taking slow breaths, his eyes never leaving the steady rhythm of the watch circling above him.

               “Keep breathing,” Severus continued, “and follow the watch. There is nothing else right now but the watch. Any thoughts you have now, let them go. Any visions you see, let them go, and focus on nothing but the watch. Your eyes are getting tired.”

               Harry nodded in agreement, though he did not stop watching the watch sway.

               “Have you let go of all your thoughts?” Severus asked.

               Harry nodded again.

               “Your mind is clear. This is how your mind should be when we start Occlumency lessons. Relaxed, but clear of all thoughts. Focused, and following nothing but the watch. Your eyes grow heavy, wishing to take you away into a deeper relaxed state. Let go of your eyes. Let them close and transport you away into pleasant dreams. Go on, now, close your eyes. Sleep now, Harry. Sleep.”

               And like that, Harry nodded off, instantly asleep.

               Severus yanked the watch up into his hand and smirked at Harry. Muggle trick or not, it always worked like a sleeping charm would. Severus stared down at the sleeping child for a moment, wondering how the wizarding world came to rely on such a small savior, who seemed too vulnerable and innocent to be defeating any Dark Lord. Severus let out a sigh before retreating to his own bedroom.

               The next morning, Severus listened outside Harry’s bedroom door as the child opened the small gifts from his friends that the elf, Frilly, had delivered. Severus had received small gifts from the other professors at Hogwarts and Albus felt it necessary that he was given a box of muggle candy, but otherwise, all the same as every year. He wondered what trivial items Harry received had him full of laughter and joy, but he could not bring himself to interrupt Harry’s gift opening, nor would he ask.

               When it sounded like Harry had settled down some, Severus knocked on the door firmly.

               “Potter, time for breakfast.”

               After a few minutes, Harry left the bedroom dressed in a pair of Severus’s muggle clothes that had been shrunk to fit him. He joined Severus at the table for a simple breakfast of eggs, mushrooms, spinach, and avocado, but despite having eaten the same breakfast several times the last couple days, Harry dug in as if it were the best thing on earth, while Severus slowly ate his as he read the Daily Prophet. When Harry was finished, he glanced over at Severus.

               “Err, Happy Christmas, sir,” Harry said.

               “It is indeed,” Severus said. “You might want to look outside.”

               Harry frowned at that but got out of his seat and walked over to the back door. His eyes widened and he shoved his boots on and his cloak and ran out the mudroom door, not caring that he was still in his pajamas, though Severus sure did.  

               “You imbecilic child,” Severus growled as he stood and followed after Harry. “This is no reason to try and catch your death.”

               He paused when he saw Harry lying on the thinly snow-covered ground creating a snow angel, a big grin on the child’s face. He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, fighting against a smile. He was sure the snow would melt by the afternoon, but the landscape the snow had created around the cottage left a sparkling wonderland.

 

               The next day, Severus got right to work on Harry’s potion while he had Harry perform some required reading material for school. While he still didn’t trust Harry’s penmanship quite yet, there was no reason Harry could not read up on his homework assignments and be more prepared to write his essays when he was older after his next dose. Harry didn’t seem thrilled with the new task but diligently did as he was told, sitting in the armchair next to the Christmas tree.

               The Age Up Potion did not take long to put together once again, seeing as this was Severus’s third time brewing it for Harry. Once it was ready to simmer for the next several hours, Severus stepped out of his small lab to start a salad for lunch. As he threw fresh greens together, he felt an overwhelming urge to check on Harry, so he set a stasis charm on the vegetables and headed for his living room.

               As he stepped past the open door to his lab, he nearly did a doubletake as he backed up and froze in the doorway.

               Harry was reaching as high as he could to put a hand over the boiling cauldron.

               Then, he let go of a small green bay leaf.

               “No!” Severus shouted, jutting out a hand to wandlessly cast a quick protection shield over Harry from where he stood in the doorway just as the cauldron fizzed angrily and spluttered thick black smoke into the air.

               Instead of an explosion, the potion seemed to eat itself alive, boiling down to no a thin paste that coated the inside of the cauldron. The black smoke aired out through the door way, revealing Harry enclosed in the shield Severus had cast, safe from all harm the potion could have caused.

               Relief turned to anger, and Severus stormed into his lab, canceled the protection shield, grabbed Harry’s upper arm, and swatted him five times, earning yelps from the small child.

               “What in Merlin’s name were you thinking?” Severus yelled. “How dare you come in here and ruin my work to turn you back to normal again! Do you have any idea how much worse this mess could have been? The danger you put yourself in? Do you want to stay a little brat of a child forever?”

               “Maybe I do!” Harry managed to yell back through his tears, weakly pulling against Severus’s grip on his arm. “Maybe I don’t want to go back to Hogwarts.”

               “What are you talking about? Why would you not want to go back to Hogwarts?”

               “So I can go back to being a liar? A murderer? Someone You-Know-Who wants to kill? Seeing all those visions—I can’t do it! I can’t face everyone’s disappointment again and their accusations that the Dark lord didn’t come back and how I killed Cedric.”

               Harry leaned onto the table, hiding his face in his free arm and sobbing, most likely due to a mixture of the sting in his back side and the emotional release of his traumas. Severus relaxed his hold on Harry’s arm and sighed sadly. So this is what Harry was hiding behind all those cheeky remarks and rebellious nature.

               “No one thinks you killed Mr. Diggory,” Severus said softly. “I believe that is a guilt you carry alone. And you did nothing wrong that night, Potter. You were set up. And you did not cast the killing curse on Mr. Diggory that ended his life. You hold no blame to that.”

               “Still . . .” Harry muttered but said nothing more.

               “Still what? It was not your fault. Say that, Potter. It was not your fault.”

               “It was not my fault,” Harry whispered.

               “You will come to believe those words with time. As far as being called a liar, as long as you know the truth, what does it matter what anyone else thinks?”

               “It’s not fair.”

               “No, it isn’t. Very little in your life has been fair, but you haven’t let that stop you before.”

               “I’m just tired of it all,” Harry confessed, looking up at Severus with watery eyes. “I don’t want to go back to normal and face Voldemort or anyone. I had fun here, and I . . . like it here. I can grow up again and start over and be someone else that isn’t the Boy-Who-Lived and I can hide here at the Escape Cottage forever.”

               “You know that cannot happen,” Severus said with a shake of his head. “I cannot allow it. You cannot run from your problems, Potter. No matter where you go, how far away you try to run, how old you try to be, your troubles will catch up with you and you will have to face them sooner or later.”

               Severus sighed and squatted slightly so he wasn’t towering over Harry, becoming less of an intimidating figure. He released Harry’s arm and gave Harry a serious look.

               “You need to follow through with everything you’ve left behind because there is a brighter future waiting for you at the end of it all. You deserve so much more than what you’ve been given thus far, and if you can get through a few more hoops, you will see it was all worth it in the end.”

               “I can’t do it.”

               “You can,” Severus argued. “I’ve seen you do it, from the chamber of secrets to the Triwizard Tournament to that atrocious tree in my living room.”

               “Hey,” Harry complained with a small smile. “You liked my tree.”

               “So I did. And only because you put so much effort into getting a tree in the first place, then decorating it, and convincing me not to burn it to ash. When you set your heart on something, you follow through. I know that right now, the future is terrifying, but I will help you through it and you will get through this alive. Think about your friends—you’d be leaving them behind, and they’d wonder and worry about you for the rest of their lives. You can’t give up, Potter. No matter what, you will have to play the hero again. And one day, hopefully very soon, you can just be you. But to get there, you have to age up.”

               “Okay,” Harry agreed reluctantly. “I’m sorry I ruined the potion. I was just . . .”

               “Scared,” Severus supplied. “Impulsive. Acting rashly.”

               “Yeah, yeah, all that.” Harry grumbled as he shuffled his feet, reaching a hand back to rub his bottom. “I knew it was wishful thinking anyway.”

               “Well,” Severus said, standing back up. “As punishment for destroying the Age Up and nearly getting yourself killed, you will clean the cauldron while I remake the potion. Then, you are grounded to your room for the rest of today.”

               “Yes, sir.”

               Severus fitted Harry with dragon hide gloves to protect his hands while he scrubbed away at the cauldron. While Harry spent nearly an hour cleaning the cauldron, Severus redid the potion and allowed it to simmer, glancing at the time and realizing how late it was going to be when it was finished. Oh well, he could wake Harry up to take the potion that night.

               After lunch, Harry was sent to his room to spend the rest of the day, where he worked on his reading and managed to complete at least that aspect of his homework. When Severus brought his dinner to the room, he found Harry lying back on the bed fiddling with Fangs. Harry sat up and set the plush down, watching Severus set the tray of food on a dinner table he transfigured from a muggle pencil.

               “I really am sorry about what I did,” Harry apologized. “It was stupid. I should have known better.”

               “You had a moment of weakness,” Severus said. “After everything you have been through, I do not blame you for looking for a way out of it all. These traumas will be something to work on during our Occlumency lessons though. It does not do anyone any good to hold in all that pain and trauma. You need to find release and free yourself of the misplaced guilt you are carrying.”

               “I know,” Harry said. He paused for a moment, scraping the fork against the plate. “I meant what I said earlier. I like it here. It’s a lot better than my relatives. Thank you for helping me age up again.”

               Severus inclined his head at Harry’s gratitude, but said, “I was wrong about you, Potter. I was wrong to treat you the way I have in the past over something you knew little about. You are a remarkable child, and if your relatives could not see that, then they did not deserve you.”

               Harry smiled softly up at Severus. Severus grew uncomfortable with the warm feelings emitting from Harry, so he cleared his throat and nodded pointedly at the plate of food.

               “Eat. You are still grounded, so no dessert or hot chocolate tonight. Once you have finished eating, dress for bed, and go to bed.”

               “Yes, sir.”

               Severus stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. He was feeling rather conflicted with himself. Harry had tried to stop himself from aging up again to avoid Hogwarts and facing the Dark Lord, but also, to regrow up at the Escape Cottage—with Severus. He had wanted to stay with and be raised again by his most hated professor. Severus just wasn’t sure what to think about that. Perhaps he could chart it up to Harry’s lack of thinking that plan through enough, for teenager Harry would have never considered it an option period. Wishful thinking, indeed.

               Late that night, Severus brought Harry’s Age Up potion dose into the boy’s bedroom. He turned a lamp on and gently shook Harry awake, helped him sit up, then handed him the vial. Harry carefully drank the dose of the potion, grimacing at the taste.

               “Remember, you most likely won’t age more than a few years again, but one more dose after this and you might be back to your correct age.”

               “Yippie,” Harry said dryly as he handed the vial back to Severus. Harry rolled over and curled back up in his blanket, closing his eyes.

               Without thinking how much his actions might impact the child, Severus carded a hand through Harry’s hair and said, “It’ll all be worth it in the end, Harry. I promise you that.”

               Severus turned off the light, lingering near Harry’s bed for another second before he walked out of the room, feeling that strange sensation in his chest once more as he retired for the night himself.

The End.
The Schwinger Effect by krosi

Severus sat at the dining table grading essays once more, hoping to finish the last couple of grade groups he had so he would be work free for the last week and half of the holidays. He managed to get halfway through the sixth years’ stack of papers when Harry entered the kitchen, pausing in the doorway. The child had aged up to an eleven-year-old that morning, and Severus figured he could set Harry to work on his winter assignments for the morning to keep the child busy.

               “I finished Transfiguration and Charms,” Harry said, “Can I go outside and fly now?”

               “Bring me your assignments,” Severus said as he returned to marking up the paper in front of him.

               “What?” Harry asked. “Why?”

               “So, I may review them and make any necessary corrections,” Severus said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Why else?”

               “I’m sure they’re fine, besides, you’re not even the professor for those classes.”

               “So that renders me incapable of looking over your work?”

               “I didn’t mean that . . . I just . . . I don’t know, I’d rather not do them over again. No one else has a professor correcting their work over the break.”

               “Then you should be grateful to have such an opportunity presented to you. While you are here, under my roof, I expect you to give one hundred percent to your homework, which includes allowing me to check it over to be sure you’ve done adequately, and perhaps assist you in where you may be struggling. It’s not as if you have much else to do while we wait until your next age up, so why not take advantage?”

               “Because there’s a lot I’d rather do than work on homework for the rest of the break,” Harry muttered, not moving from where he hovered in the doorway.

               “Quit the dramatics,” Severus scolded, glancing up at Harry. “There is plenty of time yet to enjoy your break while fitting in an appropriate amount of study time. Go bring me your essays or there will be no flying at all today.”

               Harry huffed and headed back for his bedroom where he had been working at Severus’s desk. Severus rolled his eyes and finished marking up an essay before setting it on top of the growing stack. He glanced over the next one, his eyes scanning over several spelling mistakes already and his upper lip curled the slightest. Honestly, if the sixth years could not even bother to glance at their books for correct spelling, they would not advance to their seventh-year classes. Harry reappeared with his essays and begrudgingly handed them over to Severus, a clear pout on his face.

               “Sit,” Severus commanded as he accepted the parchment and began glancing over Harry’s work.

               Harry hesitated, then pulled out one of the chairs and sat down, resting an elbow on the table and leaning his head into his hand.

               “Elbows off the table,” Severus said without even looking up.

               He could feel Harry narrow his eyes at him before he obeyed and rested his hands in his lap. Severus focused on marking a few incorrectly spelled words then wrote down a suggestion for a chapter in Harry’s book to help the child better summarize his sad theory on vanishing spells. He recalled struggling with transfiguration himself, but the fifth-year book had been very helpful in grounding the concepts behind transfiguration, and he recalled the chapters in the book well.

               He handed the paper back to Harry and then began scanning his Charms paper. He heard Harry groan at having to redo any of his work.

               “Don’t you think this is unfair?” Harry said. “No one else is getting graded over the break.”

               “I did not grade it,” Severus corrected. “I am merely suggesting where you can improve. Your attempt at theory tells me you have little understanding on how the vanishing spell works.”

               “Well, I don’t get how it works,” Harry growled, pushing the parchment away. “How can something be vanished into “non-being.” It’s not possible.”

               “And why is that?”

               “Because you can’t send something into nothing. It doesn’t exist.”

               “So your rationale is that there cannot exist “nothing?””

               “Yes. There can’t.”

               “And you’d be correct. But we are not talking about vanishing something to nothingness. We are talking about conjuring something into being then sending it back into nonbeing. Or for some matters, conjuring something already being into nonbeing.”

               “But that’s still sending it to nowhere.”

               “It is not. Through your years of Transfiguration, you were taught physics, yes?”

               Harry nodded.

               “Do you recall the Schwinger effect?”

               “It was on our exam last year,” Harry said, frowning in thought. “I think I answered it correctly. It has to do with creating matter through electric charges, right?”

               “In simplest terms, yes. Think of the Schwinger effect as a hypothetical vacuum that we believe exists in a semi-stable state, full of all the particles needed to create matter, but unable to do so without the right electric fields. That is where you come in. Your wand is going to present a strong electric field to charge those particles, and with the correct wand movements, will rearrange them in the form you are creating. Those particles are yanked out of that vacuum and made real into—I don’t know, a rabbit or a bird, what have you.”

               “Well, that explains where they come from,” Harry said, looking down at his essay with mild interest and understanding. “What about when you’re supposed to make them disappear again?”

               “Those particles aren’t going to just disappear,” Severus explained, steepling his fingers as he gave Harry his full attention now that Harry seemed mildly interested. “Rather, their arrangements are changed. Instead of charging the particles, you take the charge away and reassemble the particles back into the semi-stable state they were in before you pulled them from the vacuum. Done correctly, they return to the hypothetical vacuum they came from, waiting to be conjured into some other form of matter.”

               “That makes a lot more sense,” Harry said slowly. “Why didn’t Professor McGonagall just tell us that?”

               “I’m sure she did,” Severus said, raising a brow at Harry. “Perhaps it simply didn’t click then. Or maybe you did not take appropriate notes in class. Surely, you are not goofing off during her lessons?”

               Harry blushed at that. He shook his head.

               “I don’t goof off in her class. And taking notes of everything she says is hard. Sometimes I don’t catch everything or write fast enough.”

               “Then perhaps you should have asked your teacher for clarification when class was over. Or compare notes with your classmates? Your schoolbooks?”

               “I do. Sometimes.”

               “Hmm. Sometimes.”

               “Most of the time, I mean.”

               Severus stared Harry down intently until the child looked away.

               “Why don’t you tend to the adjustments I made on your essay while I finish looking over your Charms work. Once you have completed both papers and shown me, you may fly until lunch.”

               Harry grinned, snatching up his paper to run back to his room. He paused in the doorway, glancing back at Severus.

               “Thanks for helping me understand the theory, sir,” Harry said.

               “Think nothing of it. It is my job to teach after all.”

               Harry smiled at that, then ran off to his room. Severus hesitated at the warmth he could feel emit from Harry’s smile, but he shook his head and refocused on looking over Harry’s essay. Why did he bother assisting Harry with his work? Perhaps it gave him something else to read over that wasn’t a sad attempt at his own Potions assignments. After all, it had been refreshing to review another subject he didn’t often get to discuss with his students.

               Severus finished the Charms assignment Harry had handed him, then returned to grading. Harry reappeared a few moments later with his revised paper and a quill. He handed it over to Severus, who accepted it and read it quickly. He nodded and handed it back to Harry.

               “A more evident understanding,” Severus said, ignoring the way Harry beamed at him. “I’ve made a few minor corrections on your Charms paper, but it seems you have a good grasp on the theory behind the summoning charm.”

               “I had a bit of a head start with that one,” Harry confessed as he sat down across from Severus, pulling the Charms paper close. Harry paused, glancing up at Severus with a cautious expression. “You don’t mind if I rewrite my paper here, do you?”

               “Not at all,” Severus said, already grading once more.

               Even though his head was down as he marked up papers, he did not miss Harry’s smile. The two worked side by side for a half hour with only the occasional scritch of the quill on parchment breaking the silence. Once Harry had completed his work and Severus had looked it over, Harry was granted permission to fly. Severus removed the rest of the safety charms and restrictions he had placed on the broom, though he gave Harry several warnings that he better not see any wild stunts. While Harry flew around the property for an hour or so, Severus finished the rest of his grading. He was waving his hand over the assignments, sending them back to his desk at Hogwarts to be handed back to students upon their return at Hogwarts when Harry came running inside.

               “Sir, I just saw Comet move!” Harry exclaimed.

               “I told you they weren’t dead,” Severus said. He glared at Harry’s muddy boots. “What have I told you about shoes in the house?”

               “Sorry,” Harry said, not appearing the least bit apologetic as he slipped off his boots and set them in the mudroom.

               Severus rolled his eyes and vanished the muddy mess that had been left in the hallway.

               Later that evening, Harry assisted in the kitchen with dinner, adding a few of his own touches to the bangers and mash, making a thick but savory gravy from scratch. It was a simple meal, but Harry had managed to turn it into a restaurant worthy item and Severus tried not to show how much he enjoyed the gravy as he helped himself to seconds, pouring a little extra paste over his food.

               “I take it you like it,” Harry said with a cheeky smile.

               “You are an adequate cook, Potter,” Severus said, refusing to give any more praise than that. “With your attention to detail in the kitchen, you’d think you’d be able to apply those same skills to your Potions lessons.”

               “Yeah, well . . .” Harry glanced down at his food. “You never made it easy.”

               Severus felt a small pang of regret for bringing up Harry’s abysmal performance in Potions class, a feeling that caught him off guard. As much as he wanted to accuse Harry of never paying attention and fooling around in his class with his friends, even if some of the time was true, the reason Harry did so poorly in his class was likely his own doing. He had targeted Harry from the very beginning, belittled him, taunted him, and even bullied a child over past rivalries and resentment. It was his fault Harry had little respect for him, and while a couple weeks ago he wouldn’t have cared, now, it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

               “No, I did not,” Severus said after a moment. “You could have, however, taken the chance to prove my wrong by performing outstandingly in the class.”

               “Why?” Harry said. “You still wouldn’t have liked me.”

               “That does not mean I grade unfairly. There are many students I do not like, but they do well in class despite it. I hardly like your friend Miss Granger, but she has yet to receive anything lower than Exceeds Expectations from me.”

               “I know. It just always seemed personal when it came to me. You were always comparing me to my dad, even when you brought me here and I was still a baby. Did he . . . do something to you?”  

               “Even if he had, I should not have taken it out on you. And as I told you last night, I was wrong to treat you the way that I have. You did not deserve any backlash from the grudge I carried for years.”

               “You didn’t answer my question.”

               “That is all the answer you are going to get.” Severus finished his meal before abruptly standing, ending this odd conversation he found himself in. “Clean up the kitchen, wash the dishes, then amuse yourself quietly in the house. I must leave now and will not be back until late tonight.”

               “What?” Harry frowned at Severus. “Where are you going?”

               “That is none of your concern.”

               “It’s not a . . . a meeting, is it?”

               Severus quirked a brow at Harry, but the child kept talking before Severus could say anything in response.

               “It is a meeting! I knew it. Why do you have to go? Can’t you skip one? Does he torture his followers at the meetings? I bet he does, I can feel when he’s angry, you know, and I’ll think the worse while you’re gone! What if you don’t come back? What if—”

               “Will you calm down?” Severus snapped. “You’re working yourself up over nothing entirely.”

               “Nothing? It’s Voldemort!”

               “Do not—” Severus closed his eyes and bit back what he had been going to say. He took a deep breath before saying, “Please refrain from using that name.”

               “Dumbledore says—”

               “I know what he says!” Another deep breath and Severus opened his eyes and narrowed them at Harry. “Humor me. I will return later this evening, most likely unharmed. And I expect you to stay in this house while I am absent. I’m serious about that, Potter, do not leave this house while I am not here. And you better mind my rules and be sound asleep upon my return. Your bedtime does not change.”

               Harry played with the last bit of food on his plate, a pout on his face. Severus sighed and summoned his black cloak, swinging it over his shoulders.

               “Frilly will assist you in the event of an emergency,” Severus said, “which will be highly unlikely, but she is there as a precaution. And seeing as you are eleven once more.”

               Severus pulled out Harry’s wand from an inner pocket of his robe and handed it over to the child, who accepted it quickly.

               “Really? You’re giving it back?”

               “I had no plans on keeping it. The rules for magic use outside of school still apply, however. That is for emergency use only.”

               “Yes, sir. Thank you. Do you have to go?”

               “Unfortunately, so. Take a bath before bed, try not to drown.”

               Harry snorted at that and nodded.

“Be careful, sir.”

Severus hesitated for a moment, then headed for his floo without another word, grabbing a handful of powder. He disabled a few security wards wordlessly, knowing they would fire back up the moment he vanished from the fireplace. He was honestly surprised at Harry’s concern over his most hated professor, though Severus wasn’t even sure what Harry was considering Severus at the moment. Their relationship had taken an odd turn, he wasn’t sure when, and he couldn’t quite place how, but it was not the same as when he had brought the little baby bundle of trouble to his safe place.

 

It was nearly midnight when Severus returned to the cottage, and he moved through the dark house out of muscle memory, stopping in Harry’s bedroom first. Harry was faced away from the doorway, lying on his side with the snake plush snuggled against him. Harry’s wand was on the nightstand next to the bed. Severus tiptoed into the room, just to check on Harry was all.

As if Harry had sensed his presence, Harry looked over his shoulder, blinking blearily.

“You’re back,” Harry said sleepily.

“Astute observation,” Severus remarked, crossing his arms. “It is good to see that you can follow directions when you put your mind to it.”

“I did everything you said to the letter,” Harry said, sitting up. “Except sleep. I tried to, but I could feel his anger. Are you okay?”        

“I am fine. He was not angry at any of his followers. This time, anyway.” Severus peered closer at Harry, casting a lumos on his wand as he did so. Harry’s scar was flaring red and a small trickle of blood dripped from the scar. “Your scar is bleeding.”

“It does that sometimes,” Harry said. “Especially when he’s really mad.”

Severus frowned, summoning a cloth, and dampening it with his wand. He sat down on the edge of Harry’s bed, gently cleaning the wound before holding the cool cloth to Harry’s scar for a moment. Harry seemed to lean into the feeling of the cloth.

“Thanks. So no one got hurt at the meeting?”

“No one was hurt. Though that is hardly—”

“My concern, I know, I know.”

“Watch your cheek.”

Harry smiled at Severus, waiting as the man checked his scar then readjusted the cloth against it.

“While you were gone, I realized something,” Harry said.

“Something that will not get you into trouble, I hope.”

“No. My memories.” Harry frowned in thought. “Sometimes, I remember things like they just happened yesterday, which they did. But sometimes, they seem so far away, like they happened a long time ago. Our Christmas seems like it happened way before last Christmas at Hogwarts did.”

“That’s not surprising,” Severus said.

“Really?”

“Not at all. Your brain is storing the memories of yourself at certain ages where similar memories exist. At least, what appears to be similarly aged memories. Doing so is most likely less complex on the mind.”

“That explains why I vaguely remember being a baby.”

“Oh, trust me, you don’t want to remember that horrifying age.”

Harry laughed, and Severus smiled despite himself. He remembered what he was doing, and gently pulled the cloth away from Harry’s scar. It wasn’t bleeding now and looked less angry, and Severus adjusted the light from his wand to study it better.

“There,” he said, gently brushing Harry’s hair away from the scar, catching his action and quickly pulling his hand away. “That looks better. How does it feel?”

“Better,” Harry said, a smile still on his face. “Thank you, sir. You know, it almost feels like I grew up here now.”

“You did,” Severus said with a smirk. “In a sense, you very much did.”

“I liked it,” Harry said softly, fiddling with Fangs in his lap. “I can pretend to have good childhood memories now.”

Severus slowly frowned, that strange pestering feeling he’s had the last couple days returning in his chest. He still couldn’t recognize it, so he ignored it in favor of clearing his throat and pulling the blanket back some so Harry could lie back down under it.

“You should try to sleep now. You can assist me with your potion tomorrow, so you will want to be up bright and early. We can refine some of those potion skills I should have helped you with in the beginning.”

Harry’s smile seemed to widen at that, then, instead of getting under the blanket, Harry crawled over the bed and wrapped his arms around Severus’s shoulders, resting his head against his shoulder as well. Severus froze, every muscle within him tensing.

“Thank you for everything, sir,” Harry said softly. “I know I said it before, but it really means a lot.”

Severus realized Harry was thanking him for more than just reaging him again. This was about the memories Harry now carried, the feelings they gave the child, and the temporary home Harry had found. This was far more than Severus had ever intended to let Harry walk away with from this experience. Yet, he would not take back a minute of the time they had shared. Harry had reminded Severus of many reasons to keep fighting this war for, of the good that still existed in the world. This was probably the first Christmas he could look forward to remembering in a very long time.

Slowly, Severus brough his own arms around Harry, offering a brief squeeze before he pulled Harry away, gently pushing the child down in the bed. Harry allowed himself to be tucked in, still smiling at Severus. Did that smile ever die?

“It is late,” Severus said, standing up quickly and dimming his wand light. “Try to sleep now.”

Harry rolled on to his side once more, hesitating as he nearly brought his arm around the snake plush and instead rested his hand next to the toy, clearly aware of Severus’s presence in the room still. Severus held back a snort at Harry’s obvious attempt to hide his attachment to the toy and left the room. As he headed for the kitchen for a nightcap, he still had phantom arms lingering around him, and the warmth in his chest sparked up with the unrecognizable emotion he’d felt the last few days. What it was finally jumped into existence in the same way the Schwinger effect conjured and vanished things.

               He was fond of the child.

               When did that happen?

               No matter, tomorrow, he would brew the age up, Harry would be back to normal the next day, and he could leave back to Hogwarts. And Severus could go back to living his solitary life in his peaceful Escape Cottage.

               As Severus filled a nightcap and stepped out into the living room as he sipped it, the unicorn horn dust from the tree caught his eye, and he turned to stare at the Christmas tree still standing in his living room, adorned in all the potion ingredients Harry collected, a cauldron keeping it upright. Severus tilted his head at it, smiling softly, that warmth in his chest spreading more, and he felt a conflict erupt in his head. He was going to miss Harry’s presence.

               Who knew spending a couple weeks watching a child grow up from babyhood to teenagerhood would really leave an impact on one’s life? As uncomfortable as these new emotions were for Severus, they were not negative emotions, and he welcomed the change from the neutral and negative feelings he was accustomed to. They reminded him of his relationship with his mother many years ago before her passing, and those were all fond memories. They reminded him of his friendship with Lily, and those were more fond memories. He had resigned himself to a lonely life after Lily’s death. He never imagined her son would try to break those walls he had built.

               One more dose, he thought to himself as he downed the nightcap and headed for his bedroom. One more dose and Harry would be free to return to his own life.

               Why did that leave him feeling so dejected?

 

               The next day, Severus had Harry refine his chopping and mincing with the herbs for the potion first. He set the turtle heads, witches sweets, rue, and devil’s shoestring in a row on the table for Harry to chop or mince based on the recipe’s instructions. Severus corrected Harry’s technique to effectively mince in a cleaner and even pattern. Once Harry was done, Severus looked over his work and nodded, and Harry beamed and asked for the next task.

               “These are imported white mulberry leaves,” Severus said, handing over a counted-out number of leaves to Harry, who accepted them and waited patiently. “A very fast-growing tree, so naturally, the leaves gift the potion with power of growth, exactly what we are looking for. Go ahead and rip those up.”

               “Rip them?” Harry clarified.

               “Yes.”

               “A certain way, or . . .”

               “No, just rip them. Shred them up.”

               With no further persuasion, Harry ripped the leaves up in his hands, mindful to keep the mess over the clean lab table as he shredded the leaves into as tiny bits as he could. Severus smirked at Harry’s enthusiasm as the child finished ripping up what he could, digging through the mess on the table to see if there were any more pieces he could make smaller. When he found none, he looked at Severus.

               “You seemed to enjoy that,” Severus said.

               “Well, it’s not often an instruction isn’t so precise, you know?” Harry said, absently picking through the leaf pile. “Usually, the potions want a teaspoon of this, thirteen pieces of this, twenty-two stirs spread out in one minute.”

               “That is no different than cooking,” Severus said. “While cooking can be a little more forgiving than potions, it is the same concept. Patience, diligence, and having things prepared ahead of time certainly helps. Now, bring everything to the cauldron, it’s finally boiling.”

               Harry added all the ingredients he had prepared so far into the cauldron and stirred twelve times clockwise then once counterclockwise. They watched it boil for ten minutes before Severus turned down the heat and pointed to his shelves.

               “Grab two flitterby moths and a monarch butterfly,” Severus said.

               Harry carefully removed the specimens from their containment and handed them over to Severus, who shook his head and motioned Harry to toss them in the cauldron.

               “The whole thing?”        

               At Severus’s nod, Harry dropped the specimens into the cauldron, then Severus added a sprinkle of unicorn horn dust, and Harry watched mouth agape as the butterfly and flitterby moths dissolved into the lightly tanned water in a matter of seconds.

               “The potion has to return to a boil before the next ingredient, so go find my jar of jackalope horn shavings and bring it here.”

               Severus slowly brought the heat back up while Harry searched for the jar in question. Thankfully, Severus was very OCD and everything he had was in alphabetic order with clear labels and dates, and Harry returned with the necessary jar. Severus handed Harry a beaker and Harry measured out a quarter of a cup of the shavings before dumping it into the boiling potion. Severus stirred seven times while Harry put the jar back. Harry returned and waited patiently while Severus stared down at his watch. Severus glanced up at Harry after a minute.

               “Trimmings of an owl feather, Harry,” Severus said. “An Eagle Owl, preferably. This needs to boil for ten minutes before the next ingredient is added.”

               Harry nodded and found the correct feather fairly quickly. He looked through Severus’s tools and found the scissors he would need, then returned to the table and began trimming the barbs of the feather, taking small pieces at a time, until all that remained of the feather was the shaft, and all the trimmings waited in a small fluffy pile on the table. Harry carefully collected the trimmings and looked at Severus, who was staring at his watch once more. Finally, Severus looked at Harry and nodded his head.

               Harry added the trimmings, and a small grey puff of smoke shot into the air, startling Harry. He grinned as the potion began to swirl in strange colors of grey and light blue. Severus slowly added a cup of arrowroot powder while stirring at the same time, then returned the potion to a simmer.

               “One more step,” Severus said as he set a timer next to the cauldron, “but the potion will simmer for exactly thirty-six minutes before we can add it. You did very well today, Harry. You were focused and paying close attention to what you were doing, as well as paying attention to my directions.”

               “Thank you, sir.” Harry beamed at Severus. “I had a lot of fun. This was kind of easy, too.”

               “Yes, it helps to have a fairly simple process along with non-difficult ingredients.”

               “So . . .” Harry glanced at the potion then back at Severus. “Can I fly for a bit before the next step?”

               Severus rolled his eyes. Of course, he couldn’t hold Harry’s attention for very long.

               “You may. I will call you back in a bit before the timer rings. But once we do the final step and the potion simmers for the rest of the day, I want you to work on one more assignment before you do anything else. You still have several classes homework’s you haven’t touched.”

               “But I still have all break.”

               “It will fly by before you know it. There is no reason you cannot work on an assignment today.”

               “Fine. But when I’m done, I can fly again?”

               “After I’ve reviewed it and you’ve made any necessary revisions, yes, you may fly again.”

               Harry groaned but nodded in agreement. He headed out of the lab, muttering very lowly as he passed, “Maybe it wouldn’t have been fun having a professor for a father.”

               Severus nearly missed what Harry had said, and he froze as he comprehended the words before he looked out the door, but Harry had already disappeared. He knew Harry hadn’t meant for him to hear what he said, but the words weighed heavily on Severus’s mind as he stepped out of the lab and into the hall, glancing out the back door to see Harry flying on the broom.

               Deciding to let it slide, Severus sat in his living room and picked up the article on neutralizing venom and poisons in matters of seconds as he never did get to finish it. He managed to complete the article before the timer went off, and he called Harry back inside just in time. He silenced the timer and summoned a small container, dumping the small green and yellow plants out on the table.

               “This is mallowsweet,” Severus said. “Pluck the yellow flowers off and crumble them in your hand, then drop them in one at a time.”

               Harry did as Severus said, crumbling the flowers in his hand, getting yellow dust all over his fingers and palm, before he dropped each flower one by one into the cauldron. He hesitated on the fifth one and looked at Severus.

               “How many?” he asked.

               “Perhaps you should have asked before you started,” Severus said. “Add in three more and we’ll be done.”            

               Harry finished adding in the needed flowers and brushed his hand off on his trousers.

               “What would have happened if I added more than that?”

               “The mallowsweet helps tie in all the ingredients together while adding the final pinch of magic for the potion to perform what it is intended for. Adding a few more flowers would not have influenced it greatly, though you may have wound up with a stronger flavor in the potion.”

               Harry scrunched his nose.

               “It tastes awful enough. Glad I didn’t add any more.”

               Severus smirked at Harry.

               “We’ll let it simmer now. Go work on that assignment you promised me.”

               “You mean the one you’re forcing me to work on,” Harry mumbled as he headed for his bedroom.

               Later that night, Severus was sitting in his armchair for some quiet time, sipping tea and reading a potions journal. Harry was sitting on the sofa across from him dressed in his night clothes, biting his nails and casting a glance at Severus every now and then while pretending to read a book. Severus had tried to ignore Harry at first as the child was clearly holding something back, but after nearly ten minutes of this, Severus caved.

               “What is it?” Severus asked.

               “Oh, err, nothing,” Harry said, quickly looking back at the book.

               “You keep looking at me and dancing on the sofa as if you’ve got ants in your trousers, clearly there’s something you want to ask?”

               Harry was silent for another minute as he bit his lower lip, frowning at the book for a moment before he said, “I should be fifteen again tomorrow.”

               “Yes, you should be.”

               “That means I can go back to Hogwarts.”

               “Yes, you could.”

               Harry glanced up at Severus, then looked back down.

               “I was wondering . . . do I have to go back to Hogwarts, tomorrow?”

               Severus frowned slightly, not saying anything for a moment as he studied Harry, that feeling returning to his chest once more. Of all the things he thought Harry might ask or say, he had not been expecting that.

               “If it’s okay,” Harry added, his voice wavering slightly as he fiddled with the book in his hands. “I mean, if you don’t mind me staying a couple more days or however long, I guess.”

               “Why not stay the rest of break?” Severus asked, surprising himself.

               Harry froze and he gave Severus a questioning but hopeful look.

               “Really?”

               “You’ve spent the majority of the break here, what’s another week or so?”

               Harry’s eyes brightened and he smiled at Severus for the hundredth time that day, and Severus couldn’t help but admit that he enjoyed seeing Harry’s smile. It wasn’t his cheeky, aloof grin or his sassy, smart mouth look he often got from Harry. It was warm and welcoming, and Severus would not mind if Harry remained in his house if he could keep the spirits high in the cottage. Still, despite his increasing fondness for Harry, the warm emotions the child emitted still put Severus a bit out of his element, and he cleared his throat and closed his journal.

               “It is late, almost your bedtime,” Severus said. “Finish whatever you need to do and I’ll be in with your potion.”

               Harry closed his book and set it on the coffee table, jumping to his feet and heading for his room, but he paused next to Severus’s armchair. Before Severus could question the child, Harry leaned over and hugged Severus, catching him off guard, but the hug was brief as Harry pulled away before Severus could even move.

               Severus waited until Harry was in his bedroom before he gently touched where he could still feel the warmth Harry’s embrace had left on his shoulder. Had he really just agreed to keep Harry Potter at his cottage for the rest of the break? What on earth had become of him?

              

The End.
Home by krosi

               Tomorrow, Severus would have to return to Hogwarts with Harry, who was missing in action at the moment. Severus checked Harry’s bedroom, then knocked on the bathroom door only to find it empty. He was pretty sure he had told Harry to finish packing up his belongings. After Harry had reaged to his fifteen-year-old self, Severus had made a quick trip back to Hogwarts to collect some of Harry’s clothes and schoolbooks for the last week of the break. Somehow, Harry had managed to make a mess of his room with the few things he had.

               Severus decided to check outside, knowing how much Harry enjoyed flying around the house or even frequenting the pond. Severus stepped into his boots then out onto the deck, quickly spotting Harry sitting near the pond, hugging his knees and staring out into the water. Severus’s old broom lay next to Harry in the grass.

               Severus sighed, then walked down the deck stairs and toward the pond. He paused next to Harry, staring down at the messy mop of black hair.

               “What are you doing, Potter?” Severus asked.

               “Watching the fish,” Harry said with a shrug, gesturing to the fish swimming around in the pond. “They must have warmed up some, they’ve been swimming around a lot today. Comet especially. He pushes everyone around.”

               “Yes, he’s a bit of an arse,” Severus said nonchalantly. He waved his hand, causing a large stone to rise up from the earth, and with another wave of his hand, the stone cleaned and dried itself. It was only then that Severus sat down on, avoiding the damp ground Harry was sitting on. “What are you really doing out here? I told you to pack up your things, and by the looks of your room, you have not done that.”

               Harry hesitated, looking off into the distance now, but after a moment, he turned his head to look up at Severus.

               “I was thinking about what you told me,” Harry said, “about following through with things even if we don’t like it. I get that I have to go back to school and finish the year and all that, but sometimes I wish I didn’t have to go back as . . . well, as me.”

               “The Boy-Who-Lived?”

               “Yeah. Him. It’s not fair that the whole wizarding world expects me to do great things when I just want to go to school and not have to worry about murderers or crazy professors and their detentions or . . .”

               “You’ll have one less crazy professor to worry about,” Severus said. “Which reminds me. Let me see your hand.”

               Severus summoned a vial of extra-strength dittany healing balm before holding his hand out expectantly. Harry gave him a strange look before slowly offering his hand out to Severus. Severus opened the lid of the balm and scooped up a generous amount of the potion, then grabbed Harry’s wrist tightly, startling the teen.

               “I’m afraid this will hurt,” Severus warned, then rubbed the potion over the scarred words on Harry’s hand.

               “What are you—ow!” Harry cried out, then tried to jerk his hand out of Severus’s grip but found himself unable to.

               Severus kept a hold of Harry’s wrist as he finished rubbing in the potion that began to sizzle against Harry’s skin immediately, eating away at the scarring before replacing the flesh with new, unblemished skin. Harry’s face was contorted in pain, and he had tears in his eyes, but he was taking deep breaths to get through it, and Severus released his wrist as soon as the words “I must not tell lies” were gone.

               Harry jerked his hand back and studied the healed skin, blinking in surprise that the words were gone.

               “You should have told someone,” Severus said. “Punishment like that is forbidden in Hogwarts.”

               “I didn’t know she wasn’t allowed to use that quill,” Harry said, running his fingers over where the scars used to be. “And I didn’t want to show her that . . .”

               “That you were vulnerable?” Severus sneered. “That it bothered you? Hurt you? If you don’t want to be treated like a hero, Mr. Potter, then stop playing one.”

               “I wasn’t trying to. Who would have believed me anyway? You all thought I was lying!”

               “About what? The return of the Dark Lord? I can assure you; not once did I think you were lying.”

               “That’s because you’re—” Harry cut himself off, staring down into the water with a glare. “I didn’t know if I could trust you or not.”

               Severus felt a pang of hurt in his chest, and the feeling surprised him, as he knew that he never cared before whether the Golden Boy or his friends trusted him or not. He pushed the feeling away, knowing it was his own fault for the distrust.

               “That is understandable, but do you think Professor McGonagall would have ignored this if you brought it to her attention? The headmaster, even?”

               “Not like she could have done much. Umbridge is looking to invalidate all the professors and get them fired.”

               “That didn’t mean that we wouldn’t have stood against her if the right situation gave us a chance. Imagine the outrage if parents heard of the discipline methods she had been using on their kids. There are ways information can be leaked if only one is made aware. Then perhaps medieval methods wouldn’t have had to be used to force her out.”

               “So you did have a part in getting rid of Umbridge,” Harry said, eyes narrowing in on Severus.

               “I said no such thing,” Severus fired back, though without any malice in his tone.

               Harry smirked at Severus, and while Severus resisted at first, he finally offered a small smirk back. Harry laughed, reaching forward to splash the water a bit, catching the attention of the fish, who swam up to the surface to investigate. Harry watched them for a moment, then looked back at Severus.

               “I’m going to miss it here,” he said. “For a dungeon bat, your home is really nice.”

               “Watch yourself.” Severus cuffed the back of Harry’s head playfully. “You’re not so bad, yourself, Potter. When you’re not being a cheeky brat, that is.”

               “I was wondering,” Harry began, “do you think I could come back? Even if just to visit for like a weekend or something. Just to get away from the Dursleys if I need to?”

               Severus hesitated, but he had already considered the request before Harry even thought up the question. Not wanting to sound too eager, Severus looked down at the fish in the pond, watching as the large red and white fish nipped the fin of a smaller goldfish, chasing it off. After a moment, he nodded his head.

               “I’m sure we can arrange something like that. An emergency portkey or some floo powder for you to take when you leave for summer break.”

               “That would be great, sir, thank you!” Harry jumped up and hugged Severus, catching him off guard and he nearly fell off the rock he was sitting on. He managed to catch himself and remain seated, bringing his arms up and around Harry, who seemed to come to his senses and pulled away, his cheeks red. “Sorry, err, I—”

               “Think nothing of it,” Severus said with a small smile as he stood up. “I think this experience has pushed us past teacher and student, wouldn’t you think?”

               “I wasn’t sure what to think actually, sir.”

               Severus felt that odd feeling of affection swell in his chest once more as he studied Harry. It was still the strangest emotion, one he had not felt in years, and it took some getting used to, but he was sure that would come with time. He offered a rare genuine smile before saying, “In the privacy of the Escape Cottage or even my quarters at Hogwarts, you may call me Severus.”

               “Really?”

               “I do get tired of being called Professor or even Sir. It makes me sound old.”

               Harry smirked, and Severus narrowed his eyes at the teen, silently warning him to watch his cheek.

               “I would like that,” Harry said instead of whatever cheeky remark had been at the tip of his tongue. “And I can really come down to your quarters at school.”

               “Of course. I can come up with hundreds of pretend detentions to give you as cover.”

               Harry rolled his eyes but smiled all the same.

               “Now,” Severus added, “please, go do as I’ve asked once already and finish packing.”

               Harry nodded, picking up the broomstick and running to the shed to put it away. Severus headed for the house, meeting Harry in the mudroom as they both took off their boots before stepping inside. When Harry stopped in the bathroom first, Severus walked into Harry’s bedroom, quickly finding the small suitcase he gave the boy to use to pack up his few things. After a brief second of consideration, Severus summoned the snake plush, Fangs, and slipped it into the half-packed suitcase, squeezing the toy between a few schoolbooks.  

               Later that night, Severus could hear Harry tossing and turning in his bed. He sighed as he turned out the lights in his kitchen after finishing his nightcap. For the last week, Severus had worked with Harry on his Occlumency, and clearly, he needed more assistance tonight. Severus headed for Harry’s room.

               “Have you been practicing clearing you mind?” Severus asked as soon as he entered Harry’s room.  

               “I’ve been trying, really,” Harry answered as he sat up slightly. “It’s just hard not to feel anything at all and keep my mind blank.”

               “Occlumency isn’t about not feeling at all,” Severus corrected gently. “I told you that you needed to control your emotions, not ignore them completely. I am trying to make this easier on you as otherwise, this is a very difficult skill to learn. Let’s try some meditation before we begin. Have you been doing your breathing exercises?”

               “Yes, but I still don’t know how to keep my mind from wandering. Especially at night, my head is all over the place and breathing only helps so much. Sometimes, I think more when I’m doing the exercises.”

               “You are determined to be a difficult student in all your studies,” Severus said with a roll of his eyes. He sat on the edge of Harry’s bed, reaching into an inner robe pocket and pulling out a pocket watch. He held it out and began allowing it to swing slightly.

               “Not this again,” Harry complained.

               “Yes, Potter, this again, seeing how it worked so thoroughly last time. Don’t worry, I won’t make you fall asleep this time. Now, follow the watch.”

               Harry gave Severus a strange look before sighing, lying back in his bed, and following the watch with his eyes. Severus noted that Harry began his breathing exercises as well, breathing in for four seconds then exhaling for four seconds.

               “What I would like you to try from now on once we return to Hogwarts is finding something within your room to focus on. Something steady and constant, like a grandfather clock or a non-moving portrait. Think of nothing else but breathing and keeping your eyes on that object. How are you doing so far?”

               Harry nodded his head, refusing to break his focus on the watch or his breathing. Severus continued swinging the watch in a slow, steady half arc while watching Harry’s breathing.

               “If your mind wanders, allow it to do so, but only long enough to register where your mind wandered off to, then bring it back to focus on just the watch and your breathing. You’re doing very well. Has your mind wandered off yet?”

               Harry shrugged, then nodded once.

               “Good, remember your thoughts, but make sure to refocus on the watch. A few more minutes now.”

               Severus continued swinging the watch for another couple minutes before yanking the chain up into his hand. Harry blinked as if coming out of a trance. Severus returned the watch to his pocket and gave Harry a curious look.

               “How are you feeling?” he asked.

               “Pretty relaxed actually,” Harry said, offering a smile. “And tired. That watch trick really works.”

               “Do you recall any thoughts you had during this?”

               “I started to think about classes starting up tomorrow, but I reminded myself to focus on the watch, then I got thinking about how you did this to me before and how it made me pass out. That’s when I started feeling tired.”

               Severus snorted at Harry’s brief summary of his straying thoughts.

               “Very good. You allowed your brain to naturally think as it will without trying to forcibly clear all thoughts out of your mind. You still managed to refocus as you needed to in order to stay relaxed. That is what I want you to do from now on when I ask you to clear your mind before bed. Don’t force it but don’t daydream either. Keep your mind as focused on breathing and your fixed point as possible.”

               “How does this help me with Occlumency?”

               “A clear and collected mind will help you create strong barriers to resist an attack from Legilimency. You will try clearing your mind again and keep it that way while I attempt a gentle intrusion. I will increase the intensity as we go on, but you will learn different techniques and mind magics to assist you with these keeping me from accessing your memories.”

               “Sounds awful.”

               “It won’t be.” Severus reached into another pocket and pulled out a thin, silver bracelet. “This is for you. It is keyed to my quarters to allow you in when you wave it near the handle. It is also a portkey that will take you directly to the Escape Cottage with three taps of your wand. Only to be used during the summer.”

               Harry smiled as he accepted the bracelet, closing a hand around it securely.

               “Thanks. It means a lot.”

               “You’re welcome.”

               “I’m actually really tired now, so I think I’ll try falling asleep.”

               “Well, don’t let me keep you from your beauty rest,” Severus said as he stood up. He paused, resting a hand on the top of Harry’s head. “Goodnight, Harry.”

               “Night, Severus,” Harry said softly.

               Severus ruffled his hair slightly before leaving Harry’s bedroom, retiring to his own.

 

June 30th, 1997

 

               “Cru—” Harry yelled again after stumbling to his feet and aiming his wand at Severus once more. Severus blocked the curse however, hardening his heart against Harry’s tear-stained face.

               “No Unforgivable Curses from you, Potter!” Severus shouted over the roaring flames coming from Hagrid’s hut. “You haven’t got the nerve or the ability.”

               Severus blocked another spell from Harry, trying hard to keep an eye on him while making sure all the other Death Eaters were accounted for. It was difficult listening to Harry’s pain-filled voice as the child screamed at him. The child he had taken in when he had deaged himself to a baby, returned to his normal age, comforted him when his godfather died, and grew to love him as his own. No, Harry wanted nothing to do with him now.

               Suddenly, Harry fell over in pain as a curse from a Death Eater a few feet behind him struck him.

               “No!” Severus roared, and he fired a curse at the Death Eater hurting Harry, who remained curled on the grass, clutching his wand and panting. “Have you forgotten our orders? Potter belongs to the Dark Lord—we are to leave him! Go! Go!”

               Death Eaters stormed past Harry as they ran toward the gates, disapparating off the property. Harry stumbled to his feet, and Severus struck him with a stunning spell, knocking the child back down to the ground. Severus walked over to Harry and looked down on him where he lay, quickly kicking his wand away.

               “How could you?” Harry asked in a choked whisper as he glared up at Severus. “How could you kill him, Severus?”

               Severus did not answer. Instead, he reached down with his wand outstretched for Harry’s left wrist, and with a quick slash of his wand, the silver bracelet fell off Harry’s wrist and fell to the ground in a crumble of ash. The bracelet that had allowed Harry entry to his quarters for long evenings of tea and small talk. The bracelet that had brought Harry to his home once again during the summer. Harry watched with a broken-hearted face and a few tears escaped his eyes.

               “Kill me then,” Harry said. “Kill me like you killed him! He trusted you! I trusted you.”

               Severus said nothing, though inside, he felt himself break in a million pieces. He took a few steps back away from Harry’s look of betrayal. He shook his head slowly, closing his eyes for a second before meeting Harry’s eyes directly.

               “I’m sorry,” was all Severus could say.

               Unable to stare into those hurt eyes any longer, Severus turned down the path and ran for the gates, disapparating as soon as he crossed the threshold.

 

May 2nd, 1998

 

               “The Elder Wand cannot serve me properly, Severus, because I am not its true master.”

               Severus had a sense of dread fill his stomach, like ice pooling within him. He eyed the snake cage in the corner of the room, watching the beast slither around in the tight space.

               “I can find Potter,” Severus pleaded, even with no intention of doing so. It was his only play, and he had a sinking feeling it wouldn’t work. “I can bring him to you, my Lord.”

               “The Elder Wand belongs to the wizard who killed its last owner,” Voldemort continued as if Severus had not spoken. “You killed Albus Dumbledore. While you live, Severus, the Elder Wand cannot truly be mine.”

               “My Lord,” Severus protested, raising his wand.

               “It cannot be any other way,” said Voldemort as he stunned Severus before he could try anything else. Severus fell to the ground unable to move, though he struggled against the curse, using every counter spell he knew, his eyes glancing at the snake cage now and then. Voldemort added, “I must master the wand, Severus. Master the wand, and I master Potter at last.”

               Voldemort swiped the air with the Elder Wand and in parseltongue said “Kill.” The cage door opened. Severus couldn’t even scream as the snake shot across the room with open jaws. Nagini bit down on Severus’s neck repeatedly. Severus could only endure the pain silently, tears welling in his eyes as blood gushed from the wounds in his neck. The snake backed off and returned to her cage, which closed and flew off the ground toward Voldemort.

               “I regret it,” Voldemort said coldly as he turned away without the slightest hint of sadness or remorse. He left the shack with the great serpent floating after him in a huge protective sphere.

               Severus lay dying in the shack, resigned to his feet, drawing in shuddering breaths. He felt hands touch his neck and his eyes widened for a brief moment before Harry appeared from underneath an invisibility cloak. He saw Harry’s two loyal friends as well, but they were very blurry in the background as Severus slowly lost consciousness. Before he could, he found that the stun spell had worn off, and he gestured to the tears rolling down his cheeks.

               “Take them,” Severus said. “Take them.”

               Severus shuddered slightly, and the tears transformed from clear water to silvery blue. Severus saw Harry blink for a moment, then he looked around wildly.

               “Give me something,” Harry demanded. “Quickly! A flask! Anything.”

               Severus saw a movement in the background and then Harry was holding a flask to his cheek to collect the tears while keeping pressure on Severus’s neck. Once the flask had a few drops, Harry closed and shoved it in a robe pocket and began waving his wand over Severus’s neck.

               “Go,” Severus said in a garbled voice.

               “I’m not leaving you,” Harry said as he stopped Severus’s bleeding then reached into a robe pocket for another flask. He held it to Severus’s lips. “Here. Drink.”

               Severus accepted the drink, realizing it was a very watery potion. He wasn’t sure what Harry thought he could do, but he would do anything for Harry to his dying breath.

               “It works, you know,” Harry said. “That research you were reading up on back at the Escape Cottage. Boiling sneezeweed petals with bezoars. It neutralizes venom and poisons, but only briefly. Guys, help me bring him to the infirmary.”

               “Harry, please, you need to leave me.”   

               “I’m not leaving you.”

               Severus felt himself rise from the ground under a levitation spell and he floated after the Golden Trio as they carefully directed him out of the shack and to Hogwarts.

               “You didn’t leave me when I needed you most,” Harry said. “So I’m not leaving you.”

               You are far too forgiving, Severus thought. Unable to voice those words aloud, Severus closed his eyes, and the world turned into silent darkness.

 

The Next Day:

 

               Severus blinked at the rays shining through the window, groaning in pain. His vision was blurry while his eyes took a moment to focus on his surroundings, and he realized he was lying in a bed in the infirmary. There were several empty vials of potions scattered around the bed, as if they had been spelled into his system in a rush. He tried to turn his head, only to find his neck wrapped in a thick layer of bandage material that made it difficult to do more than move his head a few degrees one way or another. How in Merlin’s name had he survived Nagini’s attack? Where was everyone? Where was . . . Harry?

               “Oh, good,” Madam Pomfrey said as she walked into the infirmary. “I had your bed spelled to let me know when you woke up. If you were going to anyway. How are you feeling?”

               Severus struggled with his words for a moment, and in the end, he could slur a few incoherent words.
               “That’s alright, dear.” Madam Pomfrey summoned a glass of water and helped Severus sit up in the bed. She held the cup to his lips, and he drank greedily. The cold water hurt passing through his mangled throat, but he was parched and forced himself to drink his fill. When he was satisfied, Madam Pomfrey helped him take a blood replenishing potion, a pain reliever, and a nutrient potion.

               “Nothing but liquid food for you for now, Severus. Due to that snake’s venom, the wounds on your neck are taking longer to heal than normal, so you’ll have to take it easy. I’m going to change your bandages and apply wound healing balm to your neck.”

               Severus patiently waited through Madam Pomfrey’s administration. She undid the bandage material and cleaned the bite wounds that cut deep into his flesh. Healing balm was applied, and the potion managed to heal just a small amount of the flesh, fighting against the small traces of venom lingering in Severus’s skin. Madam Pomfrey wrapped Severus’s neck in clean linens before helping him stand to his feet. Severus pulled away from Madam Pomfrey to walk to the loo himself, though very weak and unsteady, where he finally got a good look at how awful he really looked.

               He was ashen white, his eyes bloodshot, and his neck hidden in a thick layer of white material. His whole body was trembling, and he couldn’t even raise his arms higher than his shoulders without feeling faint. After analyzing himself a few minutes longer, Severus returned to the bed, nearly collapsing on it. He was exhausted just from that small bit of movement. He leaned back against the headboard, closing his eyes, wondering where Madam Pomfrey went.

               “You’re awake!” a familiar voice said at the entry way of the infirmary.

               Severus’s eyes snapped open, and he managed to turn his head enough to see Harry running over to his bed.

               “Madam Pomfrey wasn’t sure if you would wake up again, or even survive the night,” Harry said, talking quickly as he sat on the edge of Severus’s bed. “Even after all the potions we got into you. I knew you would pull through though. How are you feeling?”

               Severus opened his mouth to speak, but he felt pain with the motion so decided against trying to say anything at all. Harry picked up on it and nodded his head.

               “Yeah, the wounds wouldn’t heal no matter how much healing balm we put on. I guess the venom in your blood was neutralized with that potion I gave you but not the venom in your skin.”

               Severus smiled softly, earning a small smile back.

               “Bet you didn’t think I remembered that article you read about my first Christmas with you. I thought it would come in handy with us having to get close to Nagini. We won, by the way.”

               Severus frowned and tilted his head slightly, pinning Harry with a hard stare, hoping he was getting the message across.

               “You’re wondering how I survived?” Harry asked, and at a quirk of Severus’s lips, Harry said, “I almost did. I went to Voldemort and let him kill me, but I kind of made it to some kind of halfway point. I ran into Professor Dumbledore, who explained that Voldemort killed his own horcrux and its probably why I didn’t die all the way. I had the choice to go back, so I did. Then I managed to defeat Voldemort.”

               Harry looked down at the cold floor with sad eyes.

               “We lost a lot of lives. Good lives. Good people. We’re still cleaning up the aftermath too. That’s where everyone is right now. But it’s over. The war is finally over.”

               Severus gave Harry a sympathetic look. He felt a huge wave of a thousand emotions hit him at once: relief, remorse, resentment. Many more emotions struck Severus and he choked back a sob as tears welled in his eyes. For the first time in years, Severus cried.

               Harry stared at Severus with wide eyes at first as the man continued to cry with his eyes scrunched shut despite the tears rolling down his pale cheeks, choked sobs emitting now and then. Harry readjusted himself so he was closer to Severus on the bed, then he hugged Severus.

               Severus returned the hug with as much strength as he could muster. He continued to cry into the messy mop of hair on Harry’s head, and he felt Harry start to cry as well, as if releasing his own pent-up fears and sorrows.

               “I missed you,” Severus managed to force out in a harsh whisper.

               That seemed to make Harry cry harder as the teen tightened his arms around Severus.

               “I missed you, too. I was so confused. You didn’t tell me anything.”

               “I’m sorry.”

               “It’s okay. I get why now.”

               Severus didn’t feel like anything was “okay,” but he accepted Harry’s words for now as talking was really hurting his throat. He sighed into Harry’s hair, patting the teen’s back comfortingly, his emotional outburst coming to an end. Harry enjoyed the embrace a minute longer before pulling away and wiping his eyes, skewing his glasses on his face.

               “Do you think I can come back to the Escape Cottage now?” Harry asked.

               Severus offered a smile in answer.

               At that moment, Madam Pomfrey reappeared. She checked Severus one last time, clucking softly to herself before scribbling instructions down on a spare parchment.

               “I would feel better if you stayed here for at least a week to let me treat those wounds on your neck, but knowing you, you’ll want to go home as soon as possible, won’t you? So, here’s what you need to do: replenishing potions twice daily, at least twelve hours apart, pain relief potions twice daily, and liquid food only in addition to a nutrient potion three times a day, Change the bandage on your neck twice daily, be sure to apply the healing balm to those wounds, and take it easy, Severus. You need to rest and allow yourself to heal for seven days. I suggest you take one of the house elves with you to your home to assist you in your care.”

               Severus opened his mouth to protest, but unable to make noise, he shook his head instead.

               “I’ll take care of him,” Harry piped up.

               “That’s very kind of you, Mr. Potter,” Madam Pomfrey began in an uncomfortable tone, “but I’m sure Severus would rather—”

               “I’m going to his place anyway,” Harry interrupted. “I was there the summer before after Sirius died. Severus didn’t leave me alone for a moment and he took care of me even when I didn’t want him to. I can return the favor now.”

               Severus was actively glaring at Harry for daring to suggest that he would take care of him. Severus was the adult, he was supposed to be the caregiver, not the other way around. A strange feeling bubbled in his chest, and it had been a year since he had last felt the emotion that he had nearly forgotten what it was. Merlin, he loved this kid. He could tolerate a little mothering for a week.

               “Well.” Madam Pomfrey glanced at Severus. “Only if Severus is okay with the plan. Honestly, I think having someone else around to assist you would be more beneficial for you.”

               Severus realized he was still glaring at Harry. Harry gave him a pleading look and Severus couldn’t help the small eye roll. He softened his features and gave Harry a small smile before nodding his head once.

               “Yes!” Harry cheered. He hugged Severus again, surprising Madam Pomfrey. “I’ll take good care of you, I promise. Just like you did for me.”

               “I’ll get his potions ready,” Madam Pomfrey said. She headed for her office to pack everything Severus would need.

               “You better not be overbearing,” Severus managed to whisper in Harry’s ear.

               “You better not be a difficult patient,” Harry shot back. He sat on the edge of Severus’s bed. “Then I won’t have to be overbearing.”

               Severus snorted. He missed his little banters with Harry, their evening teatime, their chess games. As much as he hated being mothered, he was looking forward to catching up with Harry about everything that had occurred this last year. He had not expected to survive the war, but this blessing could open a door to a new life, one he didn’t have to spend alone.

               “I can’t wait to go back home,” Harry said. He stood up and headed for the door. “I’m going to tell Hermione and Ron that you’re okay but then I’ll be right back. Don’t do anything strenuous while I’m gone!”

               Harry disappeared around the corner with those last words.

               Severus shook his head fondly. Harry was going to be a very overbearing nurse, but Severus was okay with that. He couldn’t wait to go home either.

The End.


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