Inside a small, secluded cottage two people were arguing playfully over whose turn it was to wash the dishes. Between them in a high chair, a small boy with messy black hair and dark green eyes watched the entire scene with fascination. He soon grew tired of the amused bickering and instead fixed his attention on the bowl of green mush before him.

"No way Lils! I washed the dishes from lunch… there is no way it's my turn!" James Potter threw up his hands in frustration.

Lily turned to face him with her hands on her hips. "Lunch? LUNCH?! We ate sandwiches! On paper plates!" She brushed a strand of auburn hair from her face and glared at her husband. "Remember? Picnic in the yard under the shade tree? Any of this ringing a bell, or has washing the dirty spoon coated in mayonnaise drained your energy so much that what passes for your brain shut down from shock?"

James opened his mouth to reply and immediately broke into uncontrollable laughter. Lily smirked, knowing she had won the battle. The brown-eyed man wiped tears of mirth from his eyes as he began gathering up the dirty dishes. "Love, you sound more and more like Severus Snape every day!"

Lily giggled and began helping her spouse. "Well I was married to the man for two years, sweetie. Some things were bound to rub off."

"Speaking of the greasy git, when did you say he'd be here?"

"James Michael Potter! What did I tell you about calling him names?! Especially in front of your step-son?!" James jumped back as his wife threatened to smack him with a spatula.

"Aw come on Lils… Harry's only a year old." He ran his hand over the baby's head affectionately before picking him up. He then summoned a wet cloth from the sink and began cleaning the green goop from his face. "Besides, if he doesn't already know his daddy's a greasy git, he'll learn soon enough."

Avoiding the cleaning sponge thrown at him, James laughed maniacally and jogged up the stairs cradling the tiny bundle to his chest. Glancing out from the nursery, James made sure he wasn't followed before changing and cleaning the baby. "Aw you know I'm just teasing your mum, don't ya sport?"

Harry squealed in amusement at the funny man and reached for his stuffed dog, which he insisted be named 'Pafoo', much to his godfather's pride. James smiled warmly as he handed over Harry's most prized possession. "I mean after you were born Sev's actually turned into a nice guy. He sure does love you a lot… well, who wouldn't? After all, you've been around me long enough to develop the famous 'Potter Charm'. Of course you're a Potter now too, technically… but I don't ever want you to think it's because your dad doesn't care about you. On the contrary, it's because he loves you so much that he wants to keep you safe from the bad men. Well, you'll understand when you're older, but that's also why daddy can't come visit you nearly as much as he wants to."

Harry seemingly couldn't care less about the 'serious' conversation 'Pongs' was directing at him. He handed James 'Pafoo' and crawled into the grown man's lap. "Thanks, kiddo! Always wanted a puppy." Setting the well-loved dog aside, he grabbed the baby brush and began attempting to straighten out the child's unruly locks. "Your dad's coming to see you today, so we've got to make you look nice."

Harry looked up from pulling on one of James' buttons. "Da da?"

Unaware of the red-haired woman gazing lovingly at her two favorite guys, James continued brushing Harry's hair. "Yep. That's right. Da da's coming to see you tonight when he's through marking papers and next weekend you get to spend time with him at Hogwarts!"

The baby smiled widely and clapped his hands. "Hogwa, Hogwa! Hageed!!"

James barked out a laugh. "I'm sure if you sweet talk daddy enough he'll take you to see him. I know Hagrid'll love to see his favorite 'playmate' again!"

Lily chose that moment to intrude on the bonding session. "As long as Hagrid isn't around any 'loveable yet misunderstood beasties' at the time."

James snickered before his face went serious. He immediately stood and handed the baby to Lily before cautiously moving toward the open window. Lily tensed at her husband's expression. "What is it James?"

"The birds." At her confused gaze, the man elaborated. "In the forest… there's no noise." Sure enough, not one single sound from outside reached her ears. No animal or insect managed to break whatever bubble had descended upon them. Lily felt her skin crawl in terror and clutched her son closer to her breast. Even little Harry was silent in anticipation.

James finally pushed from the window, shutting and locking it firmly before directing his family downstairs. "Come on Lils. I don't know what's going on but I have a feeling we need to leave here. Where's your wand?"

"I left it downstairs by the sink. Do you have yours?" James nodded and pulled it from his sleeve. "Grab Pafoo or the little bugger won't be able to sleep tonight. Dumbledore should have anything else we need for him."

Too scared to reply, Lily did so and silently followed her husband to the stairs. Halfway down James stopped abruptly and his wife gasped at the sight of at least 10 men in black cloaks gathered behind the most evil dark wizard since Grindelwald. Voldemort himself stood at the base of the stairs with a wand trained on the Potters.

Peter had betrayed them.

**********

Severus Snape stepped out of the shower and quickly dressed. He chose his son's favorite robes, (the ones with the big buttons), and stepped out into the corridor. Not for the first time he cursed himself for having joined Voldemort when he was younger. It seemed after the beginning Death Eater Rally he had been fighting tooth and nail to get away from that life. Now as a spy for Albus he was at least doing something to help the light side but at what cost? He had been forced to let his wife and son go in fear for their lives, and he was beginning to lose hope of even being able to acknowledge his loss.

His son… Harold Jamison Potter. Most people thought the fifteen-month-old was a Potter through and through. Few knew that Jamison was chosen as the child's middle name not for James Potter, but Jamison Snape - the boy's true grandfather. The ministry had even recorded the middle name as 'James' mistakenly. While he was glad his father never had to see his only son turn to the dark side for answers, he wished at the same time that the man had lived long enough to see the wonderful creature Severus had helped bring into the world. And as much as he wanted to scale every roof top in England and shout out about his child for all the world to hear, he couldn't even discreetly mention the fact he had a son to many of his colleagues. The fear of Harry ever being placed into Voldemort's scaly hands was enough to overcome the need to show his paternal pride. Well, at least publicly anyway.

Severus sighed. Each day he grew more and more bitter. Not so much for the charade itself, but for the reasons it was necessary. He loved his son more than he had thought it possible to love any other human being and would gladly give his life to protect him. Unfortunately, the strain on his heart from not being able to hold his child whenever he wanted was proving a more difficult task. He'd already missed Harry's first word, 'apple', (which sounded more like 'abbo'), and soon he'd be missing his first steps. But, it was his own fault for being weak and joining Voldemort. Speaking of the infamous wizard, Severus couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't been called in awhile.

Being summoned was never a good thing, but being ignored could prove to be much worse. He pushed open the doors leading outside of the castle and prayed to Merlin they hadn't discovered him to be a spy. He shuddered and lit his wand in the pitch blackness of the grounds, determined to rid himself of any unpleasant thoughts. After all, he was on his way to see his son and nothing could break his good mood.

Well, maybe one thing… like the elderly wizard coming toward him from the castle, calling out his name. He turned back and met the headmaster halfway, growling half-heartedly. "What is it Albus? I'm in a hurry. Harry's waiting for me."

Albus led the younger man to a large rock overlooking the lake and asked him to sit. The Potions Master did so and was about to start ranting about losing time he could be spending with his son when Dumbledore's next words stole his breath. "Severus, there was an attack at Godric's Hollow tonight."

The ice-cold feeling of terror gripped the younger man's very soul. Severus paled and stared dumbly at his mentor. "Lily? Harry?"

Albus sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Severus, but Lily and James were killed by Voldemort's wand."

Tears were streaming down the usually stern professor's face as the news was sinking in. His life was falling apart. His Lily -- the fiery red-head with the heart of gold. His best friend and sole reason for ever having left the darkness was gone. James Potter, also slain. The man who he had once despised but now owed his life to. He, who had offered his name to his enemy's son to better protect the child. And his baby boy… his son…? "Albus, Harry…?"

"He's alive, Severus. Hagrid was sent to retrieve him. Voldemort, however did not fare so well. He's vanished, hopefully for good." Albus' sad smile went completely unnoticed by the younger man who was struggling to comprehend all the information he was receiving. Lily and James were dead. Harry was alive. Voldemort had disappeared… what the… ?

"Voldemort's gone?! How? Is my son okay?!" He grasped the old man's shoulders and barely refrained from shaking all the information out of him.

"From what we, the Order, have gathered, James and Lily were hit with the killing curse by Voldemort. Then he used the same curse on little Harry." Severus tensed even more and was about to interrupt when the headmaster raised his hand for silence. "However when cast at your son, the curse rebounded and hit Voldemort. We have no idea how, but our sources claim that Voldemort 'exploded' as a result." Albus pulled Severus to his feet and led him back to the castle. "Harry is very much alive, my friend and will be here soon."

"What sources are you…?" Snape trailed off as the sound of a loud vehicle approached their position. Suddenly the area around the two wizards was illuminated by the single headlight of a flying motorcycle. Severus could recognize the bike with his eyes closed, having threatened Black with certain death hundreds of times if he caught his son anywhere near the flying menace.

He barely made out the huge form of Hagrid stepping off the motorcycle before taking off at a dead run. Nothing had more priority at that moment than the desperate need to get to his son. The giant man held Snape at bay long enough for recognition to sink in, then immediately surrendered the unconscious form of Harry to the professor's arms.

As one, the three men headed toward the hospital wing with Severus gently holding his handkerchief against the baby's still bleeding head wound.

Albus seemed to notice Hagrid's red-rimmed eyes, for he placed a comforting hand on the large man's arm. "How was it, Hagrid."

A loud sniffle rang through the night air as the other man gathered his wits. "It was 'orrible, Pr'fessor, Sir. We 'ad ter move lots of stuff just ter get ter young 'Arry. The house was turned ter rubble. His mum 'n James ne'er stood a chance!"

The potions master briefly closed his eyes at Hagrid's words. 'Harry. Have to concentrate on Harry now. Grieve for Lily later.'

"You-Know-Who's followers were already gone, Pr'fessor. The aurors were there but they weren't payin' no attention to me. 'Cept Sirius Black. He'd just got there and helped me find 'Arry. Made sure I was going' ter where Pr'fessor Snape was before he'd hand him o'er ter me." Hagrid rubbed at his eyes. "Gave me his motorcycle so's I could get him 'ere faster." The giant man paused. "Pr'fessor, Black said Peter betrayed the Potters… said he was going' ter make him pay. You don' think he's gonna get himself in trouble do yer?"

Albus sighed as they reached the corner closest to the infirmary. "I hope not, Hagrid. I hope not."

***

Madame Pomfrey had just completed her weekly task of inventorying and was about to lock down for the night when the outer doors burst open. Severus Snape strode into the infirmary followed by a weary-looking Albus and a noticeably upset Hagrid. It wasn't until the ex-Death-Eater-turned-spy lay a small bleeding child on the nearest bed that she immediately kicked into professional mode.

Pushing past the distraught men, she pulled out her wand and scanned her small patient, murmuring as she went. "Dehydration, blood loss… hmm… low magic levels…" Then louder, "What happened to this child, Albus?"

"He was struck by a dark curse, Poppy. Are there any serious injuries to the boy?"

Poppy shook her head absently as she sealed the cut on his forehead, leaving a vivid scar in the shape of a lightening bolt over his right eye. Usually in a cut this fresh there would be no scarring whatsoever, but with a dark curse… he was lucky the wound could be magically healed at all. Seeing no major damage usually accompanied by any curse dark in nature, the healer looked up. "Which curse was used?"

Professor Dumbledore sighed wearily and Poppy had the impression that she'd asked the one question he'd not wanted to be asked. His next words shocked her completely. "Avada Kedavra, Poppy. The curse hit the child and was somehow reflected back on the castor. Voldemort is gone as a result, unfortunately not before Lily and James Potter were killed."

Feeling weak in the knees and more than a little dizzy, the medi-witch sank down in the closest chair and concentrated on her breathing. It was too much information to take in at once. She barely noticed when Dumbledore began pacing near the windows. Lily and James - two of her favorite students while in school… "But Headmaster! The killing curse? No one's ever survived it!"

"Yes, that is true Poppy. It seems as if a rather large miracle has been delivered to us tonight. In a rather small package, if I may say." For the first time since entering the room, the old wizard smiled as he gazed at her patient.

Severus, in the meantime had stripped the child of the blood-stained clothes, leaving him only in his diaper. After gently cleaning the dried blood from the small body with a wet cloth, he pulled a chair close to the bed and contented himself with rubbing the back of who could only be young Harry Potter. Hagrid mentioned something about needing to return Sirius' bike and left the ward, but not before bending down to kiss the unruly mop of raven black hair. As a loud sniffle echoed down the halls, the nurse pulled herself together.

She went to a cabinet and took out a potion meant to help the body replenish the blood it lost. Another one would quickly take care of the dehydration. She decided against an energy booster as sleep would be a much safer remedy. The child would also not be needing his magical supply built up while in the sanctuary of Hogwarts. That Harry was able to deflect the strongest curse of all time spoke of the unbelievable amounts of magic he would have to possess, which could only grow stronger with time. Merlin, help them all if the boy grew up not on the side of the light.

A small whimper drew her attention from diluting the potency of the needed potions. It seemed Harry had decided to rejoin them. It was just as well, since feeding potions to an unconscious child would be near impossible. Not that the task would be much easier now, unless… She reached over to the strawberry flavoring she kept in her cabinet for just such emergencies. The powder wouldn't interfere with the potions in anyway and actually make the taste pleasurable, (or at least palatable). She called for some warm milk from a house elf and continued her work.

The whimpers were rapidly turning into full-blown cries of distress as she poured the mixture into a conjured bottle. Little Harry was not happy with his current predicament. Either that or his head hurt. She mixed in a mild pain killing potion just in case and filled the rest with the requested milk before shaking the bottle. For some reason beyond comprehension, Severus Snape had picked the child up and was softly singing a lullaby while rocking what she believed to be the son of his greatest enemy. She assumed the night was definitely made for surprises as she silently handed the bottle to the usually stern man.

***

Severus spoke gently to the agitated boy as he placed the nipple against his mouth. Finally satisfied that he'd made his point to all within shouting distance that he was upset, he allowed his daddy to give him a bottle.

The father was nearly as distraught with the situation and calmed immediately as the bottle was accepted. Knowing for a fact that Pomfrey had to have done something to improve the taste of what was normally a bitter concoction, he look up with grateful eyes to the smiling witch. "Thank you, Poppy."

Her expression showed surprise for a split second before the smile increased. Feeling more than a little stress at the night as a whole, he barely restrained himself from snapping at the woman to 'quit grinning like an idiot'. The two adults started at the sound of Albus Dumbledore's voice, (the old man must have left the wing while Harry was screaming - the coward), calling for every student and teacher to calmly make their way down to the Great Hall immediately for an important announcement regarding the war against Voldemort.

Snape could practically feel the castle move as he imagined hundreds of simultaneous flinches caused from the speaking of the forbidden name. Nevertheless he remained where he was, standing only long enough to transfigure his seat into a rocking chair before settling once again with his son. Glancing down every few minutes at his young charge, he soon became lost in his thoughts of Lily and James… of how the school would take the news of Voldemort's downfall… of what the future would bring.

Would Harry now be safe with him? Was he, who had actively sought out the dark side when the light wouldn't accept him, fit to raise a child? How would the rest of the Wizarding World react to him raising his son? Would Harry be given grief for having an ex-Death Eater parent?

Oh how he wished he had the answers.

***

Sirius Thelonius Black was furious. No, that wasn't the right word - livid. Sirius was absolutely livid with Peter Pettigrew. That dirty little garbage-munching waste of space would soon be nothing more than an ugly grease spot on the pavement. If he was lucky.

Having scoured every inch of the rat's house and coming up with nothing, he racked his brain for other places the little weasel might be. 'Maurice's? Nah, Peter owes him money. Bernie's? Maybe… he's a two-faced thieving liar also. Peter would fit right in there.'

Nearly blind with rage and wondering if Moony would like a human rat for a snack on the next full moon, Sirius nearly ran smack into Hagrid.

"Sirius, I'm not going' ter let you do it!"

Black looked up at the groundskeeper unseeingly. Then he noticed his bike. "Great! You brought my baby back. Now I can run over the little son of a…" He stopped suddenly as the giant grabbed his upper arm in a vice-like grip.

"No Sirius, listen ter me!" He waited until the homicidal tinge had slightly faded from Padfoot's eyes before continuing. "Pettigrew'll get what's comin' ter him. Severus 'n 'Arry need you now."

Shoulders slumped in defeat, Sirius had really wished Hagrid hadn't mentioned Harry. "You don't understand, Hagrid. He betrayed James to Voldemort!" The other man flinched. "I'm the one who convinced James that their lives would be safer with Peter because no one would think to go after him! It's my fault." The last part was whispered.

As the truth was finally spoken and the blame finally placed on the rightful person, Sirius broke down. Sobbing uncontrollably, the animagus slowly sunk to the ground. Hagrid never let go. Instead, they leaned on each other and cried together for the loss of their friends.

"It's not yer fault." The giant continued before the other could argue. "No, ye did what ye thought was best fer yer friends. James knew that. He never would've let it 'appen if he didn't think it ter be the right thing ter do. But what's done is done an' neither one of them would want yer to put 'Arry on hold while ye kill the no good bastard that turned 'em in ter You-Know-Who."

Sirius sighed. Again with Harry. Like he didn't have enough guilt on his plate. "You're right. But we should go back to Godric's Hollow first to see if we can salvage some stuff for Harry. I don't think Snape has anything for him at the castle."

Hagrid nodded and they both mounted the bike with the larger man driving since it was easiest. And also since he probably still didn't completely trust Black's state of mind. Within twelve minutes they were landing at the sight of destruction. Both were immensely grateful that the ministry had already removed the bodies.

Sirius hopped off and steeled himself for the task. "Okay, he'll need clothes, baby books, toys, his blankets…"

"Ye know Sirius that Snape's got or can get most o' that stuff already?"

"Yeah, I know." He began climbing on top of the rubble and moving things aside. "But Harry's world has been turned upside down and the last thing he should have to do is get used to all new things. Look for a stuffed dog, too. He won't sleep without it."

Finally after an hour of rummaging, Sirius had decided they'd gotten all they were going to find. It would do until the ministry workers came back to clear more of the area. He cleaned and repaired everything that needed it with a few waves of his wand, then placed the lot together in a bag he transfigured from a stray sock. Together, they boarded the motorcycle and flew to Hogwarts.

***

The atmosphere at the school when they arrived was chaotic to say the least. Students were out of beds long after hours, drinking butterbeer, and singing 'Ding-Dong, the Wicked Wizard's Dead'. Everyone was so off key that Sirius feared whomever owned the rights to 'The Wizard of Oz' would soon be breaking down the door to sue them. The teachers, (the ones who weren't helping to butcher the classic song), handed out butterbeers and laughed at the spectacle.

Somehow or another he'd ended up with a butterbeer in his hand and Hagrid appeared to have been kidnapped. Ah well, he supposed they'd had very little to celebrate in too many years past. Just because he'd lost two of his best friends and was betrayed by a third was no reason to suck the fun out of the evening for everyone else.

He idly wondered what he'd be doing if Hagrid hadn't found him. Probably be dancing over Peter's corpse holding a bloody knife right about now. Ah well, hopefully soon the traitor would die. Until then he'd plan out the most horrific ways possible to achieve that outcome.

Pushing open the infirmary doors, he smiled softly at the sight that awaited him. Snape was sound asleep in a rocking chair holding tightly to his son. Harry, on the other hand, was wide awake and trying in vain to remove a button from his father's robes. Buttons were the little boy's current fixation. That and hair pulling.

Poppy looked up from where she was writing at her desk and smiled as he came in. He gave a nod in her direction and kissed the top of Harry's head.

Careful not to wake the potions professor, Sirius gently dislodged the hands cradling his favorite (and only) godson. "Siwi!" Harry squealed with delight when he saw to whom the intrusive arms and lips belonged. "Hey buddy! How are you doing?" Taking up residence on Harry's bed, he pulled the transfigured bag closer to them and dumped the contents out. "Let's see… maybe we can find you a sleeper in here. No sense giving all the pretty witches heart attacks from seeing you half naked. There'll be plenty of time for that when you hit sixteen."

He pulled a bright red sleeper adorned with dancing dragons from the pile and proceeded to dress the squirming infant. Finally having completed that task, he grabbed another item and hid it behind his back before Harry could see it. "Hmmm… a funny thing happened on the way to Hogwarts, Harry." Big green eyes locked with his as he continued. "You see, I was flying on my motorcycle and wishing I could go faster so I could see my favorite little guy sooner when all this commotion from the ground made me look down. And what do you think I saw?"

Harry scrunched up his face in confusion. "I saw this tiny puppy crying and running just as fast as his little legs would take him. He was heading in the same direction I was going. I thought he might be in some difficulty, so I landed next to him and turned into a dog so I could understand what he was saying." From his peripheral vision, the animagus saw that Severus was awake and listening to the entire story with almost as much interest as the baby. "Well, it seems the puppy was upset because he couldn't find his boy anywhere! He'd awakened from his nap alone and got scared, so he started sniffing the ground and was on the trail of his boy when I had noticed him.

"Knowing how much my little godson loves puppies, I knew you'd be mad if I didn't help this one. So I asked him what his boy's name was, and do you know what he told me?" Harry squealed and clapped his hands like he was understanding every word and knew what 'Siwi' was holding behind his back. Sirius, meanwhile, appeared amazed as if everything had happened exactly as he had told it. "He said his boy's name was Harry Potter!"

With that said, he pulled a scruffy-looking dark brown stuffed dog out and grinned as Harry's eyes went wide with the joy of seeing his best friend again. "Pafoo!! Pafoo!!"

Laughing outright, Sirius hugged the boy and his puppy for all he was worth. "That's right, little one. Pafoo was doing his best to get back to you. I'm so glad I could help him get here that much faster." He kissed Harry and lay him back on the bed. "You go to sleep, love. It's time for all little boys and puppies to visit dreamland now."

Severus stood and began stretching the kinks out of his back. "What time is it?"

A quick glance at his watch revealed the ungodly hour. "Quarter after 2. How's he been?" Sirius gestured to Harry, who was currently sucking on his thumb. His other hand was tangled in Pafoo's fur and the boy was rapidly falling asleep.

"The potion Poppy gave him knocked him out for a little while. He woke up crying for his mum and I guess I fell asleep shortly after calming him down." The forgotten medi-witch's voice startled them both.

"Yes, well aside from his low magic levels which should be replenished before the week's out and the obvious fatigue, he's perfectly healthy. He'll tire easily until his levels are back where they're supposed to be, but you're free to take him anytime you wish, Sirius."

Sirius raised an eyebrow and looked at his one time enemy who responded with a shrug. "She doesn't know, Black."

Poppy put down her quill and looked questioningly at the two men before her. "I don't know what?"

Snape took a deep breath and turned to face the woman. "Harry is my son." Her eyebrows practically disappeared into her hairline, but he continued before she could comment. "You know Lily and I wed right out of school. Well, we divorced two years after when it was discovered she was pregnant. I knew how Voldemort went after the children of his followers, especially the sons, with intentions to train them into his service from an early age. Actually 'brainwashing' might be a more proper term." He paused to look down at the now sleeping infant. "I did the only thing I knew to do in order to keep that from happening. When Harry was born, he was listed under Lily's maiden name - Evans. And later when she met and married James Potter, he gave my son not only physical protection but the protection of his name as well."

Poppy looked up in shock. "But you hate each other! You, Potter, and Black!" She gestured to the still silent Sirius.

Severus shook his head. "We hated each other, yes. Even after she quit being my wife, Lily was my best friend. I still loved her then and always will, but I had absolutely no say in who she chose to be with. Plus I wasn't about to lose the only chance I had at knowing my son because of past rivalries, so I put aside all the hatred I once had for James. Luckily, he did the same for me." He ran his fingers through his soft hair. "It took awhile, but we learned to get along. Even Black and I. Of course, once he found he was in the running to be Harry's godfather, he mellowed considerably. As much as it pains me to say, the mangy mutt is good with kids. Harry absolutely adores the flea-bitten mongrel."

Sirius smiled and nodded until it clicked in his head what his one time hated enemy had just said. Remembering to keep his voice lowered for the sake of the sleeping child, Sirius growled. "Watch it, Snape. Before you find yourself needing to go somewhere but unable to find a babysitter."

Severus smirked in response. Poppy looked confused. Confused and in need of a drink. Speaking of drink, Sirius grabbed the bottle of butterbeer, still unopened, from the bedside table and downed it as fast as he could. That would do until he found some whiskey.

Snape thanked him for rescuing some of his son's possessions, gathered the items, and placed them back into the bag. He kept out only a soft blanket and was preparing to wrap the boy into it when Sirius placed a hand on his arm. "You might want to place an audio muffling charm on him so he won't wake. It's pretty wild out in the halls."

The other man nodded and did so. Pausing only to thank the other two adults once again for everything they had done for his son, he picked Harry and his things up and headed for his rooms.

***

Severus was exhausted. He pushed his way through the huge party, making sure no one bumped his son. By the time he'd reached the entrance to his home for the past four years, he was running on pure adrenaline, and even that was wearing out fast. After muttering the password, the portrait of Slytherin and his snake opened and he stumbled inside. He was immensely grateful for the soundproofing charm on his quarters when the screeching and loud music vanished with the closing of the door.

He sighed and placed Harry's bag on the closest table. Normally when Harry spent the night here, he would transfigure the couch into a baby bed for him. That was when he wasn't dead on his feet, however, so he kicked off his shoes and lay down on his bed fully clothed. He barely remembered to remove the charm from his son before he placed a protective arm around the boy and drifted off.

***

When Severus woke the next day he immediately noticed two things. One, a very awake Harry Potter was perched on top of his stomach staring at him. And two, according to the clock, he'd have to get ready quickly if he was to make it to the Great Hall for lunch. After settling his son on the bed beside him, he yawned and stretched. Feeling a tug on his robes, Sev looked down and smiled to see Harry once again pulling on a button.

"Good morning, son. I don't suppose you'd mind sharing a bath with me? We're both kind of… I believe the word I'm looking for is 'icky'."

"No baff da da." Despite his words, the boy raised his arms to be picked up as his daddy stood. After Harry was washed, dried, diapered, and clothed, Severus rubbed some anti-infection cream on his son's new mark and focused on getting himself dressed.

Harry was still happily playing with some of the toys his godfather had salvaged when Severus decided they were both ready to face the world.

He was rather amused to see that most of the people in the Great Hall looked hung over. In fact, one Sirius T. Black appeared as if he'd recently crawled out from under a rock. For once in the history of the school there was hardly any talking going on. However, whatever noise there had been stopped immediately upon the sight of the most hated teacher in the castle carrying a baby.

Harry shyly hid his face in his daddy's robes as everyone started staring at him. Sev sat down at his spot and coaxed the baby to turn around and eat. Dumbledore was smiling widely with that infernal twinkle in his eye as the potions professor ignored the gawking masses and alternated between feeding himself and son.

"Wouldn't it be much easier to transfigure a high chair for him?" Albus handed the boy a cupcake and Severus grumbled.

"No it wouldn't. At least not until these people quit staring at him as if he were a zoo exhibit. Don't eat the paper Harry. I'm lucky he's eating while seated on my lap. And don't give him anymore sweets until he finishes his vegetables!"

Madame Hooch suddenly broke down in a fit of giggles, which started a chain reaction. Soon all the teachers were laughing. At Severus' raised eyebrow, all sobered instantly. "Forgive me Severus. It's just that you sounded very… paternal just then."

Sirius snorted then grimaced as if the sudden movement was ripping apart his skull. "Go figure… Snape being paternal. Who would have guessed it possible." Sirius stopped his grumbling and brightened instantly when the object of his sarcasm handed him a potion from the inside of his robes. Many mouths dropped as the animagus downed the whole thing without question.

Severus rolled his eyes at the sight of those nearby seemingly expecting Black to drop dead any second now. "Honestly! It's nothing more than a hangover potion. Any first year should know that from the color and consistency alone… then again, I forget I'm surrounded by incompetent dunderheads. Don't eat the paper Harry. And the next cupcake that comes over here gets shoved up your nose, Albus!"

Instead of replying to the violent threat, Albus' twinkle increased ten fold and he stood up to address the students. "I believe many of you are wondering who this adorable young man is and why he is in the care of your favorite potions professor." He waited for the snickering to die down before continuing. "Yes, well I'm very pleased to introduce you to Harry Potter."

The hall burst into whispering and pointing as they became aware that their savior was in the same room with them making a huge mess of a chocolate cupcake and being cuddled by their abnormally stern teacher. Albus continued as if nothing had happened. "And for the second matter, Professor Snape is in fact Harry's biological father." Stunned silence. "Well, that is all. You may continue eating."

Snape resisted the urge to fall to the floor in laughter. Instead, he gathered up his child and strode out the door, ignoring the headmaster's pleas to return.

"Forget it Albus. It's your announcement - you handle the explanations." The last thing he heard before turning the corner was Black's amused snort.