Harry hadn't been able to listen to anymore of the meeting. Molly had tried to feed him a bottle, but the whole time he screamed, kicked and flailed. Eventually she took him upstairs to the drawing room, apparently he was just to disturbing. Over time he lost the energy to fight back and begrudgingly sucked down the bottle.

The next couple days followed the same basic pattern. Harry sat in some corner looking distraught. Molly would occasionally pick him up and force him to eat or sleep. Between feedings Molly worked on cleaning up the house, Harry had made a really big mess of the place.

She also fixed up a crib for him that included a quidditch mobile. The little players would fly around scoring goals with the quaffle and catching the snitch. One time Harry tried to catch one of the little players, but it slipped freely though his hand. Apparently they were transparent images.

From time to time Harry saw Snape in the house. He wondered why the potion's master was always around. Every time Molly carried Harry into a room containing Snape, he would gather up his belongings and leave.

One particular morning Molly stuffed Harry into this absolutely horrid outfit. He wore a lime green jumpsuit covered with frog pattern. Whenever he crawled around, different frogs would make little 'ribet ribet' sounds. He was busy trying to pull it off while she carried him back down to the kitchen to have his morning bottle.

Snape sat at the table eating a slice of burnt toast. This was the first time Harry ever saw the man eat at Grimmauld Place. But he didn't have time to contemplate the matter; Molly had fixed up his bottled.

"No, no, no," he screamed as Molly shoved the bottle into his face.

"It's okay baby Harry," Molly soothed. "Drink your widdle bottle." He knew it was futile to resist, but he couldn't help but try. The situation was worse now that Snape was there, watching him. Why didn't Snape just leave like he usually did, instead the man got up and looked at the floo, like he was expecting something.

After listening to Harry scream for a couple of minutes Snape finally burst out, "Why don’t you spare Potter the humiliation and let him feed himself?"

"He's just a baby," Molly answered, as if clearly Snape had no idea.

"Physically yes," Snape replied. "But obviously he still has his sixteen year old mind."

"Oh I highly doubt that Severus," Molly said. "He's scared of us like he doesn't know who we are. He wants his mummy and daddy."

"In either case, let him feed himself, so we don't have to listen to that infernal screaming anymore." Snape looked back at the floo, like he wanted to get what he needed and then leave the room.

"Well Severus," Molly said, "that's a nice idea, but we don't have a highchair, and it's just not sanitary to have him eating on the floor." Harry had the distinct impression that Molly was just being difficult, she'd rather baby him.

Snape didn't respond, but transfigured the nearest chair into a highchair. Sighing Molly got up, put Harry into the chair, and pushed it close to the table. Sitting the bottle down in front of Harry she waited skeptically for him to eat. Harry wasn't about to willingly drink a bottle so he ignored it.

"See Severus," Molly said, sounding pleased with herself, "he doesn't know what to do." She looked ready to pick Harry back up and feed him. Quickly Harry reached out and grabbed the bottle. Molly stopped and watched him.

Holding up the bottle for her to see, Harry said as clearly as possible, "No." And then with all his strength he tossed the bottle as far as possible. Proud of his cleverness he sat back and watched her retrieve the bottle.

"Harry dear," Molly said calmly. "You need to drink your bottle. If you don't you'll go hungry."

"You could let him eat food," Snape dryly suggested.

Sighing, Molly started preparing Harry some real food. Sitting the plastic plate in front of him, Molly appeared hopeful that Harry would just toss it aside. If he did, she'd probably give up and just force him to drink the bottle again.

Harry wasn't exactly excited by the little bite size bits of overly cooked vegetables and meat chunks, but it was better than a bottle. Taking a bite, he found the food to be bland and nearly tasteless. Worst of all he had to gnaw on it for awhile, with only four teeth, chewing was a bit difficult. He couldn’t hide the look of disgust as he ate, but he didn't whine to complain either.

Frustrated Molly spouted, "Since you're such a baby expert Severus, you watch him for awhile. I have cleaning to do." Molly stormed out of the room muttering to herself, "Raised six kids, I have. But no, he thinks he can do better…"

"Yuck," Harry said, pushing the plate away.

"Eat it Harry or I'll call her back," barked Snape.

Harry did as he was told, and after a while Snape sat back down to finish his toast. After Harry finished all of his food he climbed out of his highchair and onto the table. He wanted to get back down to the floor and was busy looking for a safe way to do it.

Just then Hagrid stepped through the floo carrying a small pouch. He didn't seem to notice Harry, and walked straight over to Snape.

"I think I found what yer after Professor," Hagrid said. "It's a little baby so it mighta died on the way 'ere."

Snape stood up quickly and took the pouch out of Hagrid's hands. Gently he pulled out a small plant and examined it. Harry crawled closer to get a better look. 'What is it,' he tried to ask, but muttered a mix of sounds instead.

"Why hullo there 'arry," Hagrid said, picking Harry up and holding him in his hands.

"Hi," Harry said, discovering a new word that he could say.

"Why yeh look jus' like yeh did when I found yeh af'er 'you know who' attacked," Hagrid continued. He brushed his big hand across Harry's forehead and added. "'Cept yer scar's gone."

Harry reached up and felt his forehead. He hadn't realized that his scar was gone. He had grown up used to having it. The scar was a part of him and he never really thought about life without it.

"Well don' yeh go worryin' yerself Harry," Hagrid said as he sat Harry back down on the table. "Snape'll fix yeh up an' you'll be right as rain a'fore know it. 'S Harry did yeh get yer cupcake? I asked Professor Snape to give it to yeh. Sorry I didn' make you a proper cake. But I've been summat busy." Harry blushed when he remembered thinking Snape had given him the cupcake. It had been a really foolish thought; of course Snape hadn't given it to him. "Now I've got ter go, loads ter do. Sorry I can' stay an' chat. G'bye Harry, Professor." Hagrid left back through the floo. Harry had a whole bunch of questions he wanted to ask, but couldn't formulate the words to say them.

Snape had ignored them both and didn't notice when Hagrid left. He sat studying the plant. How long did he have to look at it, Harry thought, it didn't look the special to him. Harry crawled over just the same in order to get a closer look.

Seeming satisfied, Snape gently wrapped his fingers around the plant and rushed upstairs. Harry looked around for an easy way down from the table. Perhaps he could maneuver down onto one of the chairs and then it was only a short distance more till he reached the floor.

Harry lay down on the table and dangled his feet over the edge; he couldn't feel the chair below him. Slowly he scooted back; he didn't want to fall, but he knew that the chair must be there.

Harry heard footsteps come rushing down the stairs, but he couldn't look up to see them. At the moment he felt his fingers slipping as his body fell back.

"Harry," Snape snapped. It was too late, by then Harry was falling backwards. But he didn't fall far; in fact he landed safely on the chair. The momentum was to great though and his legs gave way till he landed on his butt. "Potter, your stupidity has no bounds. Did you know you could have fallen to the ground? I suppose you think a concussion would fit nicely with your condition."

'You're one to talk,' Harry incoherently garbled out, 'I'm not the one that forgot a baby sitting on a table.'

"And now you've managed to alienate Mrs. Weasley. She's busy sulking somewhere in the house," Snape said. He sounded thoroughly annoyed, which was entertaining to Harry to no end. "As such, I'm stuck with you." Snape picked up Harry and carried him upstairs as if he were a quaffle.

All the way up the stairs Harry complained, but of course Snape didn't understand a thing he said. They reached the room Harry recognized as the one he broke into a few days before. "Now sit down and don't move," Snape commanded as he put Harry down.

Snape walked over to his desk and went back to work. He had a small knife and sat dissecting the plant's roots. Meanwhile Harry surveyed the room. Before there had been only one cauldron, but now several were scattered about the room and most of them were brewing something.

Overcome with curiosity Harry stood up and toddled over to the nearest cauldron. He wasn't very steady on his feet, but he managed well enough. He crouched down to get a closer look at the bubbling contents. He couldn't recognize the smell at all, but that didn't really mean much. He leaned in even closer, he thought he saw something odd floating there.

His face was about an inch away when he felt a hand push him backward. "Potter, you obnoxious idiot, must I tell you to stay back from the boiling potion?"

Harry started babbling insults at the man. Even though he knew Snape couldn't understand him, it made Harry feel better. It was just as well Snape couldn't understand him, Harry liked the idea of getting away with insulting the man.

Snape ignored Harry and started adding bits of root to several different potions. Harry was impressed with Snape's ability to multitask, he seemed to be able to stir and monitor each potion simultaneously.

Despite knowing that he was incomprehensible, Harry asked 'what are you brewing Snape?' Again the words came out all garbled, but he was surprised by the sound his attempt at Snape made. It distinctly resembled Snape but without the 's' sound. To make sure, Harry said Snape again and giggled when he heard himself say "nape." Proud of himself, Harry continued to say the name over and over again, "Nape, Nape, Nape." Harry pulled on Snape's robe to get the man's attention. "Nape," he said again.

Rolling his eyes, Snape pulled his robe away from Harry and said, "Congratulations, now shut up." He ignored Harry's sulky look and turned back to his work.

Harry tried to move around Snape in order to see exactly what the man was doing. But Snape continued to step in the way. Frustrated Harry toddled over to another cauldron to look at it instead.

"Perhaps Molly is right," Snape said, sounding aggravated. "Although I don't see much of a difference between you and your sixteen year old self." He picked up baby Harry and carried him away from the cauldrons. Setting Harry back down on the ground, he started constructing an age line and then returned to his work.

Disgruntled Harry looked around for something to do. On his side of the age line there was only bare floor and an open door. So Harry decided to sneak out. He toddled as quietly as possible, but sure enough Snape saw him.

"Potter!" he warned.

But Harry didn't listen. With a squeal he tried to run as fast as his little feet could take him. He went a little too fast and fell to his hands and knees. Not wanting to waste time, he continued in a crawl. Reaching the stairs he climbed up. He was surprised that the potion's master hadn't caught him yet. Once on the next floor he decided to go to his room. Thankfully the door was slightly ajar so he was able to push his way in.

'Hedwig!' he garbled. A few days had passed and he hadn't seen his pet. He was glad to see that his window was still open, so she could go out and hunt whenever she was hungry. But Harry knew she enjoyed an occasional treat and his company. He tried to apologize, but Hedwig remained out of reach. She eyed him curiously, as if contemplating how to respond. 'It's me,' he attempted to explain, but to no avail. He sat down to ponder a way to get to Hedwig, but then she swooped down to get a closer look at him. Excited Harry reacted and crawled over to her, if he could just pet her, she'd know who he was. He reached out his little hand, but Hedwig bit his finger and then flew out of range.

That hurt, bad. Not just the pain of the bite, but that it came from Hedwig. He couldn't hold back the tears and started to cry. Normally he wouldn't be prone to cry so easily, but as a baby it was different.

"Oh not that wailing again Potter," Snape shouted as he entered the room. "Now do I have to tape you to the wall in order to make you stay put?"

"Honestly Severus," Molly said walking into the room. "Is that any way to talk to a baby?" She picked Harry up and tried to comfort him, "Come on Harry, let's get you away from the big meany." Harry pointed at Hedwig and tried to explain the situation. Molly saw his hand at once; a large welt was forming at the site of the bite. "Ah poor dear, I'll take care of that right away."

Molly took Harry back down to the kitchen and applied a cool cloth to his bite. Hedwig followed them down to the basement, she watched Harry intently as if to make sure he was okay. Meanwhile Snape went back to his potion brewing.

xxxxx

A couple more days passed, things were getting a little bit more tolerable. Harry continued to push Molly away and thankfully she was learning to give him some space. Down in the kitchen she had transfigured a chair into a small table and smaller chair. Now Harry could sit and eat on his own if he was hungry. She also didn't bother Harry with naps. So he would fight to stay awake as long as possible only to wake later in his crib.

Another change was that Snape had brought all of his cauldrons down into the kitchen. The large table provided a lot more space for him to spread out his numerous cauldrons, ingredients and notes. Snape no longer found Harry's presence unbearable, but that was probably due to the fact Harry wasn't being forced to drink bottles anymore.

Hedwig also stayed nearby, although still out of reach. Harry would set out a plate of vegetables to lure her in. But only took the bait when Harry was far enough away that she could eat a few bites and then fly to safety before he managed to toddle back.

One day after a nap he woke up to find a plushie version of Hedwig sitting next to him. At first he was a bit offended. He didn't need some stuffed animal to play with; after all he wasn't a baby. But as Hedwig continued to avoid him, Harry submitted and held onto the plushie instead.

On this same day Snape finished his first potion. Harry was busy eating his green beans while his plushie Hedwig sat in his lap. "Come here Potter, time to figure out how old you are." Harry toddled over, but Snape was impatient so he picked up Harry and carried him. He sat Harry down on the table and administered a series of charms. Half way through Harry remembered he was still holding his plushie, so he hid Hedwig behind his back. He cringed at the realization that as soon as he was sixteen again and back in school, Snape would have endless embarrassing stories to taunt him with.

"What are you doing to him?" Molly asked, her voice full of concern. She had left Harry to eat on his own while she flooed home to check on her family.

"Calm yourself Mrs. Weasley. I've finished the Age Enhancer Potion and I need to figure out how old Harry is."

"Oh you've done it Severus, how wonderful," Molly squealed. She was so excited that she actually clapped.

"I have managed to brew the average Age Enhancer Potion, any half competent potion brewer could do it. Probably even Potter here," Snape drawled on.

"But I thought it was just a theory and you've been doing all this research," Molly said.

Snape spoke, as if he were talking to a first year, "I need to give Harry this potion to see how much it changes his age in order to figure out how concentrated to make the potion in the future. The theory is that you can make the potion strong enough to advance a person's age by a good number of years. But the problem is not killing the person in the process." Snape continued examining Harry, but he was beginning to look frustrated. "Damn it!" he said.

"What's wrong?" Molly asked.

"The spells are failing to detect his age," Snape explained.

"Here let me try," Molly said pulling out her wand. Snape's expression looked past livid, but he stepped aside to let her try. Harry half expected Snape to obliviate Mrs. Weasley's mind if she managed to succeed where he had not. In the end Molly gave up as well. "What are you going to do now Severus?" Her voice sounded forlorn, as if all was lost.

"I suppose I'll have to monitor his growth over a period of a few days," Snape sounded irritated at the prospect of spending yet more time with baby Harry. But after Snape made the decision to continue, he worked fast. "I need a spot of blood," he said as he pricked Harry's index finger with a needle. He held up the cauldron and squeezed Harry's finger till a drop of blood fell in. Satisfied Snape released the little hand. Harry held it close to his body, his baby self wanted to break down and cry. He managed to hold himself together, only his lips quivered. "Now drink it all," Snape commanded as he shoved a cup to Harry's mouth. The liquid tasted so bad that he nearly choked.

"Is it too hot?" Molly asked hovering in the background.

Snape ignored her and examined the cup to make sure all the liquid was gone. Then Snape watched Harry's reaction. Did he expect to see me grow? he wondered. Nothing was happening so Harry attempted to shrug. But then he doubled over from the sudden pain in his stomach. It was absolutely excruciating; he couldn't hold back his cries of pain. He nearly fell off the table, but Snape caught him and handed him over to Molly. He looked ready to walk away and continue brewing more potions.

"What's wrong with him?" Molly demanded. She held Harry close and was patting his back in attempt to calm him.

"His stomach is a little sensitive," Snape casually explained. Molly gave him a harsh look. "In a little while he'll be just fine."

A little while turned out to be an exaggeration. Harry sat in Molly's lap, clutching his Hedwig and trying not to move, he thought he might sick up. After what seemed like an eternity he felt his stomach muscles begin to relax and slowly the pain faded away.

Molly noticed Harry's rigid body begin to move, "Are you feeling better dear?" Sort of, he wanted to explain, his stomach still hurt, it was just bearable now. But in the end he just nodded. "Are you hungry? It's been awhile since you've eaten. A bottle would make your stomach feel much better."

"No," Harry said, climbing off her lap and backing away.

"I'm not going to make you," Molly said. "But trust me, it will help you stomach a lot." She went and prepared a bottle for him. Meanwhile Harry went and hid under the table. "Now I'm just going to leave this here," she announced, setting the bottle down on the on his little table. "Whether you drink it or not, it's up to you." She disappeared upstairs, presumably to do more cleaning.

Harry had no intention what so ever to drink that bottle. His stomach grumbled in protest, he was hungry, but food seemed repulsive. Slowly he crept out from under the table; maybe it wouldn't hurt to try the bottle. He looked around to make sure Snape was busy. The man was engrossed in another book and was scribing some notes. Quickly Harry sprinted over, grabbed the bottle and slipped back under the table.

Lying on his back he waited for Snape to insult him, but after hearing nothing he stuck the bottle in his mouth. Molly was right; it did make him feel better. As the pain in his stomach disappeared he realized how tired he was. His eyelids became heavy till he could no longer hold back the sleep.

xxxxx

When he woke up next he was surprised to find himself still under the table. From sleeping on the stone floor he got so cold that his hand and lips were tinted blue. Usually Molly would have moved him to his crib, but for some reason she hadn't this time. Harry crawled out from under the table, leaving the empty bottle, but carrying Hedwig close. He looked around for Molly, but she wasn't in the kitchen. Snape was still busy working on his various potions; did the man ever take a break?

"Nape?" Harry asked, pulling on the potion master's robe. 'Not that I'm complaining, but where's Mrs. Weasley.'

"I don't speak infant," Snape replied, turning back to his work.

Frustrated Harry decided to go look for her on his own. He crawled up the stairs and then toddled to the room that had his crib. No one was there so he looked in the room where Molly had been staying. She wasn't there either. Harry tried to call out for her, even though he was just making random sounds.

"Can't you stay contained," Snape snapped entering the room.

'How come Mrs. Weasley isn't here?' Harry garbled, shrugging his shoulders.

Even though Snape was oblivious to Harry's question he said, "Molly had to rush home to care for her idiot son. He managed to fall off of his broom playing quidditch and now he's held up with some broken bones and a concussion."

'Which son,' Harry tried to ask. Snape had picked up Harry and was now carrying him back downstairs, again like he was a quaffle. Harry continued trying to inquire, 'Are you talking about Ron? I mean Mrs. Weasley has a whole bunch of sons.'

Back down in the kitchen Snape continued, "Now you, stay." He put Harry back down on the floor. "Eat, sleep, I don't care, but stay down here." Snape went back to his work again and Harry sat.

He was so bored, as a baby there wasn't much to do. Harry decided to try and see what Snape was doing, so he climbed up onto one of the chairs. From there he stood and was able to see Snape's work sprawled out across the table, he was astonished by how messy it was.

'You'd kill us if we ever made such a big mess of our workstation at school,' Harry incoherently mumbled.

"Down," Snape commanded.

"No!" Harry shouted back. But he lost his nerve as Snape advanced at him and scurried down. After Snape was distracted and a safe distance away, Harry crawled back up on the chair. Whether or not Snape noticed, Harry didn't know. For a while Harry watched in silence as the man added various ingredients to the different potions. Harry had to admit Snape was good at what he did, monitoring all the potions at the same time. For Harry one potion was hard enough. But then one of the potions started boiling over. "Uh oh," Harry said pointing over to the cauldron.

Looking annoyed Snape said, "I know what I'm doing." He tossed a seed into the cauldron and instantly the boiling calmed. "Now get down Potter!"

'But there's nothing else to do,' Harry tried to complain.

As if sensing his statement Snape took out his wand and commanded, "Accio Potter's trunk." The trunk came flying down the stairs and thudded to the floor. "Now go and entertain yourself."

Harry climbed off of his chair and toddled over to his trunk. The lid was too heavy. "Nape-" Harry started to ask just as the lid flew open on its own. Harry pushed his little chair over and crawled up on it so he could get to the trunk's contents.

The very first thing he found was his invisibility cloak. A twisted smile crossed his face as he contemplated a wicked plan. He looked up quickly to see if Snape noticed and then grabbed his cloak. He slipped across the room as quietly as possible and then sat down to cover himself. Watching Snape, he waited.

A few minutes passed before Snape glanced around the room. "Potter," he shouted. Snape muttered to himself as he looked under the table and in the trunk. Harry couldn't help but giggle. But that was a bad idea. Snape honed in on the sound and walked over to Harry. Pulling off the cloak Snape said, "You insufferable pain."

Smiling Harry garbled back, 'What you said to entertain myself.'

Snape however wasn't amused, "Perhaps I should just accio your crib and leave you in there all day."

Suddenly the situation wasn't so funny anymore. "No," Harry said, holding his head down.

"Then stop being so annoying!" Snape shouted. He pocketed Harry cloak and walked away. Snape was just like his Aunt and Uncle; he knew what would happen next if he continued to be in the way. Harry toddled over and picked up his Hedwig plushie. Hugging it closely he laid down on the floor.

xxxxx

Later that day Molly returned and yelled at Snape for making Harry lay on the cold stone floor. The she apologized to Harry, explaining that Ron had injured himself and was going to need a lot of her attention too. So from then on Molly only flooed in to make sure Harry was alive and well.

As a result Harry started waking up in his crib once again, although now it was down in the kitchen. Harry never saw Snape sleep, but he knew the man had to at some point or another.

Snape was getting a bit more lax about Harry's presence. He allowed Harry to watch the potions brewing as long as Harry didn't touch anything. Also Snape mixed Harry's potion in with some baby formula. He left the bottle on Harry's small table and instructed him to make sure the contents disappeared.

Harry discovered that he could still read, but was unable to maneuver a quill to write. So he decided to study his potions book in order to be ready to write his essays later. He knew that Snape would still expect all of his summer course work complete, despite the fact he had spent a couple weeks as a baby.

Every time Molly dropped by Harry was either studying his potions book or watching Snape brew. Over time she came less and less, because she wasn't really needed there anymore, or so he thought.

xxxxx

For the first time as a baby he had a dream. Harry was hiding behind a big cushy couch. Not out of fear, but in playfulness.

"I can't find Harry anywhere," his father's voice sarcastically declared. Harry couldn't help but snigger. "There you are! I'm gonna getcha." Harry squealed and ran away. But his father caught him and started tickling his sides. He giggled uncontrollably and tried to get away.

"James, it's time for Harry to go to bed," he heard his mum call from the other room.

"Oh all right," his dad replied smiling. He scooped Harry up lovingly and said, "Time for bed Harry."

"No," Harry replied. But he didn't fight; rather he laid his head down on his dad's shoulder. He felt so safe and secure; he didn't ever want to leave the man's embrace. Although he clung on tightly, his dad was pulling him away, to put him down. "No, no!" he protested.

Someone grabbed him from behind. "It's time for bed Harry," his mum's soft voice soothed. Riveted by her, he let go of his dad and relaxed into his mother's lap.

"I love you Harry," his dad said, leaning down to give him a kiss. "Good night."

"Da da," he squealed in reply. He reached out his little finger to touch his dad's nose. It was his way of saying 'I love you too.' After rustling Harry's hair, his dad left the room.

Harry leaned against his mum and let her loving warmth radiate through him. She pulled up a book and started reading it to him. He loved hearing her voice as it changed between characters.

"Dat," Harry would say pointing to the pictures. Full of patience and understanding she would name each character. She didn't get annoyed with the constant questions. He was getting tired now and started sucking his thumb. His mum was rocking him and gently stroking his hair back. Harry felt filled with love, unconditional love, he wanted to stay in that moment forever.

She lifted his limp body down into the crib. "I love you Harry," she said as she bent down to kiss his head. Harry relaxed and let his body drift off to sleep. He knew his mum and dad would always be there for him. He knew he was safe.

A loud bang startled him awake. He stood up in his crib and waited for his mum and dad to come and comfort him.

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off--," he heard his dad shout.

His mum rushed through the door, picked up Harry and held him close. For a moment he didn't hear anything but his mum's rapid heart beat. But then he heard another loud bang and felt his mum's body waver under the force of the blast. The cackle of high-pitched laughter filled the room. She put Harry down and turned to defend him.

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!" his mother begged.

"Stand aside you silly girl," the evil voice commanded calmly, "stand aside now."

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead---"

"Avada Kedavra," said a voice that chilled him to the bone. Even as he saw the green burst of light, heard his mum's horrified scream and watched her body flop to the floor, he didn't understand what was going on.

The evil man loomed over him, studying him. Harry stared innocently back, he didn't know to be afraid. "Avada Kedavra," he heard the man say again. He watched the green flash hit his forehead and then a blinding pain in his head.

For a moment he lost consciousness, when he woke again, his head hurt. He wanted his mum; she could make things better. He crawled over to her body that was sprawled out oddly on the floor.

"Mum," he said shaking her arm. "Mum!" he said a bit louder. He didn't understand why she wouldn't wake up. His head was really starting to hurt now. He stretched out his hand and lightly touched his mum's face. But she didn't move and the pain in his forehead was getting unbearable. He lay down as close to her as possible, to feel her loving warmth again. But something was wrong… he started to cry.

His blood curdling screams echoed through the house. He was fully aware now of what was wrong with his mum. It was such a horrific realization; feelings of loss and pain filled him. Although it had been sixteen years, it felt as if she died only a moment ago. He screamed for her, he wanted her back. He was scared, he didn't know where he was, and his head ached with a pain stronger than ever before.

"Potter, what's the matter with you?" Snape shouted entering the room. Snape, he remembered the potions and the kitchen… but where was he now… definitely not in the kitchen anymore. He didn't dwell on it, all he could think about was his mum, laying sprawled out on the floor. He started gagging, he thought he might sick up. "Lumos," he heard Snape command.

"Mumma," he tried to explain. But the light augmented his pain; he had to look away.

He heard Snape gasp. Had he ever heard the man react like that before? Snape picked up Harry and carried him like a baby down the stairs. Harry used his hands to cover his eyes; the whole world was blurry. Cold fingers gently smoothed a potion over his scar. Only it wasn't a scar now, more like wound. Slowly the pain slipped away and Harry could breath more regularly.

"Is that better Harry?" Snape asked, looking down at him.

Physically Harry felt better, but the images of his mum filled his mind. "Mumma," he cried, trying once again to explain.

Snape looked uneasy, as if unsure what to do. Finally he held up his wand and commanded, "Accio stuffed Hedwig." Snape stuck Harry down on the floor and shoved Hedwig into his arms. "Um, Molly should be around in the morning," he added quickly.

Harry sat there and shivered. He looked around the room nervously expecting Voldemort to pop out of nowhere and attack again. He felt scared, alone and cold. He wanted to be held, to feel his mother's warmth again.

He got up and toddled back over to Snape and pulled on the edge of his robe.

"What do you want?" Snape asked, but not in his usual harsh tone, he just sounded a bit uncomfortable.

"Up, up," Harry pleaded. Snape obliged and picked him up. Harry leaned closely and put his head on the man's shoulder. He didn't care that it was Snape, he was desperate. He wanted anybody to care. Harry mumbled on endlessly, trying to describe the dream. He knew most of what he said was unintelligible, but surely Snape understood the frequent mention of his mum and dad.

Surprisingly enough Snape didn't cast him away. In fact he started patting him on the back, mimicking Arthur's previous example. The pats were awkward at first, but settled into a rhythmic pattern after awhile. Harry would drift off to sleep only to be jolted awake when Snape tried to slip him back into his crib. Then he would cling tightly, so that Snape wouldn't leave him. Eventually Snape gave up trying to return Harry to his crib. Instead he sat down and cradled Harry throughout the rest of the night.