Once the initial relief he felt at the rescue of the Pickles children had worn off, Severus Snape found himself irritated with the headmaster.

‘Are you suggesting that I play nursemaid to two infants?’ he demanded, his black eyes flashing and narrowing to slits.

Dumbledore met the anger with twinkling eyes and a mischievous smile.

‘Come now Severus, you have done very well with Harry.’

They were sitting across from each other in the Headmaster’s office. Dumbledore had had his full report from Snape about his encounter with Lucius and they had agreed a long-term plan for stepping up the protection around Draco Malfoy. Dumbledore had told Snape about Thomas’ current state, and explained that they had no alternative but to keep hold of the children for the time being. They could not risk having them returned to their mother with Thomas still as a baby; it would put the Pickles family in jeopardy, and it would also be difficult to explain to Maura Pickles.

‘What about the mother?’ Snape said, clutching for the best reason to not have to take on the young Pickle. ‘She must be informed that her children are safe. I don’t see how returning the children will put them in any danger. We could modify their memories and hers.’

Dumbledore peered over his half-moon spectacles.

‘What about the journalists who have followed the story in the muggle press - can we similarly modify their memories? No Severus, the Pickle children must not be returned until the Dark Lord’s plans are clear to us. Besides which, there would be nothing to stop Lucius ordering the Pickles dead – perhaps their entire family – to ensure their silence. The children have seen and heard too much. In addition, Lucius’ carelessness in allowing his prisoners to be liberated might be discovered by Voldemort, and this would break the vow you have made.’

‘You appear to have thought of everything,’ Snape said wearily. ‘Yet you forget that we are no nearer to discovering a cure for Potter, much less the Pickle.’

‘You underestimate yourself, Severus,’ Dumbledore said. He paused. ‘Did Lucius say anything that may be of help?’

‘Only that the use he had for the Pickle children was at an end. I believe that the curse he is working on for the Dark Lord is almost completed.’

‘Then we must act quickly.’

‘I assure you, headmaster that I am doing everything possible to …’

Dumbledore held up his hand to stop Snape.

‘It wasn’t a criticism. I realise that finding the answer to the curse will take as long as it will take. What I meant was that we will have to take extra measures of security, press our informers and, to borrow the words from Alastor, maintain constant vigilance. It may be impossible for us to stop Lucius and Voldemort carrying out their plan and so we have to prepare ourselves for a strike – whichever form the strike may take.’

Dumbledore turned to the watchful portrait of Phineas Black that hung behind him with the other previous headmasters of Hogwarts.

‘Phineas, please inform the Order that there will be an immediate meeting for those members not on duty.’

Phineas saluted the headmaster solemnly then disappeared.

Dumbledore turned back to Severus. ‘I am sure that Madame Pomfrey will keep Harry and Thomas until after the meeting. Lee and Michael have gone back to the Burrow with Molly Weasley. We thought it the safest place for them and she was most eager to oblige.’

Snape hesitated. He had not planned to tell Dumbledore about his exchange with Sirius, but he was still rattled by it and had no intention of returning to Grimmauld Place so soon after.

‘Is it necessary that I attend?’ he said. ‘I have told you everything I know about the Dark Lord’s current plans for the Death Eaters.’

Dumbledore sat back in his chair and eyed Snape evenly, pressing his fingertips together. With an astuteness that would have shocked Severus was he not so used to Dumbledore’s ability to read him, he then said, ‘I realise that the bargain that you have struck with Lucius was difficult for you, Severus. It has been many years since there has been any true complicity between the two of you.’ He paused for a second, and Snape thought his eyes seemed to lose their sparkle, before he asked, ‘Did you meet with Sirius on your return to Grimmauld Place?’

Snape nodded almost imperceptibly.

‘Do not dwell on it, Severus,’ Dumbledore said. ‘We all have our moments of weakness. There is always someone in our lives that tends to bring out the worst in us; it doesn’t make us bad people. It is strange that, more often than not, it is someone with a similar strength to us. Still it is worrying to me that there are two members of our Order who bear such ill-feeling towards each other. I believe that there will come a time when it will be regretted. You and Sirius, as I have said on many occasions are more alike than you know.’

‘Really headmaster …’ Snape said angrily.

‘As I said: More than you know,’ Dumbledore interrupted - the twinkle back in his eye. ‘Very well then, Severus, you may go and retrieve Harry and become acquainted with Thomas. It may do you well to gain some distance from the Order for the time being.’

Snape nodded and turned on his heel to leave.

The remarks about Sirius followed him for the rest of the day.

Harry was sitting in an enlarged play pen in the deserted hospital wing glaring at Thomas as he banged away with two wand-shaped sticks on a series of different mini-sized cauldrons arranged on a flat frame. Harry knew from experience that when they were hit in a certain way they made a nice musically sound – but Thomas was hitting them haphazardly with such force that it was just a big fat, horrible noise.

‘Stop!’ Harry screamed, hiding Cheep-Cheep under his star-patterned woolly jumper to protect the squawking bird's ears.

Thomas merely blew spit bubbles and kept banging. He was enjoying making moo-sic with the cauldron-thingamajig. He had on a bright green jumper with drool all down it and, Harry thought, with his oversized head and small chubby legs, he looked just like the demented goblin from his fairy tale book.

‘Tommy cwever!’ Tommy yelled over the din.

Harry didn’t think Tommy was very clever at all. Sighing, he got to his feet and walked over to Thomas. He then wrestled the sticks from his chubby fists.

‘No! No! No!’ Tommy said, struggling to keep a grip on his moo-sic wands. Unfortunately he was no match for Harry.

‘Ha ha!’ Harry said, stepping back. ‘No noise! Harry clever’

In response, to Harry’s disappointment, Tommy started to bawl at the top of his voice; making far more noise than he had been previously. He didn’t understand why this other boy was being so mean. He had actually been playing a special tune just for Hawwy – all about being friends.

‘Waaahhh.’

Harry covered his ears. With this new baby on the scene it didn’t seem like he was ever going to get any peace.

It was to this chaotic scene that Snape arrived, Madame Pomfrey at his heels.

‘Nape!’ Harry screamed, Tommy suddenly forgotten. He raced over to the end of the playpen and held his arms up. ‘Nape back fwor Potter?!’

Harry was overjoyed. He hadn’t seen his batman for ages. He’d almost thought that he’d forgotten all about him.

Snape raised an eyebrow as he looked from an inane Potter to a screaming Thomas. He wondered for the millionth time why he had ever allowed Dumbledore to talk him into it.

‘Come on, now, shush,’ Madame Pomfrey said, hoisting Thomas into her arms. ‘What’s all this fuss about?’

Thomas pointed to Harry. ‘Hawwy!’ he said.

Madame Pomfrey turned stern eyes upon Harry. ‘What have you been up to now, young man?’ she said. She turned to Severus. ‘Honestly, he’s been nothing but trouble. He’s been tormenting poor Thomas since he arrived.'

Harry scowled at Madame Pomfrey. ‘Tommy stoopid,’ he said.

‘Well really!’

‘That’s enough, Potter,’ Snape said. ‘And please detach yourself from my robes. I am not going anywhere.’

Harry sheepishly dropped the handful of robes he had grabbed onto. Snape opened the playpen.

‘Out. We are returning to my quarters.’

‘Yey!’ Harry squealed. He started jumping up and down, running round and round Snape. ‘I go home, I go home!’

‘Stop that at once,’ Snape snapped, ‘you are not a time-turner.’ Harry obediently stood quietly next to Snape – he wasn’t going to risk making him mad and not getting to go with him after all.

‘He needs feeding,’ Madame Pomfrey informed Snape, jiggling Thomas up and down as he bawled. ‘He’s tired too. I trust you can remember the routines you used with Harry when he was eighteen months?’

Snape pursed his lips but nodded. He had hoped that this stage of infantile behaviour was behind him. He remembered how difficult Potter had been for the few days that he had been that young.

‘He likes this,’ Madame Pomfrey added, taking a circular contraption with a rubber teat from her pocket. ‘It’s a muggle dummy.’ She placed it next to Thomas mouth and immediately he grabbed it, stopped crying and placed it in his mouth, sucking contentedly. Snape was amazed.

‘Clever, isn’t it?’ Madame Pomfrey smiled. ‘Molly Weasley brought it in. Apparently she used them a lot with the twins.’ She held out Thomas for Snape.

‘Ex-cooose me?’ Harry interrupted with horror, pulling on Snape’s robes urgently.

‘Yes Potter?’

‘Tommy not come,’ Harry said, shaking his head very firmly and pushing at Madame Pomfrey’s legs.

‘Yes Potter, Thomas is coming. Now kindly stop pushing.’

‘No!’ Harry said with horror. ‘Thomas NOT COME!’ He felt tears prickle in is eyes as his cheeks reddened. They couldn’t be serious. The stupid baby couldn’t possibly be coming back to his and Snape’s little house (well rooms).

‘I think he’s tired too,’ Madame Pomfrey said wryly.

‘No!’ Harry said, stamping his foot. ‘NOT TIRED. TOMMY NOT COME!!!’

‘Supper, then bed,’ Snape announced, choosing to ignore the screaming. ‘Now lets get going.’ He reached down. ‘Hold my hand.’

Harry, still carrying on, yelled, ‘No!’ and so Snape grabbed his wrist.

‘What a lot of fuss about nothing,’ he muttered, carrying Thomas and marching Harry from the room.

Back at Snape’s quarters, Harry was sulkily pushing his mince and dumplings round his plate, as Snape helped Thomas feed himself a blended version from the red plastic bowl and spoon that used to be Harry’s.

It wasn’t fair, Harry thought. Everyone had been fussing around Tommy since he had arrived. Even Hermy-oneee had cooed at him when she’d given him a bath – letting him splash around to his hearts content. She had laughed when he had tipped a cup of water all over Harry’s head, then scolded Harry for splashing him back.

“He’s younger than you, Harry,’ she had explained. ‘He doesn’t understand.’

Harry wasn’t sure about that – he seemed to understand plenty to Harry. In fact he had stuck his tongue out at Harry when Hermione had turned to get the shampoo.

‘Another mouthful please,’ Snape instructed Thomas. Obediently, Thomas, with a bit of guidance from Snape’s hand, pushed the food into his mouth.

‘Ta!’ he said smiling.

Harry rolled his eyes. Ron had taught him all about suck-ups the other day and Harry knew that that was what Thomas was being. He was acting like he actually liked the slimy gunk that the batman was feeding him. And he’d sat quietly, scribbling on a piece of parchment when Snape had been making it, while Harry had been told off for dancing round like a fairy. It was obvious to Harry that Tommy was trying to get Nape to like him better.

‘Potter stop playing with your food and eat it,’ Snape said. ‘You don’t see Thomas making a fuss do you?’

Tommy gave Harry a big grin. ‘Tommy good,’ he said.

‘Shut-up,’ Harry snapped.

After dinner, while Harry was using the potty, Tommy was giggling as Snape changed his nappy on the mat. Snape had charmed butterfly-shaped bubbles to fly over the young boy’s head to keep him distracted and his arms out of trouble, and Tommy was squealing as he tried to pop them.

Harry meanwhile was stuck with his potty picture-book which showed him all the things big boys did; boring stuff, like helping with the dishes and feeding or dressing themselves.

‘Nape,’ Harry called as the lion roared, ‘me done!’

‘Get into bed then,’ Snape said. Harry toddled over to him, pointing to himself.

‘Bed nappy,’ he said confused.

‘Snape popped Thomas’ pyjama suit shut. He was impressed as the toddler sat up and waited for instructions. Young Thomas was proving to be a much easier baby than Harry had been. He did everything that Snape told him to, and he was quiet and docile. Snape began to wonder if he’d been much too lenient with Potter.

Snape looked at Harry, distractedly. ‘Pull your pyjamas up,’ he said. He lifted Thomas into his crib and placed the “dummy” next to him, discreetly smuggling a warm bottle from his robes into the crib so that Harry wouldn’t see and start fussing.

Immediately, Thomas lay down and popped the teat of the dummy into his mouth, sucking silently. He was very sleepy and was glad it was bed time. As Mr Nape pulled the covers around him he sighed with content. After the horrible days spent cold, wet and hungry in that dark, slimy prison, any bit of comfort was welcome.

Satisfied that Thomas wasn’t going to present a problem, Snape turned to Harry.

I said, pull your pyjamas up. He reached down and yanked the elastic over the toddler’s tummy then took him by the hand and led him to bed.

‘But Nape,’ Harry protested, eager for his turn on the changing mat with the magic bubbles, ‘bed nappy.’

‘Not tonight. You have been dry for a few days now. Madame Pomfrey thinks you’re too big for a nappy. Now get into bed.’

Frustrated, Harry clambered under the covers. There was that stoo-pid phrase “too big” again.

‘Nappy!’ he squealed.

Snape crouched down to eye level. ‘I said no. Now I don’t want to hear anymore about it.’ He clicked his fingers and dimmed the lights. He had made up his mind to be far more firmer with Harry.

Harry could sense when he was beaten and after extracting a curt hug from Sanpe, he lay back, cradling Cheep-Cheep under his chin.

He glared at Thomas through the gloom. He seemed already to be asleep in Harry’s old crib and, Harry blinked …with BOBBA within easy reach!

It was the last straw. Snape’s quarters weren’t definitely not big enough for the both of them. As soon as Harry woke up he was going to figure out exactly what there was to do about it.

As Snape left the room, Harry sat up in bed. ‘Me get you!’ he hissed to Tommy.

Thomas opened one eye, tucking an arm round the warm bottle by his side and said sleepily, ‘Bee-Bees Hawwy.’

With a last exaggerated tut, Harry turned his back on Tommy and, muttering, settled down to sleep.