That night, when Severus awoke to change and care for Harry, each time he looked down at the child in his arms, a little piece of him began to chip away. This child was his, why was it so bad for him to keep Harry? Why was everyone against them? True, Severus himself had hated the idea of having a child a week ago, but things were different now. Somehow, someway, Harry had wormed his way past all of Severus’s defenses and had gotten into his heart. Looking into the trusting, green eyes, Severus had to admit that he lo-

Suddenly, the Potions Master felt an intense burning in his left arm. It was hot and painful, but it only grew worse. Clenching his teeth, Snape put Harry back into his crib just in time. His arm screamed in agony and Severus almost gave voice to his suffering, but he could not disturb Harry. Not after he had just calmed the boy.

Severus ran to the floo and threw in green powder and screamed, “Albus Dumbledore, come to Severus Snape’s rooms now!” He managed not to trip over everything he had broken the night before.

It felt like fire was burning his flesh slowly, and Severus thought he would get sick from the pain. He quickly changed his clothes and dressed into his Death Eater robes before he grabbed his mask. Just then, the Headmaster came through the floo, looking very disheveled. “Severus, what’s-” he tried to get out.

But Severus ignored him and pushed past the old wizard. Grabbing the floo powder once more, Severus threw it into the fire. “Watch Harry,” he commanded before stepping into the flames and disappeared with the cry of “Malfoy Estate!”

*******

Several seconds later, Severus was rushing out of Lucius Malfoy’s fireplace and hurrying to the center of the room where he saw a gathering of Death Eaters. It was actually difficult for Snape not to start panting. He had been taken by surprise and the pain in his arm was extreme, but he willed it to go away. He knew it would once everyone was present and accounted for at the meeting.

In the middle of the fold of Death Eaters, there sat the Dark Lord himself. Severus did his best to disappear into the background. The last thing he wanted to do was go away from this meeting injured or worse. Who would look after Harry then? The boy did not like anyone else!

It took all of Severus’s will power to shove Harry from his thoughts and occlude his mind. The Dark Lord could try to penetrate his mind at any moment. He had to be ready all the time. Not just for the Order anymore, not for Dumbledore, but for Harry. The boy need him…the boy needed a father.

“Are we all accounted for?” the Dark Lord’s high, inhuman voice said rather cheerfully. “Very well, we can begin.” Severus held his breath.

The meeting went on rather smoothly, Severus thought. He stayed closer to the back of the group and watch silently, dispassionately, as the insane, snake-like man torture several of his followers for no real reason whatsoever. Snape had seen scene so similar to this so often, that he had formed a rather thick skin for such casual torture. Just as long as it didn’t happen to him, he knew he’d be fine. Merlin, he did not want it to be him that got injured!

The meeting came to a close, and Severus felt rather good and had begun to think that he might get out of this scot free when he heard the Dark Lord say, “Snape! Stay a moment. I have things to discuss with you.”

Blanching, Severus was glad for his mask, otherwise everyone would have seen him wince and turn a rather sickly shade of green. But determined not to let on that anything was wrong, he decided to occlude him mind once more before he turned to meet the eyes of the Dark Lord. “Yes, master,” Severus said respectfully.

Once the room had been cleared of everyone save the Dark Lord, Lucius Malfoy, and Severus, Voldemort began to speak. “Lucius here has told me some rather interesting information,” he said indifferently, but there was a shining in his crimson eyes that alerted Severus that the Dark Lord was interested all the same. “Do you know what he told me?”

Thinking fast, Severus removed his mask, as was expected when the Dark Lord so graciously singled you out for discussion, the Potions Master bowed his head in respect, but kept his voice strong when he said, “That I have a son?”

Chancing a glance up, Severus saw Lucius’s surprised expression, and the Dark Lord’s thoughtful one. “Yes, that’s right,” Voldemort said distrustfully. “Why have you not told me of this before?”

“You have only returned last year,” Severus answered evenly, hoping that it did not sound like disrespect.

“True,” the Dark Lord rose from his seat, Lucius was careful not to get in the way as the snake-man began to circle his prey. “But you could have told me. You had a wife? An Ivy Sellan, I believe the name was?”

Closing his eyes, letting his hair curtain and hide his face, Severus took a silent breath. “Yes, my lord,” his tone was soft, yet firm.

“Why didn’t you tell me about her, Severus?” the Dark Lord sounded hurt, but Severus really knew he was mocking him. “Did you think I would hurt her?”

“I did not, my lord,” Severus answered quickly.

“Is she a Mudblood?” there was no mistaking the sneer in the insane “man’s” voice.

“No, my lord. She was a pureblood from Romania,” Severus said, thinking of the first place that came to mind.

“I see,” the Dark Lord said thoughtfully. He sensed no dishonestly in Snape, as there was nothing unusual going through the man’s mind. It seemed all Snape did was think about events of the day, about the idiotic children, and his hatred for the children he taught or the like. But it was odd that he was not at this time thinking of his wife or son. “Why, then, did you not tell me about her?”

“I did not think that you would particularly care, my lord,” Severus responded, and then brought a picture of a woman to mind, one with long, black, wavy hair and piercing green eyes and pale skin. He did not know if such a woman existed, but he labeled her “Ivy” in his mind.

Voldemort looked down at his bowing servant thoughtfully. “I see,” he said again. “You were right of course,” he said after several minutes. “But I am concerned with the matters of this child you seemed to have spawned,” he sneered. “I was told that you are looking after the boy now. Why not leave him with your wife?”

“My wife, Ivy, is dead, my lord,” Severus tried to bring sadness and anger up in his mind. It was really easier than he would have thought, as he thought of losing Lily, but instead of bringing her up in his mind, he brought the picture of “Ivy” so that the Dark Lord could see. Severus knew he was being watched carefully.

“I see,” the dark wizard said slowly. “Died of illness, I see. Too bad you left her in a hospital full of Mudblood doctors,” he sneered again, thinking that he was reading the Potions Master's mind.  

Severus stiffened, as was expected of him. Really he was getting anxious and wanted to get back to Hogwarts so he could make sure that Harry was alright. No telling what Dumbledore was doing to him...

Merlin! He had left Harry with Dumbledore! Would the old man take Harry away while he was gone? Damn! How could he have been so stupid to leave his son with the Headmaster.

Voldemort sensed Snape’s anger and anxiety, but confused it for something else entirely. “Fear not, my loyal and trusted servant,” he crooned deadly. “I will see to it that your wife is avenged when my time comes to attack.”

Slightly confused at first, Severus pushed that back in pursuit of faking relief. “Thank you, my lord. Your generosity and kindness is really too much. I would have never dr-”

“Yes, yes,” the Dark Lord waved off the thanks easily, although Severus could see that the man actually enjoyed every ounce of praise that he received. The strangest thought came to the Potions Master’s mind, and he had to wonder if the Dark Lord had ever been hugged as a child...

“But,” Voldemort went on, “there is something you must now do for me.”

“Anything, my lord,” Severus responded quickly. He wanted to get out of here as quickly as he could. If he got back and Harry was missing, Dumbledore having taken him, he just knew he’d run to the Slytherin Dorms, beat the living daylights out of Draco for talking with his father, and then go tracking the Headmaster and kill him for taking his son away. He already had it all planned…

“You must make a special potion for me,” the Dark Lord smiled cruelly. “Here are the instructions.”

Snape looked up to see Lucius coming toward him with a small book. Taking it from the other man, Severus realized that there was a specific page marked. “Thank you, my lord,” Severus bowed deeply.

“You are welcome,” Voldemort smiled sickeningly. “You are to have it prepared by the end of this week.”

“My lord?” Severus looked up, surprised at the short time he had to complete his task. Snape had this book in his own private library, and he knew that every potion in the book took at least six days to brew. “I have no wish to contradict your word, as it is good, but I do not believe that I will have sufficient time to complete this-”

“Crucio!” Voldemort screamed.

Severus fell to the floor, agony coursing through his entire body. He did not scream, he was above that, but he could not help the twitching spasms that wracked his body. He was held under that curse for a full minute.

Lying there, panting on the floor, Lucius came over and kicked Snape over onto his back dispassionately. “You will not contradict me!” the Dark Lord screamed. “I demand that that potion be complete by this Friday, or you may say far well to that little bastard of yours forever!”

“Y-yes…m-my lord,” Severus gasped out before he could not say another word and had to concentrate solely on breathing.

Voldemort went out with Lucius then, and Severus felt the Dark Lord’s cloak pass over his face, as the dark wizard stepped on him on the way out. Then, the room was silent, all except Snape’s gasping as he laid there on the floor in agony. It took him a long moment before he was finally able to sit up. Shaking, he crawled to the fireplace, and with a shaking hand, pulled out some floo power he always kept in this particular cloak, before inching into the flames and saying weakly, “Hogwarts; Severus Snape’s chambers.”

*******

Dumbledore had been taken by surprise when Severus had called for him in the middle of the night. But when the Potions Master left so abruptly, Albus had had no time to really say anything at all. And in the blink of an eye, Severus was gone, and the Headmaster was left alone with the infant Harry. Not that he really minded.

But what the Headmaster was confused about was the fact that Severus’s living room was a complete disaster. It looked as though someone had let loose a bull. What had the man been doing down here? And with Harry? Perhaps he had been in greater haste then Albus had thought, and had barreled through his home to get to the Death Eater meeting as fast as he could?

Alone in Severus’s room, Albus shrugged off the Potions Master’s mess and decided that he should go see to Harry.  

Walking into the dark bedroom, the old man looked around his employee’s bedroom. It would probably still would have shocked many people to see a cradle, teddy bear, and rocking chair in Severus Snape’s room, even Albus still had a little trouble believing his eyes. The room was classic Snape; black bedding, green and silver wall hangings, a black, silver, and green rug, and all the wooden furniture was stained a dark, almost black, reddish color. In short, it was a Slytherin’s den. But the sight of the few things that belonged to Harry contrasted so starkly with what everyone knew to be the Potions Master that it still blew the Headmaster’s mind that his employee wanted to keep Harry.

Looking at Harry sleeping soundly, the old man had to smile. The child was so innocent and needed to best protection. Why couldn’t Severus see that the best way to take care of Harry was to let him go? If anyone ever found out that Harry was Severus’s son, or if Severus decided to keep Harry, things could get disastrous. Merlin, what would the Dark Lord do to both Harry and Snape then?

Sitting on the end of the unmade, but still fairly neat bed, Albus began to rock the crib gently. Harry, in his sleep let out a contented sigh. He was having a very pleasant dream, one where his dada took him out into the open air and flew around through the clouds. Harry liked to look at the clouds, and he liked his dada. It was a perfect dream as far as he was concerned. He had no way of knowing that above him was a man that was trying to break his happiness.

But the rocking soon became too much for the little infant, and he peeked open his eyes with a lazy grin, expecting to see his daddy above him; like usual. It came as a complete unwanted shock when he looked up and saw the long beardy man that his dada always seemed to talk to above him. Where was dada?!

When Albus saw the little green eyes peek open, he smiled warmly. But that smile only lasted a moment when the child’s eyes snapped open wide and he let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Alarmed and surprised, Albus picked up the wailing infant and began rocking the child in an attempt to calm the little boy. But instead of soothing the tike, it only seemed to worsen the situation. The more Albus tried to comfort, the louder Harry got. All Harry wanted was his dada! Was that too much to ask for?

“Hush now, Harry, it’s alright,” the Headmaster crooned while his eye twitched. “It’s me, Albus Dumbledore. The Headmaster? You loved me, Harry.”

But that did nothing for Harry. All he knew was that this man often made his dada sad and he did not like this man with the long beard. In an attempt to get away from the old wizard, Harry wrapped his hands into the Headmaster’s beard, and yanked as hard as he could, using all of his little might. He just wanted his daddy to come back and save him. He was so scared!

Yelping in pain, Albus worked for about five minutes to get Harry’s hands to let go of his beard before he placed the still screaming child back in his crib. “A bottle!” the old wizard thought desperately.

As he ran to the kitchen, in his haste, Dumbledore forgot about the mess Severus had made the previous night. Not expecting it, as the Potions Master was such a perfectionist and a clean freak, Albus was completely taken by surprised when he rushed through the door and tripped over the coffee table. “Bloody Merlin!” he shrieked as he fell, but was able to catch himself in the nick of time. Although, he was going to have a rather nasty bruise on his shins now. I’ll have to go the Poppy later when Severus gets back.

It was Harry’s renewed screams that brought the Headmaster back into the present, and he waved his wand, sending the room to rearrange itself back in order, the old wizard rushed to the kitchen to fetch a bottle for the wailing child. Gracious but the child had good lungs! He wondered if Severus had been like this as a child...

More screams. “I’m coming, Harry!” Albus called, while grabbing a bottle, and magicing in the milk and heating it before rushing back into Snape’s bedchamber.

He picked Harry up and tried to feed him, but the baby stubbornly refused to drink. Only dada was allowed to feed him. How else was Harry to know that the milk was not bad? Dada would have known how to make it safe. This old wizard was just…not dada!

Sitting with the ear-piercing child in his lap, Dumbledore waited anxiously for when Severus would return. No wonder Severus had been so tired and snippy lately!

*******

It was at three in the morning that Severus rolled out of the fireplace and into his chambers. He was in severe pain everywhere, and he was not sure he could make it to the couch, let alone his bed. He laid there in misery for a moment, concentrating on breathing, trying to forget to pain, when he heard a familiar cry. “Harry!” he gasped.

Summoning all of his stubbornness, Severus managed to sit up, and clenching his jaw, he managed, somehow, to stand up. There was a moment when he thought he would get sick and add a lovely accent color on his nice clean rug, but he managed to hold it in. He shook frightfully, but he refused to let his son cry and think he was abandoned. Poor little thing!

It was a miracle that Severus was standing at all, and he managed to take a few steps before he fell to the stone floor when his weak legs gave out. He cried out in pain as he hit the stone and he thought that he heard a suspicious cracking noise, a noise similar to that of breaking bone…

“Severus!”

Looking up, the Potions Master saw the Headmaster standing in the doorway of his bedchamber with a screaming Harry in his arms. “Dada!” the little boy wailed.

Sweating, pale, and miserable, Severus tried to sit up again. “Harry,” he gasped.

It only took a second before Dumbledore had his wand out and levitated Severus into his bed, despite the other wizard’s objection to being treated like a rag doll. Really! Snape might have been hurt, but he still had his dignity!... wait, no, he had traded that in for Harry, hadn’t he?

Closing his eyes the moment his body touched the mattress, Severus let out a hiss and a sigh all in one. “Give me Harry,” he demanded once he was able to find his speech.

Albus gave the little baby to the injured man and was astonished that the moment Harry was in Severus’s arms, he stilled. Sniffling and gurgling, Harry relaxed for the first time in an hour. Dada was back, dada hadn’t forgotten about him! He took in the familiar sent of his father and settled before he closed his tired little eyes, exhausted.

Just holding Harry to his chest, Severus felt relief. The weight of anxiety lifted when he felt his son in his arms. Dumbledore hadn’t done anything to the boy, Harry was still here. And the Dark Lord was too stupid to figure anything out just yet. Harry, Severus just then realized, was his own personal Calming Draught. In an irritating way, the baby soothed him.

Severus did not know when she had come, but the next time he looked up, he saw Madame Pomfrey’s concerned face looking him over. He was no longer in his robes either, but in his nightshirt. When had that happened?

“Severus, can you let go of Harry, please?” the medi-witch asked. “I need-”

“No,” Snape hissed so deadly that the witch was forced to realize that she was not going to win. Even Dumbledore was a bit scared of Snape at that moment.

So, with Harry still in his arms, Severus relaxed as he was treated from his torture. Harry was safe and with him now. And he was certain that tomorrow he would be able to figure out how to better protect his son…and he would start by working on that potion for the Dark Lord.

Falling asleep, Severus realized that he was going to have to come up with some way to repay Lucius and Draco for their “help” this evening. Yes…even in agony, Severus’s Slytherin mind was making plans…

Severus fell asleep seconds later. He dreamed that he could kill anyone he wanted…legally.