Severus yawned and tried to roll over onto his stomach. His efforts were blocked, he soon found out, by two pillows that were stuffed closer to his body than they usually were. The infant furrowed his eyebrows. Strange. The last time Severus remembered waking up like this, Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Remus, Tonks, and Teddy had stayed over and…

Teddy!

The baby’s eyes widened. Severus wiggled slightly so that he could peer past the nearest pillow, and sure enough—there he was! “Peb-by!” Sev squealed in excitement.

“Shhh! Don’t wake him, sweetheart.” Sev heard Ginny whisper from the far side of the room.

“Mmmm!” The infant whined. He kicked his legs and wriggled his body in an effort to call her attention to him. As much as he liked Teddy being here, Sev didn’t appreciate not being able to move. “Mmmm!”

“Okay, okay, love.” He heard Ginny’s approaching footsteps and stilled his actions until she came into his line of sight. The teen smiled down at him. “Good morning, Severus.”

Sev smiled. “Mow-ming.”

Ginny chuckled and lifted Sev into her arms. She carried him through his usual morning routine as she whispered the news into his ear. “So…Remus’ floo is being connected to the network today so they’ll be able to use their own floo from now on. Although that’s not the real reason Teddy’s staying over at the Den this weekend. Andromeda—that’s Teddy’s grandmother, Tonks’ mother—is moving in with them on account of Tonks is very worried about her. Remus, however, doesn’t want to take any chances. There’s a remote chance that Andromeda might be a little too depressed about Ted’s passing. Ted—that’s Tonks’ father, the man they named Teddy after. He passed a few months ago. Snatchers, I think.” Sev began sucking on his thumb as he leaned into Ginny’s chest and continued to listen. “Anyway, he wants to make sure she hasn’t gone crazy in the month or so she’s been living alone. I think he may be overreacting a bit, but who am I to judge?” She shrugged.

Ginny slowly lowered herself down to her side of the bed, careful to not wake the sleeping infant, and positioned Severus so that he could effectively eat breakfast. As soon as the infant was latched on and set, Ginny wrapped her arms around him and continued her whispering news, “Harry’s over at the Dumbledore place today. He says it’s almost done. There are a few things he still needs to discuss with both Albus and Aberforth, but other than that, he says, we should be ready for a new grumbly old neighbor with a bunch of stinking goats in about a month or two.” Sev giggled and immediately began choking on the milk. “Whoa, Sev.” Ginny chuckled, sitting him up and patting him on the back until he stopped coughing and began breathing easily once more. “Are you alright, love?”

Sev grinned at her. “Googoogoogoogoogoogoo!” The infant made a low grumbling sound in his throat and then began giggling.

Ginny laughed as well. “That’s how Aberforth sounds like, isn’t it?” She grinned, her eyes alight with laughter. “Grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble!”

Sev burst into another round of laughter as Ginny hugged him to her chest. “Googoogoogoogoogoogoo!”

“Grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble!”  

“Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Googoogoogoogoogoogoogoo!”

“Grumble! Grumble! Grumble!”

“Hey! What’s going on here?” Harry asked as he stuck his head in the doorway.

“Harry!” Ginny whispered with a smile. “We’re imitating Aberforth. Care to join us?”

“Googoogoogoogoogoogoo!”

“Grumble, grumble, grumble!”

Harry chuckled as he walked into the room. “Maybe later, love.” He leaned in to give Ginny a quick kiss before dropping another atop Sev’s head. “Good morning, cub.”

“Mow-ming.” Severus grinned up at Harry, baby drool dripping down his face.

“Look at you!” Harry shot him a small half-smile as he made his way to the other side of the bed. “Are you prepared and ready for the day? There’s a special project I want to work on with you.”

Sev opened his mouth to respond, but before he could get a word out, a rustling of sheets drew Harry and Ginny’s attention away from him.

“Teddy bear!” Harry grinned and leaned across the bed until he was face to face with the little metamorphamagus. The infant made a cooing sound as he stretch his little arms and his eyes fluttered open to meet Harry’s. “Hi there, Teddy bear!” The teen greeted, “Have a good sleep?”

Teddy looked confused for a fraction of a second before his face screwed up tightly and he began to cry. “Ahhhhhhhh!”

“Hey! Hey, now…” Harry immediately picked his godson up and cradled him against his chest. “Hey now, cub, what’s all this?”

As soon as the word ‘cub’ left Harry’s mouth, Sev’s neutral expression began to get considerably darker. He’s not the cub, I’m the cub! Did Harry forget that or something? “Haweh!” He called, bouncing on Ginny’s lap. “Haweh!”

The teenager turned back towards him, but never paused in his dancing around the room with Teddy. “Yeah? What is it, cub?”

Sev immediately began to reach for him, “Meh!”

“Shhh! Come now, Sev. Harry’s busy with Teddy at the moment.” Ginny interjected, adjusting Sev so that he lay against her chest.

“Mo, meh!” Sev turned sad eyes towards Ginny, “Meh! Meh!”

“Oh Merlin, don’t tell me this is his jealousy coming up again!” Harry grumbled as he rubbed the crying infant’s back.

“Again?” Ginny frowned. “What do you mean ‘again’?”

“He had some jealousy issues last time regarding Teddy. It was the time when you went to talk to mum and dad about him.”

“Meh! Meh! Meh!” The infant continued to whine, wriggling and trying to get away from Ginny’s grasp.

“And what did you do about it?” His girlfriend raised a worried eyebrow at him.

“Wha—Nothing!” Harry replied, cringing as the volume of Teddy’s cries increased yet again. “Oh, come now, cub. Mum and dad just stepped away for a little while. They’ll be back later.” He said in a soothing voice.

“Nothing? Why did you do nothing?” Ginny frowned.

“Meh! Meh! Meh, Haweh, meh!” Sev was able to push away from Ginny enough to start crawling across the bed, but the teenager had him back in her grips in no time.

“I distracted him for a bit. It worked when it did. What was I supposed to do?” Harry adjusted his grip on Teddy as his right arm began to grow numb.

“MEH!” Severus squealed at the top of his lungs. “MEH! MEH! MEH!” Sev’s squeals intensified Teddy’s crying.

“You shouldn’t have done nothing, Harry. You should have done something!”

Upon noticing that Harry was not going to pick him up any time soon, Sev’s childish brain took over, his face screwed up, and he began to cry as well. “AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Soon enough, what started out as a peaceful, quiet Saturday morning at the Den had decayed into a crying match between the four and seven month old infants.

“Aw, Sev, not now!” Harry groaned. “Come on!” He mumbled under his breath.

“Sweetheart!” Ginny started rocking Severus in her arms. “Come on, baby. Calm down!”

“MEH!” The infant squeaked into Ginny’s chest. “MEH!”

As Sev’s cries intensified, Teddy’s did as well and both Harry and Ginny were at a loss with what to do.

“Harry!” Ginny shouted over the din. “Maybe you should give me Teddy. He could be hungry. That’s why he’s crying so much.”

“He misses Remus and Dora!” Harry yelled in reply.

“I know that! But he might be hungry as well.”

“Meh, meh, meh, Haweh! MEH!”

“Okay, alright! Shhh…Shhh…” As Harry approached the bed, Sev immediately began pushing away from Ginny and towards Harry.

“Easy, Severus. Easy!” Ginny was able to hold the infant back, but just barely. “Harry, why don’t you put Teddy down on the bed before you pick up Sev?” She suggested.

Harry nodded and eased the crying infant back down onto the mattress.

“Meh, HAWEH!!!”

“It’s alright, Teddy. It’s going to be alright.” Harry whispered to his godson before placing a light kiss on his little forehead.

“HAWEH, HAWEH, HAWEH!” Sev began bouncing violently in Ginny’s lap.

“Alright!” The teenager replied, straightening up and walking around the bed frame to Ginny’s side. “Okay, cub. Come ‘ere!” He opened his arms and the moment he was in range, Severus pushed off of Ginny and dove into them with all his strength. “Whoa! Okay…” As Harry adjusted the child in his arms, Severus buried his face in Harry’s shirt and began crying into it. “Ah…” Harry sighed, “…Severus.”

“Meh, meh, meh…” The infant chanted into his robes. “Meh.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “I hate to break it to you, cub,” he said gently, “but not everything is about you.”

“Mo Peb-by!” Came the muffled reply.

“Harry, if this jealousy thing persists any further,” Ginny interjected as she positioned Teddy against her chest, “we’re nipping it in the bud.” The infant must’ve realized what was happening, for the moment he was near Ginny’s breasts, his cries began to calm and he began reaching for them. “Because when it comes to jealousy, the longer you ignore it, the worse it’ll become.”

“Yeah, that’s what Sirius said.” Harry replied. He slowly began to sway from side to side, establishing a rhythm in order to calm the infant down.

“Well then Padfoot’s right.” As soon as she got Teddy properly latched on, the infant’s cries stopped completely. Instead, he began to coo contentedly. “There we are, sweetheart.”

Sev, on the other hand, was still sniffling against Harry’s shirt. “Ah, cub…” The teen sighed. He cupped the back of the infant’s head with his free hand and began messaging his scalp with his thumb. “What’s the matter, eh?” He asked gently. “Why are you so jealous of Teddy? He’s your best friend! You have to talk to me, cub.” He leaned in and planted a kiss just on top of Sev’s left ear. “Come on, baby boy.” Harry’s gentle ministrations and hypnotic swaying soon calmed the infant down and he turned his head in order to listen to Harry’s soothing heartbeat. That brought him face to face with his caretaker and the infant reached up playfully and lightly bumped his forehead against Harry’s.

“Oh…now you’re happy, aren’t you?” Harry raised an eyebrow at him and Severus smiled and began to suck his thumb. Harry frowned. “This is getting serious, Severus.”

The use of his full name made Severus blush and bury his face back in Harry’s robes. He didn’t like the tone of Harry’s voice. “Pa-poo?” He asked innocently.

“I’m not talking about Padfoot, and you know it.” The teenager replied, his voice getting sterner by the second.

Sev whined and shook his head against Harry’s clothes. No! I don’t want to talk about it!

“Severus, this jealousy thing is going too far.” The teen lectured as he stopped dancing and walked around the bed, “Whatever the reason, this thing you have against Teddy ends right now. This is your last warning!”

Sev frowned and pushed up against Harry’s chest. “Mo!”

Harry’s raised an eyebrow at him, “No?”

Teddy has his own set of caretakers! He can’t have mine! He argued in his head. “Mmmm!” Sev whined and pointed to his head. “Im!”

“I’m not going to go inside your head again. Just project your thoughts at me.” Harry replied.

Sev peered at him, confused.

“Look into my eyes and scream whatever you want to say out in your head.” Harry replied.

The pair locked eyes and although Severus had no idea what he was doing, he tried Harry’s suggestion anyway. “Teddy has his own take-carers! He can’t have mine!”

“Severus, he’s not trying to have yours!” Harry argued, “No one can have yours!”

“He’s trying to steal mine, then!”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Teddy’s not trying to steal anything.”

“He can’t have you!” Sev shut his eyes and shook his head. “Mo! Mo! Mo!”

“Teddy is my godson, Severus.” Harry replied. “And even if he wasn’t my godson, I’d still be taking care of him in the same manner.”

The teenager’s words made the infant pause and Sev turned back to Harry with the most miserable look the teenager had ever seen. All of a sudden, wave after wave of sadness flooded Harry’s mind as Sev’s eyes filled with tears and he buried his face in his caretaker’s robes once again. “Ahhhhhhhhh!!!”

Harry exchanged a confused look with Ginny. “Did you feel that?”

“Harry, I think a muggle could have felt that.” His girlfriend replied, looking concerned.

“Sev?” Harry sat down on his side of the bed and began to rock the infant back and forth. “Come on, cub. Talk to me!” He practically begged. “What’s wrong? Why is this such a big issue?”

Because it is! A voice argued at the back of Sev’s mind, increasing the intensity of the infant’s cries. It wasn’t fair! It wasn’t fair at all! Teddy had his own set of parents to love him and care for him and call his own. Sev didn’t have any of that! And on top of that, Teddy had a godfather to love him and care for him like a second parent, and Sev didn’t have that either! It wasn’t fair at all!

“Talk to me, Sev, please!” Harry’s chest rumbled as he pleaded with the infant.

“Mo!” Severus wailed, refusing to talk about the unfairness with the same people who were making it unfair.

“Come on, honey!” Ginny added, “You have to tell us what’s wrong so that we can try to make it better.”

“Mo!” Sev screamed into Harry’s shirt once again. He turned his head towards Ginny and what he saw made him blind with tears and fury. Teddy was breastfeeding from Ginny! “MO!” Severus dove towards the other infant, trying to push him away. “MO! MO! MO! MO! MO!”

“Severus!” “SEV!”

Fortunately, both Harry and Ginny were faster than Sev. Ginny had stood up and moved out of the way before Sev could even reach Teddy, and Harry had gotten up on the other side of the bed, pulling the older infant up with him as well. The sudden movements made the little metamorphamagus unlatch from Ginny and the abrupt absence of his morning meal caused the infant to start crying once again. Now Harry and Ginny found themselves back where they started, with both infants wailing and crying once more.

“Severus! Why did you do that?!” Harry couldn’t help chastising the infant in his arms.

“MO MEWMEW! MO MEWMEW! MO MEWMEW!!!” He shouted at Ginny.

“You tried to hurt Teddy because he was breastfeeding from me?!” Ginny cried in disbelief.

“MO MEWMEW!!!”

All of a sudden, the windows exploded outward, showering the backyard with shards of glass and wood splinters. The bed frame started shaking violently, banging against both the carpet and the wall. Then, suddenly, all sorts of objects from the surrounding tables and the bookcases started flying at Ginny and Teddy.

The teenager gasped, wrapping Teddy protectively in her arms and shielding him with her body.

“Severus, NO!” Harry roared. Stretching out his magic, Harry quickly constructed a shield around both his girlfriend and his godson, shielding them from the dangerous objects flying at them. The makeshift weapons froze in midair as they impacted the invisible shield. “Stop it now!” He bellowed at the infant in his arms.

Harry’s order snapped Severus back to reality, and the sight of several pairs of sharp scissors as well as a big, shiny letter opener hovering in midair, mere inches from Ginny’s back, acted as a bucket of cold water for the infant. The reality of what just happened suddenly hit him. He had almost killed Ginny and Teddy! 

“Okay, you’re going in time-out.” Harry declared, putting his foot down on Sev’s behavior. “And then after that, you and I are having a long ‘discussion’ about your behavior.”

“Mo.” Severus protested half-heartedly as Harry marched out of the master bedroom and towards Sev’s empty room down the hall. After the rest of the family left the other week, they had put away all the spare cots and the three new rooms were bare once again. With a wave of his hand, Harry summoned a couch cushion from the sofa downstairs and caught it just as they were crossing the threshold. He placed the cushion in the corner of the bedroom opposite the door and plopped the shocked infant down on top of it, facing towards the corner.

“You’re spending thirty minutes in here, Severus, no ifs, ands, or buts!” Harry declared firmly. “And you’re in here because this little bit of jealousy against Teddy has grown to phenomenal proportions! I should’ve listened to Sirius when he told me to deal with it a few weeks ago. I’m disappointed in you, Severus!”

Harry’s words were like a punch to the gut and for the thousandth time that day, Sev could feel tears pooling in his eyes.

“I know what just happened in there was a gut reaction, but it was a completely unnecessary reaction! Do you understand me?”

Sev wanted to curl up into a ball and die.

“Now I want you to sit here for half an hour and think long and hard about why you’re jealous of Teddy to the point where you become a threat to your own best friend.”

Oh, now Sev really wanted to curl up into a ball and die!

“I’m going to be sitting against that corner,” he pointed to the opposite corner across the room, “the whole time, trying to calm down.” Sev glanced across the room. “When I come to get you, you and I are going to have a long, long, long, long talk about what just happened here and most especially why, following which you will receive three swats and a grounding. And you are going to be honest with me during our talk. Do I myself perfectly clear?” He finished sternly.

Sev hung his head and sniffed at the floor. He nodded mumbling, “Yep, ehw,” in the most miserable voice imaginable.

“Good.” Harry moved to stand, but paused halfway. Hesitating only slightly, Harry crouched back down and placed a gentle kiss atop Sev’s head. “Ah, cub…” He sighed as he stood back up and crossed the room, “What’s going on in that head of yours, huh?”

What’s wrong with me?!?!?! A voice cried at the back of Sev’s mind. Had he really just tried to kill Ginny and Teddy?! Had everything that he thought just happened actually happened? Severus groaned and flopped down onto the cushion. What kind of person was he?! What did it say about him if his gut reaction to jealousy was to kill the people who were making him jealous?

Murderer! A dark voice whispered in his ear.

No! Severus argued. No, no, no! I’m not that way anymore!

You just tried to kill Ginny and Teddy. Of course you are!

No, I’m not! Sev began patting his free ear, trying to force the scary voice out of his mind. I’m not! I’m not! I’m not!

Oh, yes, you are! The voice cackled joyously. You are! You are! You are…a…MURDERER!!!

“MOOOOOOO!” Severus screamed before breaking down into tears.

Murderer! Murderer! Murderer! MURDERER!

Occlude, Severus. An altogether different voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

The infant gasped and his eyes flew open. The tears subsided almost immediately. That voice almost sounded like…

OCCLUDE, cub! Don’t listen to it!

…Harry! A smile instantly erupted across the infant’s face.

Severus closed his eyes and dove into his mind. His little five-year-old self immediately appeared in his mind’s eye. There, back at the very obscure corners of his infant brain, a white entity, much like the one who helped him banish those dark images from his mind two months ago, hovered just at the edge of his awareness. 

“Murderer!”

Little Severus abruptly shot around and there, standing not far behind him, like the ghost of Christmas past, was his father. Tall and intimidating, Tobias Snape wore a scowl that could scare the devil himself; his eyes, clouded by ice and shadow, could pierce through steel and see straight into the darkness in his soul. “Murderer!” He bellowed at little Severus before taking huge strides in his direction. Sev’s eyes widened and he immediately turned and dashed straight for the white light that he knew was Harry. “MURDERER!” The voice roared yet again. It was closing in on him, Severus knew.

“MURDERER!”

“Harry!” Concentrating with all his might, Severus put all his strength into running towards the white light. As he quickly approached the entity, the light began retracting into itself and soon enough, Harry stood in its place.

“MURDERER!” Sev felt a hand brush his back and that prompted a sudden burst of energy that propelled the child forward faster than he thought possible! “MURDERER!”

“Occlude, cub.” The image of Harry instructed him from where he stood. “Occlude!”

“Harry!”

“MURDERER!!!”

“Mmmm!” Sev whined. As soon as he reached the teenager, he immediately dove behind Harry’s legs, hugged them for all he was worth, bit his lip and squeezed his eyes firmly shut.

“MURDE—”

And suddenly…there was silence.

Severus waited.

And still...there was more silence.

Severus cracked an eye open.

And even more silence met his ears.

Severus opened the other eye.

Yup…still silent.

Severus looked around.

Nothing different.

Severus opened Harry’s legs and stuck his head out from between them.

Tobias Snape was gone!!!

Sev looked up in surprise and met Harry’s amused gaze.

“Hello there!” The teen greeted with a friendly smile.

Sev, his eyes still wide with shock, peered back at the empty spot where Tobias Snape had been before turning questioning eyes up on Harry once again.

“Are you going to get out from under there, or do I have to stand like a ballerina the entire time?” Harry asked, amused at Sev’s stunned reaction.

Severus paid him no heed. “What happened?!” He squeaked.

“Well…” Harry bent down and pried each of Sev’s hands from his legs before stepping back and lifting the five-year-old into his arms, “…I occluded for you.” He answered simply.

“But…how?” Sev was confused. How could Harry occlude for him? Sev didn’t think that was even possible.

“Oh, it’s quite possible, cub.” Harry replied. “Let me explain.”

All of a sudden, the white void they had been walking in puffed out of existence and Severus and Harry found themselves walking along a white sandy beach. The water was crystal clear and blue; Sev could see straight to the bottom. The sun was out, and there was not a cloud in the sky. Somewhere in the distance, two palm trees sat close enough together and a hammock hung between them. Sev noted that they were heading in that direction.

“Do you know what a magical bond is, Sev?” Harry asked after a moment of silence.

“A magical bond?” Severus’ eyebrows furrowed. “Isn’t it…like a bond…of magic?” The child cringed at how he had just stated the obvious.

Harry chuckled. “It is, yes.” He nodded. “It’s a mental bond, for the most part.”

“Mental bond?” Sev echoed. “As in…your minds are connected? Isn’t that like legilimency?”

“Not quite.” Harry shook his head. “Legilimency was what I was doing to you two months ago when I went inside your mind and showed you how to banish your thoughts and guided you through everything.”

“But you’re in my mind right now.” Sev interjected.

“Yes, but in a different way.” Harry pointed out. “When I entered your mind just now, I did it not through legilimency, but through a link between our two minds.”

“There’s a link between our two minds?!” The five-year-old asked in surprise.

“Yes.” Harry nodded, “There is a link. There is a magical bond between us.”

“Wicked!” Sev’s eyes lit up in excitement. “So I can go in your mind too?!”

“Technically you can,” Harry replied, “However…mental links are tricky things. Ginny and I found that out the hard way. She and I share a link and it took us months to learn how to so much as mentally nudge one another, never mind communicating or delving into each other’s minds.”

Severus visibly sagged. “So it’s hard.” He surmised with a frown.

“Aye, but I have full faith in you, cub.” Harry replied with a smile. “Within a few months, you’ll be nudging me, you’ll be able to talk to me without eye contact, you’ll be able to take short trips into my mind; but for now this connection is going to remain one-way. Okay?”

By this time, they had reached the hammock between the palm trees and Harry climbed in, wrapping Severus in his arms and nudging the hammock to get it to swing. Sunlight filtered through the leaves on the palms and Severus took a minute to allow the rays of sunlight to warm his face. He leaned back against Harry’s strong chest and relaxed in his embrace, allowing the roar of the waves to calm him.

“Harry?”

“Hmm?” The chest beneath him rumbled as Harry grunted in reply.

“So when you say this connection is one-way…does that mean that you’re in my mind right now?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“So when you said you occluded for me…?”

“I meant that I occluded for you.” The teen answered.

“So does that mean you’re controlling my mind right now?” Sev asked worriedly.

“No, cub. It means that I’m helping you along.” His caretaker replied. “No one can control your mind but yourself. Now…I believe you have something you need to be thinking about right now? Let’s discuss magical bonds another time.” Harry tried steering them back on topic, “You have ten minutes. I suggest you spend those minutes thinking about why you’re about to make me do something I really don’t want to do.”

Severus grimaced and tried wrapping Harry’s arms even tighter around him. “Do I have to?” His question came close to a whine.

“Yes.” The teen answered without hesitation.

Sev scowled. “If I told you I already know, can we spend the ten minutes talking about magical bonds?” He peered up at Harry pleadingly.

“No…” Harry raised an eyebrow at him, “But we can spend the ten minutes talking about why you’re so jealous of Teddy.” He retorted.

“I don’t wanna talk about it!” The complaint definitely came out as a whine this time.

“So you’d rather I punish you and just leave it at that?” Harry raised an eyebrow at him.

“I rather you not punish me at all.” The child retorted with a pout.

“Not going to happen, Severus, not with what just happened in that room, and you know that.” Harry replied firmly.

Sev stuck his thumb in his mouth and scowled at the distance. “It’s not fair!” He mumbled around the appendage.

“What’s not fair?”

“That he has everything!” The child exploded. Taking his thumb out of his mouth, Severus wiggled out of Harry’s embrace and turned over, sitting up so that he could meet the teenager’s eye. “He’s got parents who love him, he’s got you for a godfather, and now Ginny’s giving him mewmew!” Sev ranted almost nonsensically.

“Sev—”

“And I don’t have any of that!” The child could feel tears stinging his eyes and he brushed them away irritably. “I don’t have parents who love me, and I don’t have a godfather! Everyone else has a godfather, but I don’t!”

“Severus, stop!” Harry ordered firmly, causing the child to pause mid-rant. Severus looked speechless for a second and that second was all Harry needed. “Who says you don’t have parents who love you?”

“Well I don’t!”

“Who are Ginny and I, then?” Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. “The next door neighbors?”

“Well—”Severus started to say something, but paused. Did Harry just imply that he and Ginny saw themselves as his, Severus’, parents?

“Severus, do you have any idea why I call you ‘cub’?” The child kept silent. However, Harry could almost see the wheels turning in his head. “I’ll have you know that moving through the bowels of the Ministry of Magic right now is a petition for legal guardianship of one Severus Tobias Snape, now a minor, by one Henry James Potter. One Ginevra Molly Weasley is listed as co-guardian, because Ginny wouldn’t have it any other way; and one Remus John Lupin is listed as sponsor and secondary guardian in case something should happen to both Ginny and myself—a position he accepted with pride, might I add. Should anything happen to him, you would be entrusted to one Sirius Orion Black—surprising, I know,” Harry nodded, “but he volunteered, believe it or not. Should anything happen to him, the Weasleys would care for you, and I doubt I would have to appoint anyone else after that.” Harry fixed Severus with a look, “Now…what was all this about not having parents who love you, nor a godfather to care for you?” He raised an eyebrow at him.

Severus was speechless. Harry applied to be his guardian? His legal guardian?! And Ginny too?! And Remus was on there? And the mutt as well? “Well…I…” Sev didn’t know what to say! Heck, he didn’t even know what to think! It was all too much to take in all at once.

“Ginny and I have been filling that parental role for two months now, Severus. I thought you understood that.” Harry explained.

“Well…I…did.” Severus frowned. Actually, he’d never really thought about it before! Harry and Ginny were just…there. Sev never really paid them any heed. They were the ones who took care of him. They were his constants. He always sort of expected them to be there by default. They were there when he was learning to adjust. They were there when he was hungry. They were there when he needed a change. They were there to comfort him when he cried. They were there when he went to sleep. They were there when he woke up. They were there when he learned to crawl. They were there when he got his first tooth. They were there…Well…they were there through everything!

Sev’s eyes widened. They were there…through…everything. The insight struck a chord with Severus. Harry and Ginny really were like his parents, he realized! Well…sort of…maybe…in a way.

“If you did, then why all this?”

Sev ignored the question in favor of a better one, “Who would my godfather be, then?”

The teen’s eyes widened in surprise, “Pardon?”

“If you and Ginny are sort of like my parents, who would my godfather be, then?” The child asked excitedly.

For once, Harry was floored at the way this conversation was jumping from one topic to the next. “Well…um…” Normally, Ron would’ve been his first choice, but he highly doubted the redhead would consider it a compliment to be named the former Severus Snape’s godfather. “Er…” He cleared his throat uncertainly. “Well…if Ginny and I are sort of like your parents, then…Remus would sort of be like your godfather.”

“Remus?”

“Yeah, I think it’s appropriate.” Harry nodded with a half-smile. “If Teddy has Remus and Dora to love him and me as a godfather to act like a second parent, then you would have Ginny and me to love you with Remus as a godfather to act as a second parent to you—which he would be anyway once the guardianship papers go through.”

As usual, everything else in Harry’s statement zipped through Sev’s head except for one particular part. “You love me?” He asked almost breathlessly. The look of pure shock on his face was shocking in its own right.

Something about Sev’s tone of voice told Harry the child didn’t quite believe what he was saying. “Cub…” Harry sighed. Pulling himself up, the teen lifted Severus and shifted positions so that he was sitting cross-legged on the hammock with Sev nestled in his lap, wrapped in his arms. “Of course we love you!” He told the speechless five-year-old. “We love you so very much! Do you think Ginny would volunteer to breastfeed just any old baby off the street?”

“She gave Teddy mewmew just now!” Sev argued with a pout.

“Yes, but Teddy is special. AH!” Harry raised a finger to stop Sev’s protest before it started, “He’s a different kind of special. Let me explain.” He pointed to Sev’s little chest. “You are special to Ginny and me like Teddy is special to Remus and Dora.” Harry nodded. “Okay? With me so far?” The teen waited patiently as the child hesitantly imitated his movements. “Good. Now…Teddy is special to me in the same way that I’m special to Sirius, and…in the same way that you are special to…?” He raised a questioning eyebrow at Severus.

“…Remus?” Sev answered with uncertainty.

“Remus.” Harry nodded.

“But does he know all this?” The child asked worriedly.

Harry smiled and jerked his head to the side, “Take a look.”

All of a sudden, the beach puffed out of existence and the hammock they were swinging in just as quickly transformed into an easy chair. They were back in Harry’s quarters at Hogwarts.

“This is me projecting a memory into your mind via our link.” Harry whispered in his ear. “I’ll teach you to do that once you become proficient at mental communication.”

There was a loud noise behind them and Severus turned to find the portrait hole swinging open and Remus walking into the room.

“Hey, Moony!” The other Harry greeted as he walked in from the bedroom to meet Remus.

“Good evening, Harry.” The werewolf replied with a smile, “How goes the paperwork?”

The teen made a disgusted sound, “I don’t understand why these forms have to be so incredibly long. I could swear I’ve answered the same question ten times now!” 

Remus chuckled, “Yes, Kingsley told me once everything settles down, he wants to sit down and revise all the redundant paperwork.”

“Thank Merlin!” Harry muttered, taking a sip of coffee. Like a good host, the teen offered Remus food and drink, but the older wizard politely declined. “By the way, Moony, since you’re here, I’d like to ask you for a favor. Well…a sort of favor.” Harry shrugged. “Actually, it’s not really a favor. It’s more of a request—”

Remus raised a hand to stop his babbling, “Harry, just spit it out.” The werewolf replied, amused. “I actually came here to request a small favor of you as well; but you go first.”

Harry nodded and the two men took a seat on the couch. The teen pushed aside his ever-present paperwork for a moment and leaned forward in his seat. He seemed a bit hesitant to Severus. “I, uh…I don’t quite know how to ask this.” He chuckled nervously. “Um…” He grimaced. For a moment, Harry looked lost in thought, but soon enough he sat upright once again and met Remus’ eye. “Look…Remus, as much as I would love to say I’m a man of no enemies, well…” He shrugged, “…we both know that’s not true.”

“I have enemies as well, Harry.”

“I know, Moony, but not as many as I do.” The teen replied; sadly, he sounded quite resigned to that fact. “And with that in mind, I’d like to list you as Severus’ secondary guardian, should anything happen to Ginny and me.”

Remus’ eyes widened in surprise and he was speechless for a bit. “Harry, I…” He blushed and gave a small, nervous chuckle, “I…Wow!” Severus thought the werewolf looked flattered. It was quite possibly the most awkward look the child had ever remembered seeing on him!

“Had this been an adoption…I guess I’d be asking if you would be his godfather.” Harry said, emphasizing the enormity of the role he was offering Remus.

The werewolf grinned and offered Harry a hand. “I’d be honored, Harry.” He replied proudly.

Harry released the breath didn’t know he had been holding and took the hand with a relieved smile. “Thank you!” He exclaimed. The moment was soon interrupted by two loud barks from the bedroom.

“And there you have it!” Harry whispered as the world dissolved around them and Sev blinked to find them back on the beach in the hammock once again. “So he does know.” He reiterated, scanning the face of the child on his lap.   

Severus didn’t reply, but the small smile that crept onto his face told Harry everything he needed to know. “Now…shall we return to our original topic of conversation?” And just as quickly as it appeared, the smile on Sev’s face vanished and the child blushed, burying his face in Harry’s robes.

“Whyyyyyyyy?” He whined, his voice muffled by the soft fabric.

“Because I will not tolerate that sort of behavior, Severus, and you know it.” Harry gently positioned Severus so that he and the child could see face-to-face.

“I’m sorry!” Sev blurted out in an effort to get the present conversation to end. “I’m sorry! I didn’t see it before, but I see it now. I won’t be jealous of Teddy anymore, I promise. Now can we go back to talking about magical bonds?” He turned his puppy-dog eyes onto Harry.

“Severus,” Harry fixed the child with a firm look, “We’ll talk about those later. Right now I want to see whether or not you understand—”

“I understand!” Sev responded eagerly. “I understand everything perfectly now! I promise. Everything’s crystal clear. Now what were you saying about projecting images into my mind?”

Harry narrowed his eyes and Sev unconsciously gulped. All of a sudden, his heart began to speed up in his chest. He knew what that look meant. “Very well, if everything is crystal clear now, let’s just hop on out of here and get the spanking over with.”

“NO!” Sev responded instantly, his panic getting the best of him for a second.

“Ah, and now the reason for all the distractions becomes clear.” Harry interjected with a tiny smile.

Severus sat back against Harry’s chest with a huff and crossed his arms across his own little chest, a pout forming on his lips. “Fine! I’ll talk about it.” He grumbled irritably.

“Come now, Sev…” Harry sighed and wrapped his arms around the five-year-old, discreetly planting a kiss atop the child’s head before leaning in to whisper in his ear.

As Harry wrapped himself around him, Severus closed his eyes and leaned into the embrace. He couldn’t help himself. He liked this whole hugging business. He hadn’t been so keen to do it in his previous life, but now, however, he enjoyed it immensely. He especially liked it when Ginny and Harry hugged him. They were always nice and warm. Harry always smelled like soap, toothpaste, and freshly cut grass, while Ginny’s scent reminded Sev of peaches and roses with just a hint of cinnamon on the side. They were the scents he now associated with home.

Although Harry had planned to say something, he withheld his comments for a while. He had sensed the change in Severus’ demeanor and wanted the child to continue to relax. He knew the calmer Severus got, the more he was inclined to be honest with Harry about his feelings. Thus for a few minutes the two boys merely sat there, basking in the warmth of the afternoon sun, and allowing the sights and sounds of their sweet little haven to penetrate into their souls, allowing them to calm their hearts and banish their negative emotions. The crashing of the waves, the squeaking of their hammock as it swung in the sweet summer breeze, the rustling of the palms, the creaking of the tree trunks—they all served to put the child’s mind at ease.

“Jealousy is a dangerous emotion, Sev.” Harry murmured in his ear.

“I know.” Severus replied sadly. “I was jealous of James Potter once upon a time.”

“And look at what it drove you to do.” Harry felt a shiver travel down Severus’ spine and he wrapped his arms even tighter around him. “I know you’re not that kind of person, Sev.” Harry added reassuringly. “I know that, deep down, you never were that kind of person.”

Severus sniffed and brushed at the tears that were beginning to sting his eyes. “That’s what Lily said.” He replied shakily.

“Then I know it’s true.” Harry leaned in and dropped a kiss on the child’s temple.

“I never meant to hurt Teddy and Ginny,” Sev murmured, peering up at a blurry Harry through a wall of tears, “like I never meant to hurt Lily. It was a stupid reaction! I never wanted any of this!” Sev felt himself being lifted up and turned around. Soon enough, he was cuddled against Harry, crying into his chest.

“Shhh now…” The teen murmured into his ear, “Calm down. I know you didn’t.” Harry swung the hammock and rubbed Severus’ back as the child purged his guilt into his robes. Harry knew Severus needed this cry. So he kept silent the entire time, allowing the sounds of the crashing waves and the rustling trees to calm the child once again.

“So…” Harry started when Sev’s breathing began to even out at last, “…are you going to share me with Teddy from now on?” He asked, running his fingers through Sev’s hair in a gesture of comfort.

Severus was silent for a short while before he replied, “Fine,” rather begrudgingly.

Harry smiled, “Why don’t you think of it like this, cub—Teddy could be like…your little brother.”

Sev pushed up against Harry’s chest and furrowed his eyebrows at the teen, “My little brother?”

“Yeah!” Harry grinned, “He’s the one who’s new to this whole business of being alive and you could be the one helping Remus and I show him how it’s done!”

Severus raised an eyebrow at Harry before his gaze began turning inward, “I never had a little brother before.” He mused aloud.

“Well now you kind of do.” Harry smirked, “Now you’re big brother, and as big brother, of course, one of your jobs is to be the example for little brother, right?” Harry gave Sev an expectant smile.

Sev knew exactly where Harry was heading with this. “Right.” He answered in a very put-out sort of way.

“Which means that you’re both going to share Harry and Ginny from now on, right?”

Sev frowned at Harry. “As long as Teddy shares Remus and Dora with me!”

“Well you’re going to be the one to show him how to do that, aren’t you?” Harry replied with a raised eyebrow.

Sev pouted and buried his face back in Harry’s robes. He didn’t reply.

“Aren’t you, Sev?” Harry pushed, nudging the child expectantly.

Severus sighed and his shoulders sagged. “Yeah.” He replied, sounding very resigned.

“That’s my boy!” Harry praised as he gave the child a supportive squeeze and planted a kiss atop his head. Despite himself, Severus smiled. “Now…let’s get the messy part over with, shall we?”

Severus pushed up at pouted at Harry. “Do we have to?” He practically whined.

“What do you think?” The teen answered neutrally.

Sev huffed and pressed his ear to Harry’s chest. Of all the times the teen could have chosen to start being consistent, he had to choose this time! It wasn’t fair! Granted, the fact that Harry was rather consistent when it came to rules and consequences gave the child a measure of comfort, but overall Sev thought the entire system was completely unfair! Whoever said rules and consequences had to go hand in hand, anyway?! Sev thought that person should be shot with a muggle gun…in the face! Just because a person had rules didn’t mean that they had to have consequences attached to those rules. Severus was beginning to think that whole association of rules to consequences was absolutely absurd!

“Come on, cub. Three swats, that’s all. Nothing but a bunch of love taps.” Sev felt himself being pulled up and the world began dissolving around him.

Nothing but a bunch of love taps?! Severus was really beginning to question Harry’s sanity. That’s easy for him to say! He’s not on the receiving end of his rock-solid hand! The infant blew raspberries into Harry’s shirt.

“Mo wike!” He scowled up at his caretaker.

“Well I don’t like it either, so let’s get this over with as quickly as possible, shall we?”

Sev watched as Harry repositioned himself on top of the couch cushion, leaning against the corner before stretching his legs out so that he could have a place to lay Severus.

The infant whimpered and gazed up at Harry pleadingly, “Mo wike, Haweh!” He tried turning on his puppy-dog eyes full blast.

Harry was impervious, “Three swats, cub.” He shook his head, “Close your eyes, and it’ll be over in ten seconds.”

As Sev felt himself positioned against Harry’s knee, he screwed his eyes shut tightly and buried his bright-red face in Harry’s arm. How the heck did he end up in this position again anyway?!

SMACK!

Severus whimpered and tried to recall just why he was jealous of Teddy to begin with. Nothing came to mind.

SMACK!

He had thought Teddy had everything that he didn’t, but now he realized he was wrong.

SMACK!

Severus felt like an idiot. A really big, super duper, extra, extra, huge, ginormous idiot! He just got corner time, a spanking, and a grounding all because he was too stupid to see what was right in front of him the entire time. He was an idiot!

“You’re not an idiot, cub.” Harry replied as he lifted Severus off of his knee and into his arms. “You’re human, and I love you.”

A smile tugged at Severus’ lips as he felt Harry plant a kiss upon his temple. A wave of pride then flowed into the infant and Severus quickly realized that it had come through the new mental bond he now shared with Harry.

A grin and a blush crept across Severus’ face as the infant finally understood that he may have been an idiot…but he was a well-loved idiot, and the ‘well-loved’ part was all that really mattered in the end.

“You boys sure love making a mess, don’t you?” Ginny commented with a smile as she seized the precious moment by taking a magical picture of Severus and Teddy. The two boys were seated in their high chairs, their faces, hair, hands, bibs, shirts, seats, and tray tables decorated with the spaghetti sauce and tasty green sludge they had for dinner.

Severus grinned at the camera as Ginny snapped another picture before rubbing another handful of green sludge into Teddy’s hair. The little metamorphamagus burst into yet another round of uncontrollable giggles before leaning over and rubbing spaghetti sauce all over Severus’ face.

“They’re just going to keep at it, aren’t they?” Harry chuckled as he watched Sev dissolve into laughter and then continue smearing his dinner all over Teddy. 

“Oh, yeah.” Ginny exchanged an amused glance with her boyfriend and the two shared a short, sweet kiss.

“Boooooo!” Teddy exclaimed before smearing spaghetti sauce all over Sev’s hair for the thousandth time that night.

“Okay! Alright!” Harry called a stop to the food fight with the clap of his hands. “You two had enough fun for one night, I think. Got more dinner on you than you did in you, by the looks of things.” He mumbled under his breath.

“Bath time, gentlemen!” Ginny announced.

“Bap, bap, bap.” Sev chanted with a grin.

“Ba, ba, ba!” Teddy imitated almost immediately.

“Look at that, Sev. Someone likes imitating his big brother, huh?” Harry winked at the seven-month-old infant.

Severus grinned. “Bick bobo!” He exclaimed enthusiastically, bouncing in his seat.

Ginny threw her head back in hysterical laughter before leaning in and giving Severus a big kiss on the cheek. “You’re a very good big brother, sweetheart!”

“Okay, here’s what’s going to happen,” Harry announced, calling everyone’s attention back to him, “Sev, you’re going to stay here and help Ginny clean up for a bit while I go give Teddy a bath.” The teen noticed how Ginny threw an apprehensive glance in Severus’ direction, “After Teddy’s bath is done, Ginny will get him ready for bed, and you and I will have a shower together. How does that sound?”

Sev smiled and began bouncing excitedly in his high chair, “Fowew! Fowew!”

“That’s right, cub! A shower.” Harry dropped a kiss onto Sev’s spaghetti-soaked head as he leaned down to pick up Teddy. “Alright, my little wolf cub, let’s go have a bath, shall we?”

“Ba, ba, ba, ba, ba!”

Ginny watched in absolute awe as Sev not only overlooked the fact that Harry was holding Teddy, but also managed to completely ignore Harry’s ‘my little wolf cub’ remark.

“Love?”

Harry paused at the door and peered back at his girlfriend curiously, “Yes?”

Ginny graced him with a charming smile as she flicked her eyes towards Severus, who was busy playing with his food, “You’re a miracle worker, Harry”

Harry blushed and smiled shyly, “It wasn’t me, Gin.”

“Oh it wasn’t?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

Harry shook his head, “Three little words, love. Three magical little words.” And with that, he left the kitchen, leaving a very wise Ginny to figure it out for herself.

The teenager smiled at his retreating back before leaning in to give Severus a quick peck on the cheek. “I love you, Sev.” She whispered in his ear.

Severus giggled around his spaghetti-stained fingers and began bouncing in his seat excitedly.

Three magical little words, indeed. Ginny mused contentedly as she lifted the spaghetti-stained infant into her arms.