Harry rolled his eyes and checked the clock for the fifth time in as many minutes. “Ginny!” He called, annoyed at how long she was taking.

“One more minute, Harry!”

“Uh-uh!” Sev shook his head jokingly.

“Boy, you got that right.” Harry muttered under his breath as he threw himself down onto the couch. “You said that five minutes ago!” He retorted aloud.

“This time I really mean it!” Came the reply from the upstairs bathroom.

“Ginny, everyone is waiting for us!”

“Harry, for Merlin’s sake! It’s lunch at my parents’ house. It takes them forever to get the actual food on the table. When mum calls everyone to eat, she actually means ‘the food will be ready in a half-hour’. You know all this. What’s the rush?!” With that, the door to the upstairs bathroom flew open and out walked Ginny, dressed and ready to go.

“About time.” Harry murmured to the infant attached to the sling on his chest. Severus stifled his laughs in Harry’s robes.

“Everyone’s been acting strange these last few days.” The teenager muttered as she rushed down the stairs and then began digging for something in her handbag. “First, you and Sev sneak off to town for hours last weekend at Godric’s Hollow, and then my parents practically order me to spend the night here with you. Are they trying to tell me something? That’s rather unlike them.”

“She’s talking to herself.” Harry whispered lightheartedly into Sev’s ear as he stepped into the fireplace. The infant grinned up at him.

“What are you trying to say, Harry?” Ginny narrowed her eyes at him playfully as she stepped into the fireplace next to him.

“That you’re crazy.” The teen answered with a smirk.

“Oh, shut it!” Ginny rolled her eyes and lightly slapped him on the shoulder before turning back to her handbag and resuming her digging. “So sue me if I want my hair to look nice for no apparent reason...” She muttered under her breath.

Harry chuckled and pulled a handful of floo powder from his pocket. “You ready, cub?”

“Cow-bew.” Sev peered up at Harry and began patting his head lightly. “Cow-bew.”

Harry nodded and pulled the excess fabric from the sling away from his shoulder. “In ya go, lad.” Severus dove into the folds of the sling and curled himself up as tightly as possible while Harry wrapped the excess fabric around him, making sure that no part of his face was left exposed. “There we are. Now are you ready, cub?” The teen felt a nod against his chest. “Excellent!” He turned back to his girlfriend. “Love?”

“…And then Fred and George wouldn’t allow me into their room all of a sudden…” Ginny continued to mutter as she dug even deeper into her handbag, “…which is just a might strange…”

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.” Harry raised his hand high and called out in a clear voice, “THE BURROW!”

BOOM!

“…and then you and—”

“SURPRISE!!!”

The unexpected chorus of voices startled Ginny into silence and she finally looked up from her handbag to find a small, familiar-looking group of people gathered around her hearth and smiling joyously at her. There was her entire family, of course, plus Fleur and Hermione, Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Slughorn, and Flitwick were there, as well as a few members of the Order and a couple of her close Army friends. The same group of Gryffindors, plus Luna, that had come to Harry’s surprise party two weeks before now hung around the back of the room, next to a familiar shaggy-haired animagus, his werewolf friend, and said werewolf’s family. Behind them all, strung atop the windows at the back of the room, hung a huge Gryffindor-colored banner that read Happy 17th Birthday, Ginny!!!

“Oh my…”

“EHW-PIE!!!” A little voice squeaked from the squirming bundle on Harry’s chest. The gathered crowd chuckled as Harry worked to free Severus of his cotton bonds.

“You see?!” Ginny exclaimed with a grin. “I told you!” She shoved a chuckling Harry lightly on the shoulder. “I knew there was something weird going on!”

“Yes. Apparently, we were planning each other’s surprise parties at the same time.”

Sev giggled and pointed at both Ginny and Harry, “Dum-dum!” The gathered crowd cracked up once again.

The two teens laughed at the infant’s antics as well before leaning in and sharing a short, sweet kiss. “Happy Birthday, love.” Harry whispered.

“Thank you, Harry.” Ginny whispered in return.

“MEH!” Sev squeaked, bouncing in his sling and puckering his lips.

Ginny grinned and leaned in to give the infant a quick kiss on the lips as well. “Ha-peh Bef-bay, Immy!”

“Why thank you, love.” Ginny kissed the tip of his nose before pulling back and turning towards the crowd. “Thank you all for coming!”

As Ginny quickly found herself in the middle of a big, Weasley group hug, Harry skedaddled to the back of the room to stand beside Remus and Sirius.

“Hey, pup!” “Hi, Harry.” “How you doing, cub?”

Severus blew raspberries at Sirius.

“He doesn’t like it when you call him ‘cub’.” Harry informed his godfather, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Too bad.” The animagus snorted.

“Peb-by!”

“Ah!”

Severus began bouncing excitedly in his sling so Harry positioned himself next to Remus so that the two infants could “talk”.

“How was Teddy over the weekend? Nothing went wrong, I hope.” Remus asked, a bit of apprehension in his voice.

“No, Teddy was an angel.” Harry smiled. “This little guy had a bit of a jealousy issue but—”

“Ha! See! I knew it!” Sirius cackled at his godson, “It came back to bite you in the arse, didn’t it?!”

“Alright, alright, you can say ‘I told you so’, Padfoot. Go ahead.” Harry rolled his eyes.

“Oh, I already did.” The animagus snickered before slinging an arm around his godson’s shoulders and giving him a supportive squeeze.

“What happened?” Remus asked worriedly.

“Oh, nothing big.” Harry thought it prudent to not mention the fact that Severus nearly killed both Teddy and Ginny. “He saw Ginny breastfeeding Teddy and threw a hissy fit. I dealt with it. No problem.” He shrugged. Harry felt waves of nervous energy emanating from the mental link he shared with Severus and he sent back waves of calming energy in response. The infant soon relaxed in his arms.

“So they’re okay now?”

“Yeah, they’re fine.” Harry nodded reassuringly. “I was able to play with Teddy all weekend without incident. In fact…”

Harry ran his fingers through Sev’s hair and sent him a question via their link, “Would you like Remus to hold you now, cub?”

Sev peered up at Harry in surprise before biting his lip and glancing at the werewolf a bit apprehensively. “Wa Peb-by?”

“I can hold Teddy while you and Remus get to know each other better, what do you say?”

“Harry?” Both Remus and Sirius were looking at him quizzically.

“I told him about the…” Harry glanced around before lowering his voice considerably, “Ahem…‘papers’…” Both men nodded in understanding, “…as well as the fact that I named you ‘secondary guardian’, Moony.”

“Ah!” Sirius chuckled and elbowed Remus playfully, “Godfather, Moony. Welcome to the club!”

“Now little Henry here wants to get to know you a bit more, if that’s okay, Remus.” Harry smiled and sent another wave of calming energy through his link with Sev.

“Sure! Yeah, uh…” Remus turned around to look for his wife, “Let me just drop this little guy off with Dora. He’s a bit hungry.”

“Okay.”

“Bye-Bye Peb-by!” Sev waved at Remus’ retreating back. The small group was silent for a moment as they tracked Remus across the room.

“Ahem! Uh, Harry?” The teenager turned to his own godfather and was a bit taken aback at the awkward look he was getting from the man.

“Something wrong, Padfoot?”

Severus stuck his thumb in his mouth and reclined in his sling, watching the animagus with a critical eye.

“You got a minute?” He tipped his head towards the side door that led to the backyard.

“Uh-huh.” Harry nodded and followed Sirius into the garden. The animagus quickly cast a Muffliato between them, garnering a raised eyebrow from both the teenager and the infant in his arms.

“Look, pup, uh…” Sirius scratched the back of his neck sheepishly and began fidgeting in place. Harry thought the behavior was most unlike him. “I was wondering if…” He paused suddenly, stuffing both his hands in his pockets and fixating on a point above Harry’s shoulder, refusing to meet his godson’s gaze.

Harry furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, “Padfoot?”

“I was wondering if…maybe…” He took a deep breath, “Ifyouwouldconsiderswitchingtheguardianshiptoadoption.” He spat out rapidly before clearing his throat loudly and faking a hacking cough.

The distraction tactics swayed neither Harry nor the infant Snape. “What?!” “Wah?!” They exclaimed in confusion.

“Did you just suggest I switch the guardianship papers to adoption papers instead?” Harry reiterated, bewildered.

“It’s not too late.” Sirius mumbled under his breath. His eyes were fixated towards the ground this time, and he was playing with the mud with the tip of his shoe.

Severus was looking at Sirius as if the man had finally lost all his marbles.

Harry exchanged a look with the infant in his arms. “Sirius…” The teenager cleared his throat awkwardly, “…what were we talking about the night we formally met and had just left the Shrieking Shack?” The teen asked suddenly, his tone of voice entirely different. “Where were we and what was our conversation about?”

Sirius rolled his eyes and fixed his godson with a frustrated look. “We were by the Whomping Willow and I asked if you wanted to live with me. Harry, I’m not an imposter! It’s me!”

“Are you sure?” Harry raised a sardonic eyebrow.

“Dum-dum!” Sev mumbled before blowing raspberries at Sirius and then diving back into his sling.

“You know what? Forget it!” Sirius abruptly did an about-face and began stomping back towards the house. “Forget I said anything.”

“What brought it about?!” Harry called out suddenly, making the animagus freeze in his tracks. “What would make you, of all people, suggest it?!” This time, Sirius heard no sarcasm in the teen’s voice. Instead, his canine ears picked up on a note of worry, of concern, and the animagus knew that concern wasn’t for him. 

Sirius sighed at the heavens before turning a sad gaze upon his godson. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. His eyes locked with Harry’s and for a fraction of a second, Sirius couldn’t turn his gaze away. Suddenly, the animagus began to feel a warm presence flowing into his mind and Sirius quickly forced himself to rip his eyes away from his godson. He couldn’t do this.

“Just…just think about it, Harry.” He turned and once again began walking towards the house.

“Sirius!” This time, a kernel of fear tinged Harry’s voice as he called his godfather back, and it made the animagus cringe. Sirius wanted to kick himself. He had just instilled that fear in his godson. “Sirius, please?!”

The animagus tightened his lips and turned back around. He could see Severus peeking at him from behind the edge of his sling before the infant abruptly turned his worried gaze up at Harry. The teen now looked desperate. “What are you not telling me?”

“Hey! What are you three doing out here?” Remus’ voice was the distraction Sirius needed. He quickly ended the Muffliato and turned to face his friend.

“Nothing, Moony!” He checked his pocket watch absentmindedly and peered back at his godson, but only for a second, “I’m sorry, Harry, I…I have to go.”

“Go?” Harry echoed, perplexed at the sudden shift in conversation. He quickly began to follow his retreating godfather. “Go where? Sirius!”

“Is everything alright?” Remus asked from the porch. He held open the door behind him, since it was apparent that Sirius was heading inside.

“Forget I said anything, Harry!” The animagus exclaimed as he barreled past Remus and into the Weasley kitchen.

“Well I can’t forget it now, can I? You’ve already said it!” Harry abruptly stopped in front of Remus and, lifting Severus out of his sling, he hastily thrust the infant into Remus’ arms. “Stay with Remus for a second, cub.” And with that, the teenager darted through the Weasley kitchen after his godfather. “Sirius!”

Using his foot to hold open the door, Remus adjusted Severus in his arms until he was sure he had a secure hold on the infant. However, he had yet to take his eyes off the swinging door at the other end of the kitchen, which still reeled from Sirius’ and Harry’s double impact.

“What was all that about, cub?” He asked, turning worried eyes towards the infant in his arms.

“Pa-poo.” Sev replied, scowling at the swinging door. He wanted to hear the rest of the conversation! Why did Harry choose now, of all times, to leave him with Remus?! “Pa-poo wah Haweh!” He pointed at the swinging door and turned his frown unto Remus.

“Padfoot wants Harry?” Remus repeated, completely bewildered.

“Ah-bop!” Sev continued, punctuating his exclamation with a poke to Remus’ chest. “Ah-bop MEH!”

It took Remus a few seconds, but eventually he was able to translate Sev’s baby speak into English. “Padfoot wants Harry to adopt you?” He asked.

“Uh-huh!” Sev nodded, sending Remus a look that clearly said, ‘Don’t you think that’s crazy?!’

“Ah!” The werewolf nodded in realization. Moving his foot, Remus allowed the back door to swing shut behind him as he made his way towards the swinging chair in the middle of the backyard. “And I take it…you don’t like that idea?” He ventured a guess.

The werewolf watched as Severus opened his mouth to answer, yet there came no reply. “You don’t like the idea of Harry adopting you?” He raised an eyebrow at the infant.

Ever so slowly, Severus closed his mouth and leaned down against Remus’ chest. He stuck his thumb in his mouth and Remus heard him begin sucking with a vengeance. The werewolf sighed. “Or is it…that you do like the idea of Harry adopting you?” Remus sat down on the swinging chair and positioned the infant on his lap, leaning against his arm. When he glanced down at Sev’s face, Remus locked eyes with an infant who was clearly confused.

Sev peered up at him anxiously and then shrugged. “O-mo.”

“You don’t know?” Sev shook his head. “Well…” Remus leaned against the armrest and tapped his lip in thought, “…let’s put it a different way then.” The werewolf paused for a second, mentally debating as to the what was the best way to reword such an important question. “How do you feel…about the idea of Harry being your dad?”

With that, Severus grinned. He knew the answer to that particular question—they just answered it over the weekend! “Wike!” He replied without pause.

“You like it.” Remus nodded with a smile. “Good! Alright. Well then…” Remus paused in thought once more. Now he wanted to pinpoint exactly where Severus was hesitant about the idea of adoption. “How do you feel…about the idea of taking the Potter name?”

With that, Severus sagged against his arm and tried to bury himself in the crook. His face scrunched up in a look that didn’t quite spell distaste, but didn’t quite radiate liking either. “And there it is.” Remus nodded with a smirk. He readjusted Severus on his arm so that the infant was sitting up and opened his mouth to reply when the infant cut him off.

“Wah wom Pa-poo?” Sev asked suddenly.

“I beg your pardon?” Remus raised an eyebrow.

“Wah wom Pa-poo?!” The baby repeated, louder this time. He was shooting Remus a look that radiated impatience which, combined with the increased bouncing on his lap, clearly spelled out to Remus that he needed to provide an answer now!

“What’s wrong with Padfoot?” The werewolf repeated for clarification.

“Wah wom?!” The infant squeaked.

“Well nothing’s wrong with Padfoot.” Remus answered hastily.

“Uh-uh!” Severus shook his head and frowned at Remus as if the werewolf were a naughty student who he knew had the correct answer but was purposefully giving him the wrong one. “Wah wom?!” He cried.

Remus sighed and rolled his eyes. “Severus…I’m not lying to you. Nothing is wrong with Padfoot. This is just how he is!” The werewolf readjusted the infant on his lap so that they could better see each other face to face.

Severus blew raspberries at him.

“Enough of that.” Remus admonished sternly, the reaction almost automatic. Severus gave him a strange look before his signature Snape frown once again took over.

“Wah wom?” The infant repeated stubbornly.

“Nothing is wrong. Look…You may not be used to it because this is the first time it’s been directed towards you, but Sirius has the tendency to be extremely protective of those he considers part of his family.” Severus’ face instantly scrunched up into a disgusted look and Remus rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you say that now, but you’re going to realize soon enough how much you like it.”

“Mo!” The infant retorted.

Remus sighed. “Padfoot’s animagus is a dog for a reason, Sev.”

Yeah, he’s a mutt! A voice spat at the back of the infant’s mind.

“He’s fiercely loyal to the members of his pack.”

And he’s a mutt!

“And he’ll do everything in his power to keep them safe.”

And he’s a mutt.

“And that includes swallowing his pride.”

And he’s…Severus could feel his irritation with the mutt quickly drain out of him at Remus’ words. No! Goddamn it! I’m supposed to…I’m supposed to stay annoyed…The infant growled. Damn the werewolf! Why does he have to make so much sense?!

“I think…what you just saw was the very proud Sirius Black swallowing his pride.”

Severus’ eyebrows furrowed. Sirius Black? Swallowing his pride? For his, Severus’, benefit? Impossible! The voice at the back of his mind spat. He’d never do that.

“Like it or not, Severus, Sirius is loyal to you now.”

See, now that’s just bollocks! The infant blew raspberries at the werewolf. “Mo!” He snapped before turning his head the other way. He was hearing no more of this ridiculous poppycock. “Pa-poo wike Haweh! Mo meh!” He shook his head violently. “MO meh! MO…WIKE…PA-POO!!!” And with that, he scowled at the ground.

“You don’t like Padfoot?” Remus repeated lamely, an eyebrow arching to his hairline.

“MO!” The infant snapped, looking at Remus as if the man had just said something scandalous. “Wike HAWEH! Mo Pa-poo!” Bffffffft!

“What about your snitch? The one he gave you?”

“Mo!”

“Seve—”

“MO!!!”

Remus’ lips thinned into a line and he rolled his eyes. It was useless. The infant wasn’t going to listen to him now.

“Oh…Remus! There you are!” The werewolf turned to find his wife waving him over from the doorway. “Come on! Let’s eat before they start cutting the cake!”

“Yeah! One minute, sweetheart!” Remus nodded at her before turning back around with a sigh. “Look, you can think whatever you want to think, cub, but know this: I have known Sirius since we were eleven years old. I know how he tends to act, but I also know what kind of person he is. Now…” Remus stood up, wrapping Severus in his arms as he turned to make his way back towards the house, “…you and Sirius can both tell yourselves that you don’t like each other, that you’re only tolerating each other for Harry’s benefit, whatever. If you want to delude yourselves into thinking that, fine. But here’s what I see when I look at the two of you: he cares for you now. He just doesn’t want to admit it because of his pride. Likewise, you like how he cares for you now. You just don’t want to admit it because of your pride. The both of you are just using Harry as a scapegoat. You like each other.”

“Mo!” Sev frowned and blew raspberries into Remus’ robes.

“What were the two of you doing out here?” Tonks asked as the pair reached her.

“Just having a bit of a heart-to-heart.”

Severus pushed up against Remus’ chest and widened his eyes at Tonks. “Moomy wom!”

Tonks raised an eyebrow. This was the first time Severus had shown an interest in having a conversation with her. “Moony’s what?”

“He says I’m wrong.” Remus rolled his eyes.

Tonks snorted. “Well he’s always wrong.” She replied with a smile.

Severus grinned and turned back to Remus, patting his chest lightly. “Feeeee? WOM!”

“Dora…” The werewolf growled in a half-irritated voice. “…you’re not helping.”

“No, you’re wrong, Remus!” The metamorphamagus replied with a grin. “I’m helping loads, aren’t I, Severus?”

“Wom! Wom! Wom!”

The werewolf sighed. It was a lost battle.

“Peb-by!”

“Ah!”

“Wom! Wom!”

“Ah!” The other infant grunted in reply.

“Feeeee?”

“Remus, have you seen Harry?” Ginny asked as soon as the four of them emerged from the kitchen. She had two plates of food with her and was searching the room with her eyes.

“Immy! Moomy WOM!” Severus squeaked, earning him a confused look from Ginny.

“Moony’s wrong?”

“Harry’s upstairs with Sirius, I think.” The werewolf replied. “They’re uh…sorting things out.”

“Sorting things out?” Ginny frowned at them.

“He should be down in a few minutes or so.” Remus assured her.

“Moomy wom! Uh!” Severus grunted as he began pushing away from Remus, reaching for Ginny instead. “Immy! Uuuuup!”

“In a minute, love. My hands are full.”

“Come along, cub.” Remus pulled Severus close and began heading for one of the many mismatched couches that filled the living room.

“Ah! Immy!” The infant peered at her with puppy-dog eyes and reached for her over the werewolf’s shoulder.

“She’s holding something, little one. She’ll be along in a minute.” Tonks reassured him as she followed her husband to the couch.

“Well hello there, little Henry!” Dumbledore’s exclaimed behind him. Severus felt Remus tap him lightly on the shoulder.

The infant growled and turned back around to face the headmaster with a scowl. Merlin help me! A voice groaned at the back of his head.

“I hear you have two teeth now. May I see them?” The old wizard asked with his most irritating smile.

“Mo!” He would’ve blow raspberries all over the headmaster had it not been for Remus, who, in anticipation of the move, covered Severus’ mouth just as all the spit came flying out.

“Ewwwwww!” Teddy giggled.

“Harry will be hearing about that one.” The werewolf hissed in Severus’ ear before turning back towards Dumbledore. “Maybe a little later, Headmaster. Somebody’s in a bit of a grumpy mood right now.”

Severus’ eyes widened at Remus and he peered up at the werewolf through narrowed eyes, trying to judge whether or not the man was serious about his first remark.

“Ah!” Dumbledore nodded in understanding and gave the pair a cryptic smile. “Later then, Remus?”

“Definitely.” The werewolf nodded as he took a seat on the long orange couch.

“Perhaps after cake.” And with that, the headmaster took his leave, murmuring something about finding Minerva and Horace.

Meanwhile, Sev frowned at Remus. “Mo Haweh!” He snapped.

“What I chose to tell Harry and not to tell Harry is up to my discretion.” The werewolf replied smoothly.

“Mo!” Severus whined, trying his luck with puppy-dog eyes.

“You have blown your last raspberry, young man.”

“Mo!”

“Hey! Hey, look, Henry!” Tonks tapped the infant on the shoulder in an effort to distract him and diffuse the situation. “Teddy has your favorite toy!”

Severus turned to find the little metamorphamagus waving a red donut-shaped object at him. “Ha, ha, ha! Wah!” And the infant threw the object down at Remus’ feet. Severus grinned and looked up at the werewolf in expectation.

“I think you’re meant to retrieve it, sweetheart.” Tonks reminded her husband with a smile.

“How do you figure that, love?” Remus bent down and returned the object to his son, prompting both boys to dissolve into hysterical laughter. Tonks began laughing along with them as well, earning her a bemused smile from her husband. “I still don’t see what’s so funny about everything.”

“You probably have to be their size to figure it out.”

“WAH!” Teddy squeaked before throwing his donut down yet again. Remus sighed and picked it back up.

“Oh, you’re stuck in the cycle now, Moony.” George commented with a smile as he walked by the little group.

“Let’s see how long you last at that.” Fred added behind him.

“Moomy!” Severus tapped Remus on the cheek to get the werewolf’s attention. “Wah!” He pointed down at the red donut toy on the floor at his feet.

Remus could hear Tonks cracking up beside him as he bent down to retrieve the toy yet again. “This is all your fault.” He grumbled good-naturedly at his wife.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Dora, do you guys want this?” Ginny said as she walked over, offering them the plate of food she had reserved for Harry. “You might as well. It’s getting cold.”

“Oh! Thank you!” Tonks took the plate with a smile.

“I’m going to go find Harry.”                                                                                                                                         

“Immy!” Sev bounced on Remus’ lap and reached up to Ginny pleadingly. “Uuuuuuup!”

“Give me a second, love, okay?” The teen took a knee in front of Remus and gave Severus a big kiss on the cheek. “I’m going to go find Harry. I’ll get you in a second. Here, open?” She fed him several spoonfuls of his special formula before passing the small bowl to Remus. “I’ll be right back. You be good for Remus and Dora.” And with that, she took off towards the stairs.

Severus watched her through rapidly moistening eyes until she disappeared completely from view. Then he turned those rapidly-moistening eyes up on Remus and began to whine in distress. “Mmmmmm! Mmmmmmm!” He started to bounce agitatedly on Remus’ lap, pointing to the spot he had seen Ginny disappear.

“Hey…Hey, calm down, cub.” Remus murmured, rubbing Severus’ back in an effort to forestall the breakdown he could see rapidly approaching.

“Immmmmmmmmmmmmmmmy!” The infant cried, tear drops beginning to cascade down his face. “IMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMY!”

As heads began turning in his direction, Remus passed the baby bowl over to his wife and stood up, cradling Severus in his arms. “Hey, now…Calm down, little Henry.”

“IMMMMMMMMMMMMMMY!” Sev squealed into Remus’ robes. The werewolf grimaced as he felt tears, drool, and snot begin to soak the front of his shirt.

“Aw, Henry!” A very familiar voice shrilled from across the room. “Aw, baby! What’s the matter sweetheart?! Excuse me…”

The sound of Molly Weasley’s voice alone was enough to make Severus stop crying, but not for the reasons he wanted to. “Mo!” He squeaked, pulling on the front of Remus’ robes and trying to wrap them around him.

“What’s wrong, honey?!”

“Mo! Mo! Mo!” He squirmed and tugged on whatever fabric he could get his hands on as he heard the voice approach quickly.

Remus, for his part, was absolutely baffled at the infant’s sudden change of mood. One minute, he was dealing with a crying baby, the next he was dealing with an agitated, squirmy one.

“Oh…what happened, Remus?” Molly questioned, stopping in front of Remus and making a grab for Severus.

“MO!” The infant squealed, wriggling so violently that Remus’ hold on him loosened for a fraction of a second, causing Severus to fall towards the floor. A cry swept throughout the room and both Remus and Molly dove forward simultaneously in an effort to catch Severus before he hit the ground.

Fortunately, Remus was able to catch him just in time. That moment of chaos, however, was enough to disorient Severus and in the confusion, he began to cry once again.

The werewolf sighed and shut his eyes in frustration. He didn’t know how Harry and Ginny handled it. Severus was more of a handful than ten Teddys! “Molly, Molly, please…” Remus waved the overindulgent woman off. “He’s fine. He just…He needs some room. Please?”

“Are you sure?” The redhead questioned dubiously, rubbing Severus’ back as the infant cried into the crook of Remus’ neck.

“Yes, yes, just give it a few minutes.” Remus began rubbing the baby’s back as he turned away.

“Alright…” Molly consented, sounding a bit disappointed, most likely at Severus’ propensity to not want to be held by her.

“Give it time…”Remus whispered with an encouraging smile. He then began swaying from side to side, humming the tune he had heard Harry hum countless times before. “Mmmmmm Hmmmm Mmmmm Mmmm Mmmm…”

It took a few minutes, but Remus’ steady swaying and gentle humming was enough to get Severus to calm down and stop crying. He soon settled in the crook of Remus’ neck, eyes closed and thumb stuck firmly in his mouth. The werewolf settled his chin on top of the infant’s head, basking in the cooing sounds Severus made as he sucked on his thumb. Oh, if he only were like this all the time. “Everything alright now, cub?” He asked soothingly.

“Haweh…” Sev mumbled around his thumb. Although the word was a bit garbled, Remus recognized it for the name it was.

“He’ll be along shortly, kiddo, just hang on for a little while more, eh?” Remus settled down once more next to his wife but continued rubbing Sev’s back nonetheless.

Soon enough, Severus stopped his thumb-sucking, pushed up against Remus’ chest, and began looking around as if searching for something. Remus hadn’t a clue as to what the child was looking for, but he figured it was something along the lines of Harry or Ginny. All of a sudden, he felt a small, drool-soaked hand tap his cheek to get his attention. “Bowm!” Sev said, gesturing towards the floor in emphasis.

“I beg your pardon?” The werewolf replied dumbly.

The child scowled at him. “Bowm!” He pointed towards the floor once more.

“Sweetheart, maybe you should put him down.” Tonks interjected beside them.

“Bowm!” Sev squeaked, pointing towards the metamorphamagus and nodding. “Bowm! Bowm! Bowm!”

Remus sighed. Once again, he felt completely left out. He had no idea what brought about this latest mood swing. “Fine, but there’s a word missing from that sentence.” He replied, putting a bit of an edge to his voice, just as he had seen Harry do.

“Bowm, pea.” Sev responded, his voice altogether different than it was mere moments before. It was nicer, more polite. Remus was so very glad Harry and Ginny were putting an emphasis on manners and common courtesies. Severus was becoming quite a charming little gentleman. Now if only he and Dora could achieve the same thing with Teddy.

“Alright, here we go…” Remus turned the infant over in his arms so that he was facing outward, and then slowly lowered him to the floor. “Easy now…Easy…”

The moment Severus’ feet touched ground, a jolt of excitement shot through him. He was using his feet again! He was using his feet again! Severus felt like jumping up and down! “Easy, cub! I said easy!” The werewolf growled in his ear. Sev felt like scowling, but he was too busy being excited to care. “I’m going to set you down on the floor.”  

Sev gasped. “Mo!” He latched onto Remus’ trousers as strongly as he could and held on for dear life.

“Se—Henry!” Remus gasped, the fierce grip taking him by surprise.

“Honey, honey, maybe you should just let him stand. He wants to stand!” Tonks interjected strongly. “Just support his back or something.”

“Dora, he can’t stand yet—”

“Uh-huh!” The infant argued.

“Let him try!” Tonks added in support of Severus. “Just…support his chest…keep a hand on his chest and his back, but let him try, Moony!”

“Bwy!” Sev added with a bounce.

“Okay! Okay!” Remus nodded reluctantly and bent down to sandwich the small infant between his two large hands. Severus had yet to let go of his leg, but his grip on Remus’ leg slackened considerably. “Slowly…slowly there, cub.” The werewolf could practically feel the trembling of Severus’ legs. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

Maybe this standing thing wasn’t a very good idea. A cynical voice droned at the back of Sev’s head. No! I want to stand! The stubborn half of him argued. His legs, however, had a very different idea. They shook and wobbled and his knees wouldn’t lock the way he wanted them to; Severus felt like he was trying to stand on Jell-O. The moment he released Remus’ leg, his own legs gave way and had it not been for Remus holding him up, he would’ve fell back on his arse.

“Oh…what’s going on here now?” A familiar voice droned above him. Severus looked up wide-eyed to find Molly taking a seat across from him and Remus. Unlike before, her voice was lower, less screechy and more comforting, more like Ginny’s voice. The change in pitch surprised the infant so much that he just stared dumbly for a second. “Are you trying to stand, sweetheart?”

Severus stuck his thumb in his mouth and began sucking on it as his other arm wrapped itself around Remus’ leg, hugging it to his chest. He peered at Molly curiously from around the leg.

“Are you trying to stand?” Suddenly, she turned away and waved at someone across the room. “Arthur! Get Ginny and Harry! The little one’s trying to stand!”

“Hey look everyone!” One of the twins yelled from across the room. “Little Henry’s trying to stand up!”

All of a sudden, everyone’s attention turned towards him and butterflies began fluttering in his stomach. Severus blushed furiously and whined, quickly turning back towards Remus and reaching his free arm up in a plea to be picked up. “Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup!”

A great “Aw” worked its way around the room. “George!” He heard Molly hiss behind him, “You scared him!”

“No, I didn’t!”

“You did too!” Fred argued good-naturedly.

“Henry!” Molly called hurriedly. “Henry! Look what I got!”

Severus peered at her from behind Remus’ leg and found her waving his stuffed lion cub at him. “It’s Roar! Come on! Come get Roar!”

“He doesn’t call it Roar, mum!” George argued.

“Oh, how would you know that?!” Molly retorted, waving the lion cub at Severus with a smile that belied her tone of voice.

“Well, he’s got to call it something better than Roar.” Fred added.

“That’s not even a name!” George agreed.

“What about Griffy?” Dean added with a smirk.

“Or Dor!” Seamus joined in.

“Or Griffy-n-dor!” The four of them chorused with laugh.

“I’ve got your lion, Henry!” Molly conceded with a smile. “Come get it, sweetheart.”

Severus stuck his thumb in his mouth and continued to watch her suspiciously from behind Remus’ leg. He wanted his lion, sure, but he wasn’t about to try walking over to get it. He’d look like an idiot! He hasn’t walked in almost three months, and this little body hasn’t walked at all; he’d just fall over on his arse on the way there—he just knew it! No…better not walk…not just yet.

“Come on, honey. Come get your toy!”

Sev peered around the room. Everyone was still looking at him in expectation. He turned around and sent Remus a questioning look.

The werewolf offered him an encouraging smile. “You want to try it, cub?” He asked gently.

Sev bit his lip and peered back at Molly and his baby lion cub.

“Come on, ladies and gents, let’s cheer the little guy on, eh?!” One of the twins yelled out before a huge cheer erupted amongst the crowd.

Severus blushed furiously and turned back towards Remus lickety-split. “Uuuuuuuuuuuuuup!” He cried desperately, holding his free arm up and bouncing up and down as best he could.

“Aw!” “Come on, big guy!” “Come on!” “You can do it.”

Remus looked down into Severus’ rapidly-moistening eyes and saw the breakdown that was just over the horizon. “Alright, alright.” He bent down and Sev hooked his free arm around his neck and held on for dear life. “Come on, cub.”

“Aw, come on, Remus!” “Yeah, let him try!” “Let him have a go!”

“No, no!” The werewolf waved them off with friendly yet firm smile as he stood back up, wrapping Severus in his arms. “He doesn’t want to try it. Let him be.” The crowd made a low disappointed noise before turning back to their previous conversations. Soon enough, the room was back to its regular bustle.

“It’s alright.” Molly said as she stood up off the foot rest and approached Remus with a smile. “Soon enough, my darling.” She rubbed Severus’ back lovingly and placed a gentle kiss on his exposed cheek. “You’ll be up and walking soon enough.” She offered him the lion cub and Sev took his thumb out of his mouth for a fraction of a second to hook it under his arm and hug it to his chest. The thumb went straight back in after that. “Maybe he was just waiting for Harry and Ginny.” Molly raised an eyebrow at Remus.

“Maybe.” The werewolf agreed as he continued to rub Severus’ back.

“And what about you, my Teddy bear?” Molly continued with a smile, bending down next to Tonks so that Teddy could see her face. “When are you going to start walking, eh?” Then she turned to Dora suddenly, “Oh Merlin…the moment these two start to walk together…” she gestured back and forth between Sev and Teddy with wide eyes. Remus and Dora grinned at her.

“They’re going to have plenty of fun, aren’t you, Teddy?” Tonks replied, nuzzling Teddy’s ear and making the infant giggle.

“Oh, no doubt there.” Remus murmured, a smile tugging at his lips. Sev peered up at him curiously, wondering what the werewolf meant by that.

“So…what’d I miss?!” A familiar voice exclaimed all of a sudden.

Sev pushed up from Remus’ chest so fast that he dropped his lion cub along the way. “HAWEH!” He squeaked.

“Whoa there!” Harry chuckled, catching Sev and lifting him into his arms before he could fall out of Remus’ grasp. “Are you alright?” The teen’s eyes widened slightly at the strength of Sev’s grip around his neck.

“Oh, he’s fine.” Remus replied with a smile. “He tried standing a moment ago.”

“No way!” Ginny gasped from behind Harry, turning to Remus and Dora with wide eyes.

“Yes, oh, you missed it, sweetheart!” Molly interjected.

“Mum! Did you take pictures?”

“I think your father did…or Bill…”

“I did, Molly.” Tonks replied, smiling at Ginny’s relieved look.

“Is that so?” Harry grinned, turning to the baby in his arms and giving him a kiss atop the head. “Did you try standing, cub?”

“Uh-huh!” Came the muffled reply, accompanied by a nod against his chest.

“Really?!”

“He tried walking as well.” Molly added proudly.

“Walking?!” Ginny’s eyes widened even more.

“Well…I wanted him to.” Molly clarified, “I even held out his lion for him to get.” She bent down to retrieve the fallen creature, “But the twins over there decided to call the crowd’s attention onto him and he got shy and wanted to be picked up again.”

“Ah, yes…” Harry nodded with a smirk. “Not very good in front of crowds.” He shrugged, “At least not yet.” Turning back to the baby in his embrace, Harry gave Severus a little shake. “How about you and I grab something to eat, cub? I’m so hungry I can eat a horse!” He growled playfully. Harry felt something tremble against his chest and the sound of Sev’s childish laughter soon floated up to meet his ears. “How about we share, eh? And then after that,” he turned and headed towards the food table, “we can help Ginny blow out them candles! Yes!”

Several sets of amused eyes followed the pair across the room.

“Thank you so much, Professor Slughorn.” Ginny smiled gratefully. “I’ll be sure to save it for when I need it the most.” The teen wrapped the small vial of Felix Felicis back in the protective cushioning from which it came and carefully handed it to her mother.

“I hope that’s not during exams and such.” Slughorn added playfully.

“That would be illegal.” McGonagall interjected sternly.

“Oh, I know, Professors.” Ginny replied, completely unfazed, “Exams and such weren’t what I was referring to when I said, ‘when I need it the most.’”

“I thought not, Miss Weasley.” McGonagall replied, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. “I was just…reminding you.”

“What did Harry get you, Miss Weasley?” Dumbledore interrupted the exchange with an excited smile.

“Yeah, what did Harry get you?” “He opened your gift first at his party.” “It’s probably a secret.” “A secret what?” “WHOOOOOOOOOO!” “Probably doesn’t want to give it to her in public!”

Ginny smiled at the juvenile comments flying around the room as she turned to her boyfriend with a glint in her eye. Next to her, Harry sat quietly, absorbing the jokes with naught but a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Severus sat in his sling, chewing on his fingers and looking between the two of them curiously. Green met hazel and Harry’s eyes narrowed playfully as the twitching corner of his mouth grew up into a smirk.

“So…?” Ginny whispered quietly.

“So…?” Harry echoed playfully. Then the smirk on his face grew into a grin and the juvenile comments came out in full force as he pulled a small box out of his right pocket.

“LOOK! It’s a box!” “A velvet box!” “Whooooooo!” “A small velvet box!” “WHOOO!”

“Oh shut it, the lot of you!” Harry snapped good-naturedly, prompting everyone in the room to burst into laughter. “It’s not what you think!”

“Oh, that just ruined the surprise!” “Why would you say that?!” “Of course it’s what I think!” “It’s jewelry. I can tell.” “Obviously!”

Ginny took the small, flat, rectangular box with a roll of her eyes and smile. As stupid as they could act sometimes, she wouldn’t trade friends like these for anything in the world.

“It’s just something small.” Harry whispered in her ear. He sounded a bit nervous to her.

“Harry, I wouldn’t care if you just gave me an empty box.” She whispered in return. Harry was then flooded with feelings of love and happiness and he was able to pinpoint it back to the bond he shared with Ginny. The teenager smiled. He was her ultimate gift, he realized. Well…him and a little someone else, of course.

Ginny waited until a hush fell over the crowd before she held her breath and popped open the box. The gleam of polished silver was the first to catch her eye. Following that was the spark of something blue.

When the lid finally snapped open, out of the box popped a small charms bracelet with three small charms attached to one side. Ginny smiled and took the small object in her hand. The gleam of the polished silver was mesmerizing, and the charms looked personalized from what she could tell. “Oh…it’s gorgeous…” she murmured under her breath so that only Harry could hear her. The teen brought the charms closer for further inspection and confirmed that they were indeed personalized. One of the charms had a baby footprint engraved on it in baby blue ink. The other had a baby handprint engraved on it in the same color. And right in between them, engraved in black and white on gleaming silver, was one of Ginny’s favorite pictures of baby Severus. He was wearing his blue overalls and his favorite white shirt; and Ginny remembered that was the day he learned to sit fully upright, and she had taken that picture of him right at the moment he had succeeded.

“They’re his own prints, love.” Harry whispered next to her. “His right hand and right foot.”

Now completely interested, Sev took his fingers out of his mouth and reached for the gleaming bracelet in Ginny’s hands. The teen indulged him with a chuckle and, upon seeing his picture engraved on one of the charms, Severus pointed to the charm and graced her with his adorable two-toothed grin. “Meh!” He squeaked proudly. Both Harry and Ginny laughed at the infant.

“Let’s see it, dear!” Molly cried eagerly, wondering, like everyone else in the room, what all the commotion was about.

Reluctantly turning away from the object of her unending affection, Ginny held up Harry’s gift to the crowd. “It’s a charm bracelet.”

“Told you it wasn’t what you thought.” Harry muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. A few of the folks in the group snorted.

“It has little Henry’s picture, handprint, and footprint engraved on it.” She showed it to her mum, who studied it in awe.

“Oh, it’s gorgeous!”

“That’s it?!” Dean hissed to Seamus, who was standing next to him near the back of the room. “It’s her seventeenth birthday and he gives her a charms bracelet with a baby’s picture on it.”

“Different things have different meanings to different people, Mr. Thomas.” Dumbledore murmured from Seamus’ other side.

“Well…yes, sir…but…” Dean didn’t know how else to put it. He simply felt that, as her boyfriend, Harry should’ve given Ginny more than a mere charms bracelet.

“Maybe the charms on the bracelet mean more to her than you think, mate.” Seamus shrugged, glancing at his best friend guiltily.

“Oh they most certainly do, Mr. Finnegan.” Dumbledore replied. “Look at her face, boys.” He said, bending down slightly so that his voice remained low and the conversation between the three of them. “You see how her eyes shine as she looks at each of the charms? And look at her hands as well, boys, her fingers, to be specific.” They were gentle, almost reverent, as she fingered each of the engraved pictures on the charms. Ginny’s eyes now shone with a light that had never been there before, by Dean’s recollection. It was a different kind of light, too, the young wizard noticed. There was more than laughter and love in her eyes now. There was something much, much more than that.

“That is not just any baby’s picture, Mr. Thomas, that is little Henry’s picture.”   

“There’s a difference, sir?” Dean raised an eyebrow at the old man.

“For you, perhaps there is no difference. However, I assure you, Mr. Thomas, that with her...there most certainly is.”

The three men watched as Harry slipped the bracelet onto Ginny’s wrist while the baby watched through wide eyes. Little Henry was grinning around the two fingers in his mouth, and when Harry and Ginny swept in for a quick kiss, he began bouncing in his sling, squealing with laughter. Ginny chuckled at him as she pulled away from Harry and Dean could see the light gleaming off her eyes as she took little Henry’s face between her hands and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

“She loves him.” Dean whispered almost unconsciously. Seamus could hear a slight crack in his voice.

“That she does, Mr. Thomas.” Dumbledore murmured in return. Seamus felt him reach a hand out to grasp Dean’s shoulder in support. “That she does.”

Seamus’ eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “She loves Harry?”

“She loves the baby.” Dean corrected in a low voice.

The Irishman’s eyebrow rose at that. “Reckon she loves Harry as well.”

“Well obviously!” Dean rolled his eyes. Within seconds, though, he snorted under his breath and his shoulders began to shake in silent laughter.

“There we go, mate!” Seamus nudged his best friend playfully. “Cheer up! There are other lasses out there. You’ll find one soon enough.”

“He’s right, Dean.” Dumbledore added with a twinkle in his eye and he squeezed Dean’s shoulder supportively. “Perhaps you should leave Miss Weasley be for now on. Hmmm? It seems she has found happiness for herself.”

“Yeah, mate, you should do the same.” Seamus nudged Dean once again. His friend shrugged noncommittally.

“It seems she has found happiness for herself…” As Dean turned back to the birthday girl and watched her blow out the candles on her cake along with the infant in her arms, Dumbledore’s words echoed in his mind. He realized he couldn’t hold on to her any longer. It wouldn’t be fair for either of them. The pang of jealousy in his gut couldn’t be helped, though. Merlin, she looks happy…

“He better take care of her.” Dean growled beneath his breath.

“I have no doubt he will, Mr. Thomas.” Dumbledore replied, “No doubt at all.”