One owl.

That's all the warning that Severus got that Lucius was coming to visit him—them—that evening. At least it was a Friday and that week's classes were completed. Lucius didn't always visit him at his convenience; quite the other way around actually.

Oh to be richer than sin and be able to do anything that one pleased.

Severus had to admit, if only to himself, that he was a touch nervous about his old friend coming to see him. He had been meaning to tell the man about his recent addition to the Snape family, but it wasn't something he wanted to mention in a letter, so he had kept putting it off.

And now he had no choice.

He was proud of his son, but he had more than some concern of how the other man would react once he found out more about little Harry's biological past.

. . .

His daddy had told him that a friend of his was going to visiting that evening. In turn, little Harry had relayed the message to his small pink friend, and they were still discussing it.

"Daddy says that Mr. Malfoy is a very ol' friend of his, and dat I'm ta be on my bestest behavior," he told Captain in a solemn voice.

He was sitting on his daddy's lap on their couch while they waited for Lucius to arrive at their quarters. His Tall Man had told him that the man would likely travel via floo, but that sometimes his friend changed his mind and did something unexpected.

The small boy didn't particularly like trying to plan for the unexpected, and hoped rather fervently that his daddy's friend would stick to the realm of the expected—if only for that evening.

"What if he don't like me?" He said very quietly to his bear.

"Why wouldn't he like you?" Captain answered calmly.

"'Cause I'm stupid? And ugly and smelly and little?" His words rushed out of his mouth and he chanced a look at his Tall Man to see if his daddy had heard.

"He doesn't speak bear, silly!" His bear admonished gently and Harry let out a small breath of relief. "But that doesn't mean that you get to say those mean things either!" Captain answered with a bit of a growl.

"But dey are true!" He answered with a slight blush.

"They aren't! Daddy says they aren't. He thinks you're smart and nice and other stuff like that," Captain countered with a stern look (helped by Harry crossing his arms in front of his soft body).

"Still ugly, smelly and little," little Harry said with a pout.

"Daddy gives you a bath every night! So you're not smelly! Trust me, I'd say something," his bear replied with a smile.

The tiny boy giggled, and his daddy looked down at him with a smile, before going back to reading his potions' journal.

"Ugly and little then," he argued stubbornly.

"Daddy said you're already bigger than you were at first. That's why he bought you those new trousers, remember, silly?"

Harry blushed. He had forgotten already.

He didn't have a chance to ask his small pink friend about his being ugly or not, because suddenly the floo flared and out stepped their visitor.

And little Harry blinked up in surprise as he saw a small boy perched in the tall blond haired man's arms.

. . .

It had started innocently enough. Albus had kept Ariana sequestered in her room, away from the rest of the world while he and Gellert made their plans. He had kept her safe, kept her fed, even entertained to an extent.

And in the summer following their school year, Aberforth had returned from Hogwarts and had taken over her care; in turn, allowing him to forget about her just that much more.

Of course, his relationship with Gellert Grindelwald had helped too.  

Albus stared out at himself and the young blond haired man with more than a little longing evident in his blue eyes.

"That's him, eh?" James prodded quietly from beside him. "Grindelwald?"

"Gellert," Albus corrected in an even softer voice.

"You two were friends?"

Albus winced slightly and then turned to look at James.

"More than friends," he answered honestly.

"You mean, you and him were—?" James raised an appraising eyebrow at him.

"Yes, we were together in the fullest sense of the word," Albus stated with a sigh, before turning back to look on at his long lost love.

. . .

Introductions had been made and now Harry and Draco were on the floor away from the adults, staring at one another in equally critical ways.

"Why're you here?" Draco, the small blond boy, asked him snottily.

"'Cause I live here," Harry answered hotly, crossing his arms over his chest, holding Captain tightly in space between. He had survived his much scarier Auntie; he wasn't about to be frightened of a stuck-up ugly rich boy. "Why are you here?"

"'Cause my da—my father and I are visiting my uncle Sev. He's my godfather," the blond boy told him boldly, stepping directly up to him.

"He's my daddy," Harry answered in a quietly proud voice. He still didn't back away from Draco's attempts at intimidation.

Draco's gray eyes widened and Harry felt his pride blossom even bigger in his chest.

"He is not!" Draco stamped a small expensive booted foot for emphasis.

"Is so," Harry answered calmly.

"Is not."

"Is so," Harry stuck his tongue out to show what he thought of the other boy.

. . .

From the other side of the room, Severus allowed himself to casually watch the interactions between his son and god-son for a few moments before turning his attention back on the man seated in the armchair across from him. The antics of his two favorite boys greatly amused him, but he kept his humor to himself; particularly in light of the scowling visage before him.

"Harry Potter, Severus?" Was his old friend's disdainful inquiry.

"You know who his mother was," was his pointed reply.

"And who his father was as well," was Lucius's own glowering response. "Or have you forgotten who it was that made your school years so very hellish?"

Severus's brow darkened briefly before he regained his control.

"Of course I haven't forgotten," he answered in an affronted voice.

"Then how is it that you have a Potter under your roof, your protection?" Lucius leaned forwards in feral anticipation of his answer.

"Well . . ." he began calmly, explaining the boy's unusual entrance into his life that cold evening those few weeks prior. He didn't tell the man all of it; certainly nothing about Harry's surprising animagi abilities, but he did mention the latest surprise regarding the child's unexpected skill in his potions class.

"And I'm still not entirely positive how it was that he managed to do it," Severus said finally, lapsing into thoughtful silence.

"You're a Potions' master! What do you mean you don't know how he did it?" Was Lucius's indignant response.

Severus glanced up sharply towards his friend and said coldly, "Did you not hear what I just said? I admitted to not knowing how he did it. I said nothing about what he did. He stabilized Whittleby's potion and then combined a number of alternate ingredients together that very closely mimicked the original Weed Wilting potion. If necessary, I myself could have done the same thing, and possibly even during the same time constraints," he paused, his dark eyes searching and distant as he thought over what he had just said.

"What I don't understand is how he figured out what to do in order to create the effect he did."

"Could he not be a prodigy?" Lucius peered at him interestedly, his eyes glinting sharply with the possibilities of such a thing.

"While possible, I don't think that he is, at least not in the strictest sense of the word."

Severus was uncertain as to whether he should share Harry's strange talent for smell; even though it was likely a key factor into the child's success in his potions' class that previous week.

Lucius answered his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by shriek from across the room. Both men stood up and rushed over to their respective sons.

. . .

A few minutes prior had found a slightly peeved Draco and a still unbending Harry staring at one another.

"What're you holding?" Draco had said to finally break the unyielding silence between them.

"Dis is Capt'n," Harry had answered with a small smile.

"He's pink," the other boy had answered critically.

"My daddy made him fo' me," was the narrowed eye response. "He's my friend."

"He's a bear," Draco had scoffed.

"So 'm I," Harry had growled, going on the offensive finally and taking a step closer to the other boy.

It didn't do little Draco any good when he laughed in response to Harry's bold statement. In turn, Harry had growled his displeasure and Draco had merely laughed harder.

"You're such a little'un!" Draco had gasped out between chortles. "You're just a baby."

"You don't know anythin'," was Harry's growled response before shoving the other boy to the ground.

"You can't do that!" Draco had shot back accusingly from below him. "I'm going to tell my daddy, and then you'll see!" He made to get to his feet, but something from beside him shifted, catching his eye. He turned and gaped at the bear now growling beside him, and then let out a shriek of fear. Instantly the bear changed back into the little boy he had been arguing with.

Seconds later found both boys ensconced in their father's arms—Draco crying and Harry silent as he tried to bury himself and Captain farther into Severus's robes.

"Draco, cease this childish behavior at once and tell me what happened!" Little Harry heard Lucius demand from where father and son were huddled together at the other side of the room.

Harry finally stopped his insistent burrowing and peered up at his daddy with sad eyes.

"Why is his daddy bein' mean to him?" He whispered to his Tall Man.

"Lucius has certain ideas of how young gentlemen should act, and Draco is currently not doing his part," his daddy explained slowly.

"But he's crying," little Harry's lower lip began trembling, "and his daddy isn't lovin' on him or nothing!" He looked woefully up at his Tall Man.

His Daddy pulled him up farther on his chest and hugged him tightly.

"Do you know why he became frightened to begin with?" His daddy asked mildly.

"He said, he said I was a baby and dat you weren't my daddy, and—," the little boy paused mid-rant. "I suppose I got mad and did something I wasn't s'posed to do." Harry lowered his head in shame as tears began to prick his eyes.

"He was wrong to say those things, but I believe that I have warned you about this before, yes?" His daddy looked sternly down at him.

"Yeah," Harry sniffled and his daddy wiped his nose with a handkerchief.

"I believe you that you should apologize."

"Do I hafta tell Mr. Ma'foy about the bear part?" Harry asked carefully.

His Tall Man looked thoughtfully down at him and then sighed. "No; just tell him that you're sorry for scaring him and leave it at that."

And so Harry did.