Everybody has days in their lives that hurt; some have many, some have few. For me, every day hurts. But after the events that took place over Christmas holidays, 1995, I have found life hurts just a little less than it used to. No, I am not going to tell you why, you’ll just have to find out for yourself.

The past, whether one likes it or not, is what truly shapes a person. One can choose to rise above the pain, or let the waves of darkness pull you in. Once upon a time I was one of those who let myself become embittered with the dark. This led me to commit the biggest mistake of my life, one that I regret every second of my consciousness. Hell, my unconsciousness as well, even my dreams are plagued by the guilt that has seeped into my bones and refused to leave. Albus won’t quit telling me: "You didn’t know Severus, it wasn’t your fault." and "Would you have really relayed that message if you knew it concerned her?" and "Yes it was a foolish thing to do but you need to forgive yourself my boy." I am one hundred percent sure he’s a filthy hypocrite in telling me this but I still haven’t found the evidence (but not for lack of trying you know).

December the eighteenth was definitely far more painful than the majority of days I have experienced, but a rather different kind of painful. Whatever kind of painful, it certainly was horrible. The whole fiasco began when Potter walked into my classroom; it was last period, and the Friday before Christmas holidays: a terrible combination for fifth year students who haven’t enough brains to fill a teaspoon. Might I add that Potter certainly fits into that category? Well, perhaps it’s not all Potter’s fault; it was no help that the apple did not fall to far from the Malfoy family tree (the events of December the eighteenth have led me to believe the apple may have fallen on Draco’s head) and a certain blonde Slytherin decided to do something incredibly foolish, such as throw an extremely reactive ingredient into Potter’s badly brewed potion. Needless to say, after all of it was over I had a few small (do pardon the pun) problems on my hands.

Potter and Granger were turned into four year olds. Utterly fantastic, don’t you think? I had a marvellous time dragging the two of them off to the hospital wing as that bushy haired lunatic babbled on about ridiculous things while Potter stayed glued to my leg. Why the bloody hell he decided to hang on to me I’ll never know. At least I was able to deduce one thing from Potter’s clinging: their minds had been de-aged as well. There was no way Potter would ever do such a thing in his right mind.

"-and Daddy says that tadpoles grow up into frogs just like the dead one that I saw back in that dark room with all the weird steamy pots except they would be alive instead of dead and did you know that near my house there’s a pond with lots of frogs in it and where are we going because I’m really confused and I kind of have to pee and I don’t want to have an accident because I’m a big girl and I don’t have clean clothes with me and-" The Granger girl babbled her little bucky teeth off, with her impossible hair flying everywhere as I led her down the corridor. I must say that I feel rather sorry for her parents. Potter still hadn’t said a word, his big green eyes staring up at me in wonder.

"Would you get off of my leg?" I hissed at him. The boy let go as if he had been burned, making me feel slightly guilty. After all, he was only four… What the hell is wrong with you Snape! I am not going to let myself go soft. I shook my head to clear my thoughts, and concentrated on getting the two cretins to the matron.

"Poppy! I have a bit of a situation here!" I shouted as I walked through the hospital wing doors.

Poppy Pomfrey was greeted by two little children and an extremely distressed potions master. I can imagine it was a rather interesting sight for her. No matter. Within minutes she was cooing over the two and chuckling at the things Miss Granger was saying while she gave her a checkup.

"-are you a nurse because you wear one of those funny hats and I hope I’m not sick is that why I’m here and I really have to pee now so if you could show me where the bathroom is I’m a big girl and I can do it all by myself now but I still don’t know where the bathroom is and where am I?"

I gaped, she actually paused. And here I thought she didn’t breathe at all.

Poppy left briefly to show Granger the bathroom, leaving Potter and I alone. Wait, Potter! Oh great…

"Potter! Where are you?" I said loudly and grouchily.

"Right here," the little boy whispered from behind my cloak (how I didn’t hear him breathing…). "My name’s Harry. Potter's only my last name."

I didn’t answer.

"That girl talks a lot don’t she?" said Potter again quietly. I wasn’t sure why he was acting so quiet, seeing as he was the definition of the term "spoiled brat”.

"That I have to agree on Potter."

"Please don’t call me that. It’s Harry, just Harry," the boy asked, looking up to me. Was that pain I saw in his eyes? No, it was just my imagination.

"Severus, could you bring Harry over here for his check-up?" Poppy asked me, having returned with Miss Granger.

Thankfully Poppy had given her a lolly. Now the difference between Poppy Pomfrey and I is that Poppy would give Granger sweets for 'being a good girl for her check-up’, whereas I, Severus Snape, would have given Granger a bloody lolly just to shut her the hell up.

"My, you are quite skinny for your age …" Poppy said as she examined Potter.

"Everybody says that," Harry muttered.

"Do you get enough to eat Harry?" Madam Pomfrey asked kindly, continuing to wave her wand in all sorts of complicated patterns.

"Yes’m" Harry said, looking at his feet.

"Alright young man, you’re done," Poppy said, lifting him off the table. "And for being really good, you can pick a lolly too."

"For me?" The boy asked, staring at the jar she held out for him. It held a fairly good assortment of brightly colored lollies on sticks. Poppy nodded encouragingly.

"What’s the best kind?" he asked. I was a little shocked, I’d never heard a four year old ask that kind of question before.

"Ooh pick the green one it tastes like limes or the red one that tastes like cherry but I think I like the orange ones best because they taste like oranges and that’s the kind I have and if you like oranges you should pick the orange one!" Granger spouted before stuffing her orange lolly back into her mouth.

"I’ve never tried a limes but I think the green one looks yummy," Potter thought out loud, hesitantly picking a green lolly from the jar. "Thank you Ma’am."

"You are very welcome," Poppy said before turning to me. "The both of them are in good health, Mr. Potter is slightly underweight for his age but he has always been that way so I wouldn’t worry about it. Oh yes, while Miss Granger was in the bathroom I fire-called Albus and he should be here right away. Hopefully you will enlighten us as to how this potions accident occurred."

I nodded and sat down to wait for the headmaster, watching Potter and Granger interact with each other out of interest. The two sat on a bed, legs dangling.

"Mmm, it’s good!" Potter exclaimed in surprise as he put the lolly in his mouth.

"Well duh haven’t you had a lolly before?" Granger mumbled through her mouthful of candy. I listened, waiting for Potter’s answer.

"Aunt 'n Uncle don’t let me," he whispered before taking another lick.

Probably don’t want him to become a sugar crazed lunatic. So perhaps he was a little less spoiled than I thought, but still, he was Prince Potter.

"That’s okay my Mummy and Daddy don’t let me eat much sweets either because they’re dentists and they look after peoples teeth and they say the sugar in sweets will rot your teeth are your Aunt and Uncle dentists too?"

Potter shook his head.

"They just don’t let me."

***

"Now, I assure you Mr. Malfoy will be punished for his foolishness," I told the headmaster fifteen minutes later in Poppy’s office. The children were coloring pictures in the corner. "What on earth he was thinking… adding powdered unicorn horn to the potion.  Because of his idiotic mistake we now have two kids who need an extremely complex aging potion!"

Albus looked at me sympathetically before speaking. "I am sure you are up to the challenge."

"Oh yes, I am up to it alright," I scowled. "But I will need to know if there have been any changes in Potter or Granger. Botched potions can be tricky, it could begin to wear off or it might just stick."

"I guess that means we must keep them here for the holidays, if they must be monitored," Albus said, eyes twinkling. I could almost hear the gears and levers turning behind his skull. What on earth was he up to?

"Yes… but who will they stay with?" I said slowly, looking at Poppy.

"How about Minerva?" Albus suggested. I gaped.

"No, certainly not, she’s a dunce in potions and you know it! Remember when she somehow blew up the punch bowl at the staff windup last year?"

"I still wonder how she managed that," Poppy chuckled.

"Trust Minerva," Albus said with a laugh. "Well Severus, the only staff staying are Minerva, Poppy, Argus and I. Minerva cannot possibly and Argus is definitely out." All of us winced at the thought of Filch taking care of children. "Poppy is teaching a seminar during one of the weeks and I will be travelling off and on."

"You’re forgetting Headmaster, that I will be here as well. Hoping to get rid of me?" I sneered. Dumbledore smiled, eyes twinkling furiously. Wait …

"You’re joking!” I hissed angrily, glancing at the two little kids in the corner. "Me, look after children?!" Albus just smiled indulgently.

"You walked right into that one Severus," Poppy stated sympathetically. I glowered at her, and then at Dumbledore. But I could see there was no getting out of this.