Age 5 continued . . .

Harry awoke one morning to discover that he had a tooth loose, but unlike many children his age, he didn’t find the discovery pleasant or exciting.  He found it frightening.

He had broken a tooth before, thanks to an unpleasant incident involving his aunt slamming a door in his face, and this made those memories come back in force.

“Daddy?” He whispered uncertainly as he snuck carefully into his daddy’s bed. 

“Hm?”  His Tall Man answered sleepily, reaching out an arm and pulling him up next to his warm body. 

“I tink something’s wrong,” he whispered, on the edge of tears. 

That was enough for Severus.  He blinked hard once and then stretched, moving them both into an upright position. 

“What is it?”  His daddy’s concerned voice rumbled over him gently. 

“I dunno what happened, but my tooth—it jus’ started movin’!” He let out a shuddery breath and curled up tighter in his daddy’s lap. 

“It did?” 

Unlike Minerva or any other Hogwarts adult, Harry couldn’t hear the change of tone in his daddy’s voice that signaled the changeover from worry to bemusement, but it was there nonetheless. 

“Yeah!  And da las’ time I hads a tooth move was when my auntie hurt me with da door, daddy,” his voice wavered as a few tears dropped down his cheeks. 

Severus always felt the urge to growl at the mention of the boy’s “auntie,” and this time was no exception. 

“How did she hurt you with it child?”  He asked softly, shifting his son up higher against his chest, and then turning the light on with a flick of his wand. 

“She throwed it closed, right in my face.  She said it was an ac-accident, but why’d she do it five times then?” 

Severus felt his jaw clench in response to his son’s question, and couldn’t give an immediate answer because of it. 

“We have discussed your ‘auntie’ before.  Do you remember?”  He asked, stroking the side of Harry’s soft cheek gently with his fingertips. 

“She’s da bad one,” his son repeated dutifully. 

“And?”  Severus prompted.

“And . . .” Harry continued in a voice too soft for even him to understand. 

“Say it again Harry.  I don’t believe I quite heard you.” 

“An-And I’m not a freak,” his child spoke again in a slightly louder whisper. 

“You are not,” Severus confirmed with a hard nod.  “What are you instead, little one?” 

“I’m Harry—Harry Snape.  And you’re my daddy and you loves me,” he answered, giving his Tall Man a grin as he did.  The words always filled him with warmth, which was probably why Severus had him repeat them as often as he did. 

“Good lad,” his daddy answered, giving him his very special smile.  “Now, show me your tooth.” 

Harry leaned his head back and pointed with a tiny finger at one of his upper front teeth. 

“It’s loof, daddy,” he said, trying to speak with his mouth open.

Severus touched his index finger to the tooth carefully and delicately moved it back and forth within its socket.

“It is indeed, child.  Congratulations,” Severus said brightly. 

“Daddy?”  Harry asked in confusion. 

“A loose tooth at your age is nothing to be afraid of,” his daddy explained patiently, warm amber eyes smiling down on him. 

“You’re sure?”  Harry asked uncertainly. 

“Quite sure,” Severus said, carefully wiping away his son’s tears with a stray handkerchief.  “Blow,” he instructed, holding the cloth carefully in front of the small nose.  “In fact, when that tooth falls out, you must remember to put it under your pillow that night,” he paused, waiting for the inevitable question. 

“Why?”  His child’s eyes were enthralled with the strangeness of his statement. 

“Why?  So the Tooth Owl can come and retrieve it, silly boy,” he answered, touching his finger lightly to his son’s now clean nose. 

“Da Tooth Owly?”  Harry answered slowly, trying out the title for the first time. 

“Muggles call it the Tooth Fairy,” Severus answered sagely. 

“Fairy’s are scary,” his son said with a shiver.  “They smile too much,” he added, crossing small arms over his torso defensively. 

“Well, no one ever said that muggles were the brightest of the species,” Severus teased. 

“So the Tooth Owly?”  Bright eyes prompted him. 

“Aw, yes.  The Tooth Owl,” he said.  “It takes your tooth—.” 

“Where, Daddy?”  Harry interrupted. 

“If you will be patient, I shall explain.”

“Sorry.” 

“It takes your tooth off to the Owl Queen, and after she has gotten enough teeth, she trades them for gold.”

“Who does she trade wif’, Daddy?” 

“Potion Masters, of course,” Severus answered, barely containing his grin. 

“To use in their potions???”  His son asked excitedly, happily clapping his small hands together.    

“Correct,” he answered, leaning over and kissing his son on the head.  “Now, shall we continue this conversation at breakfast?” 

“Food!” His child’s mighty lungs bellowed out as he leapt from Severus’s bed and ran for the door. 

“I suppose that would be a ‘yes,’” Severus said to himself in the now empty room. 

“Come on, daddy!  It’s pancakes day!”  Harry’s voice reverberated in his ears from the other room, causing him to wince slightly. 

“Why don’t you announce that a little louder son?  I’m not quite sure that the Gryffindors heard you way up in their tower!” 

His son’s giggles were his only answer.