Harry had had a busy day. He had (with lots of effort) built an amazing building. It was pure genius, with all the tiny figurines assembled here and there and the blocks arranged perfectly.

This was probably the most complex thing he had ever made. Looking proud, Harry gazed at his creation, as if he couldn't take his eyes off it.

As soon as Snape came, he squealed and pointed at it dramatically. Harry grinned, waiting for praise.

Snape, who was holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a book in the other, looked up. He gave a faint smile and nodded. "Very nice."

Harry clapped his hands and crawled over to the building, mumbling "Ooooh..." And "Wow..."

Snape sat on the sofa and began to read the book, completely at ease.

"Waaa!"

Severus winced in surprise and the coffee in his mug slopped to one side, threatening to drip.

"Harry?"

Harry was crying with all his might. One block of the building had fallen off.

"You scared me half to death!" Snape scolded angrily. He put down the cup and book and went to put the block in it's proper place.

Harry peeped tearfully. He shook his head vigorously, "No!"

"Excuse me?"

Harry pointed to another place on the building. Snape put the block there instead. Harry still looked troubled. More tears dribbled down and he cried out, "No Nape!"

"Do it yourself, then," Snape said irritably, giving the boy the small block. "I don't want you screaming your head off at things like this. Now be a good boy and stay silent."

"Lookie," Harry smiled, putting the block in it's proper place. He crawled all around the building again.

All this crawling was reminding Snape about his pending job of teaching Harry to walk. He didn't feel like exerting too much effort now, but he had been flipping through the parental magazine and had seen worriedly that Harry ought to have started walking sooner.

He considered for a moment, and then decided that he'd start later as Harry was too 'busy' at the moment.

He went to his desk and took out a quill and a spare bit of parchment. He picked one paper up, but it turned out to be already written upon. Another letter by Charity. He had forgotten to reply to it. He quickly scribbled a reply to his soon-to-be colleague, though he felt that she had written 'odd' things here and there and wasn't sure how to answer properly.

XXXXX

"Love cat," Harry declared, hugging his stuffed cat. "Love love love cat. Nape? Lookie, love my cat."

"Harry, put that toy down and eat your dinner."

"Cat." Harry nuzzled his face against the toy.

"Don't make me come there and snatch it." Snape warned from the table. Harry was sitting further back, seated on his high-chair and eating his mashed potato.

Harry threw the cat on the floor and then giggled.

"We do not throw things." Snape admonished.

Harry giggled even more and picked up a mound of mashed potato and squashed it in his hair.

"Potter!" Snape stood up, this time his temper short. He picked the boy up, "Well, this is just trouble for you. You will be getting an extra bath."

Harry snuggled up against Snape happily.

"Ugh," Snape pushed him away, not too keen to get his robes smeared with mash too. He took a deep breath to calm himself. He saw Harry's stricken face.

"Nape?" Harry sniffled, offended that Nape had pushed him away.

Snape ignored him. He took Harry to a bathroom to bathe him. He washed all the potato off Harry's black hair and the baby made a fuss because the water was too cold. Eventually, Harry was dried and adorned in orange robes.

Snape preferred Harry to wear dark robes all the time, maybe occasionally some brighter colors, but Dumbledore had told him to also give Harry some muggle clothing from time to time.

Harry crawled across the floor. He loved robes because they flowed around. He crawled to a bunch of toys, seated himself comfortably in their midst and tried to start playing. But before he could, Snape scooped him up! How mean!

Harry looked disappointed and pointed to his mouth, so Snape gave him some more food. This time the man kept a close eye on him, in case of any more attacks. But Harry didn't do anything this time and chewed everything joyfully.

Then Snape put Harry inside his nursery bedroom to play a little, charming all of his toys in the living room to fly inside. He couldn't keep this up. There had to be one room where there weren't toys or rattles or bottles of milk. There had to be one time where Harry wasn't crawling behind him or giggling in his arms.

Feeling rather sorry for himself, Snape tried to settle into a potions-making session, when-inevitably-he once again heard Harry's cry. Unusual anger burned inside him. He tried to ignore the voice, but it came again, more insistent.

His hand shook slightly as he picked something up and tried to block it out. He wouldn't distract one of the things he liked doing best, again...

The shriek sounded once more. Snape stood up angrily and stormed over to Harry's room, where the baby was sitting on the floor, pointing miserably to something which seemed to be sitting on top of the wardrobe. It was very high up.

Snape peered at it and it seemed to be the stuffed cat Harry liked so much. With an impatient flick of his wand, it floated down slowly and fell to the ground.

"How did that get up there?" He demanded.

Harry, who was now smiling, instead replied, "Play Nape?"

"No, thank you." Snape snapped. "Don't bother me again unless it is something important."

Harry looked at him, startled at the tone.

Snape left the room and Harry wondered if he had done something wrong. Maybe he shouldn't have thrown his cat up there like that. He'd apologise to Nape about it later.

Meanwhile, Snape, his jaw set, tried to brew a potion in peace.

For a while, he worked and his moods began to lift, especially when the results came immediately. He could still brew well, it seemed.

When the mixture was done, it was rather late. Snape corked it and put it on his shelf.

He walked out of his lab and went to the nursery to check on Harry before getting something from the kitchen. When be peeped through the door, he saw the boy curled up on the carpet, lying next to yet another building. Was it him or was Harry obsessed with building?

Snape suddenly felt a little guilty for his snappish behaviour. He carefully lifted the slumbering boy up, and laid him in his crib. He may have been a little rough, as Harry woke up a bit.

"Nape?"

"Hush. It's time to sleep,"

"Ni' Nape." Harry mumbled sleepily, sighing deeply and closing his eyes again.

"Goodnight," Snape said in a low voice. He pulled the quilt over the child gingerly. Then he switched off the lights and left the room.

XXXXX

Visitors. Ugh. As Snape organised a tray with coffee, tea and biscuits for Minerva and Dumbledore, he heard a squeal from Harry from the living room.

Dumbledore was chuckling merrily (as usual) and Harry was crying happily, "Wowie! Wow! Oooo!"

Wondering what in the world the commotion was about, Snape walked towards the living room, levitating the tray with his wand.

Then he heard some words.

"Isn't he just like James, Minerva?" Dumbledore was saying.

Snape was shocked that the name of that infernal beast was being uttered in his household or anywhere with him around.

"Quite. He looks exactly like him, except for the eyes."

"The same mischievous expression."

Minerva laughed a little. "I wonder if he will also be a trouble-maker like his father, then?"

Snape's tray almost fell to the floor. He gritted his teeth and stepped back. Then he entered the room.

He set the tray on the coffee table.

"Ah, thank you, Severus," Dumbledore picked up a mug cheerily.

Snape gave Minerva a mug too, wordlessly. She smiled and nodded.

"Is something the matter?" Dumbledore asked, looking at his bitter expression.

"Nothing," Snape said quietly. "I am...glad you could come."

"We had to check on little Harry Potter, didn't we? We've brought the boy a present, Severus. Look. These are crayons, I found them in a Muggle supermarket..."

Snape looked at the box of wax crayons in Harry's hand. Harry really was looking mischievous, even slightly cocky. Snape was reminded, loathingly, of James Potter.

"Mm," he said.

The crayons were an evident success as Harry began colouring crazily as soon as Dumbledore and Minerva left.

"Play?" He asked, separating a few crayons for Snape to colour with. He held them up.

"No." Snape said, coldly. "I am a grown man, I do not colour or play with toys."

Harry gasped. Nape didn't want to play? "Sowwy Nape!" He insisted, remembering his naughtiness in throwing the cat up the wardrobe yesterday.

Snape didn't reply. Harry gave up and coloured alone, singing to himself and grinning toothily at the squiggles of colour on the page.

Snape watched him closely. He looks exactly like him, except for the eyes.

Wasn't that true? Harry did look exactly like James...Snape glared at Harry, completely aware that it really was true.

And Lily had chosen James, not him-and here were her eyes...

The old pain rushed up inside him again. What the heck was he doing, taking care of the spawn of James Potter? Playing with him, teaching him how to walk? It was embarrassing and humiliating to think that he was playing with and parenting the son of the man who had once made his life hell...

Such anger surged in Snape as never before and he suddenly resisted the urge to return Harry right back to Dumbledore.

When Harry crawled towards him, he walked away, and when Harry tried to follow him, he went into another room and shut the door.

When Harry talked to him, he ignored him. Whenever he had to look at Harry's face, he only glared at him.

Harry's heart was breaking. He had no one to play with.

The baby sat quietly next to the sofa, which Snape had deserted as soon as he had come near it.

Snape, meanwhile, didn't feel any guilt for his mean behavior towards Harry. He evidently thought that he was doing his job, feeding and keeping Harry alive for Lily, and treating him just as James had treated him (though much more mildly) to keep the balance.

After an hour of this treatment, he heard Harry crying bitterly from the other room.

Snape rolled his eyes and finally went to the room after it got rather loud. Harry's face was red and he was lying miserably on his stomach. "Nape!" He protested, looking tearfully at the man.

"Shut up," Snape snapped. "I'm tired of you crying for no reason."

Harry crawled over to him and Snape side-stepped apprehensively. Harry held out his arms. "Pwease," he begged, softly.

Snape didn't want to hold him. He had decided to use levitating charms from now on.

"Nape! Why Nape!" Harry sobbed. "Hawwy sowwy!"

Snape looked warily at the tiny, helpless, crying heap of a boy. Then he hardened himself and walked away.