Snape didn't enjoy tending to Harry at all. He disliked children in general but Harry drove him out of his mind.

Every time he entered his room to feed him with a bottle or check on him, he'd start screeching excitedly, raising his hands for a cuddle.

Every time he adorned him in new clothes, he would fuss and fuss until Snape lost his temper.

Every time he tucked him in bed (Snape's version was putting him bodily into the crib and throwing the rainbow blanket over him), Harry would whisper to him and raise his arms.

Suffice to say, Snape needed a break. It had been two more days since the incident when Harry had called him "Papa" and their relationship was teetering on the rocks.

Harry tried his best to be cheery and sweet but Snape wouldn't have it. In fact, if the man did anything but sneer and scowl and glare, it would certainly be surprising and alarming. Today Harry had a new problem. He didn't want to eat what was in front of him-milk and chunks of meat.

Harry looked down his nose at his plate, pushing it away with both of his little hands.

Snape, unfortunately, caught the gesture. "Excuse me, Potter, are you complaining about the food?" He demanded.

"Jaki Bebabi," Harry folded his arms and glared at Snape. He pointed to Snape's own plate of food, which featured pasta and grilled chicken. "Num!"

"You will eat your food or suffer my wrath," Snape decided.

Harry didn't budge. "Eh!" He pointed to Snape's plate again. "Mmmm!"

"Disobedient, fussy, arrogant brat!" Snape shouted. "Stop it and eat, or starve,"

Harry kicked his legs in his high chair and baby-talked very fiercely, as if scolding Snape.

Snape didn't understand a word but be didn't like the tone. "You apparently need to be taught a lesson," he said in a low and dangerous voice.

Harry continued scolding him, brows furrowed and chubby fists waving.

Snape plucked him up effortlessly, and holding him in front of him, said, "Potter, I give you a last warning. Stop your insolence or we'll deal with your behavior in another manner,"

Harry kicked his legs, unsure what Evvu was doing. Was he going to hug him? Take him to his own plate? Going to put him back in his crib? Hmm...

"Well?" Snape suddenly felt stupid for arguing and initiating a conversation with a baby. "You know what? I don't need your opinion. You are going to eat and that's that."

"Bad Evvu," Harry said crossly, tapping Snape on his nose. "Hawwy pway,"

Once again, Snape lost his temper and was shocked at the gall of this boy. If one of his students did such a thing they'd never see the light of day again! Snape took him to his seat and sat him on his lap and accioed the boy's food to the table. "Right. We'll see how you won't listen to me,"

He scooped up the food with a spoon and tried to feed Harry.

Harry had pressed both hands upon his lips, moving his head away. Snape tried steering the spoon towards another direction. Harry moved his head again. Snape tried again, feeling exasperated.

Harry swerved his head again, a giggle escaping. When Snape growled: "You are trying my patience!", he frowned again and squeezed his eyes shut.

Snape used the hand that was supporting Harry's waist to pull back both of the baby's hands and trap them together. Harry squealed and squirmed and yelled, "No papa!"

"What have I said about referring to me as your father!?"

"Papa papa papa!" Harry said to annoy him further, because he had learnt 'Evvu' always got cross when he said that.

One light and restrained pat to the side of his head later, Harry was too saddened by the sudden action to resist further. He sullenly ate the spoonful and the many others which came.

Snape was very satisfied. A good reprimand always set children straight. He had hardly touched the boy, and look, immediate obedience. Feeling very happy that he had won the battle, Snape made Harry finish his meal (He had been careful to serve a small helping this time) and then turned the boy around to face him.

"There. Was that so hard?" Snape sneered.

Harry was looking very sad, tears stinging in the green eyes. One hand was rubbing at his head where Snape had tapped him, as if he had just been hit by a frying-pan.

"Stop over-reacting. Brat," Snape rebuked.

Harry looked up at him, lip sticking out. "Owie..." He whispered in such a hopeless voice that Snape immediately felt a little guilty.

"There, there, I didn't mean it," he said hurriedly, in spite of himself.

He patted Harry's back, pulling him towards himself so that the boy's face was hidden in his robes. Harry immediately rested both of his hands on Snape's chest and snuggled closer. For a second, Snape allowed him to do that-and then be pulled Harry back and picked him up.

He postponed washing up and took Harry to his room. The baby was looking happier and was chanting, "Evvu Evvu Evvu,"

"Stop it. Don't call me that,"

"No," Harry grinned.

XXXXX

Snape was at his wit's end as to what to do. Oh, he hated babies! He had always found them nasty little creatures, and after what Harry had just done he was confirming this.

In a rather paranoid mood, Snape tried not to act too rashly as he saw little Harry sitting on one flower bed, outside in his patchy garden.

Mud was all over his clothes and all over his face and the flowers were long dead. They had been his special enchanted lilies and here was Harry, destroying his mother's namesakes.

Snape took several deep breaths. How the heck had Potter escaped to the garden anyway? Had he left the door open?

Harry grinned and threw up a shower of mud, giggling to himself.

"Potter!" Snape growled, stomping outside.

"Ello!"

"You disobedient, reckless brat! You're going to be in a whole lot of trouble by the time I'm done with you,"

"Yaya!" Harry responded, crawling over to him with his muddy face and reaching up his arms.

Snape glowered at the sheer gall of the boy. His father would have been proud indeed! Grudges intensifying, Snape scooped him up roughly and began lecturing mercilessly about destroying things.

By the time he had come to the point where he was telling Harry how angry he was at him and how much trouble he was currently in, Harry looked thoughtful.

"Evvu angwy?"

"Very."

"Mmmm..." Harry looked as if he was thinking hard. "Sohwwy!"

"I'm afraid a mere apology does not cut it." Snape decided. "You are going to be punished, believe me. And very severely."

"Hehe," Harry cooed, obviously not understanding at all.

Snape suddenly realized how much time he was wasting trying to reason with the brat. He took Harry inside. He went to the bathroom and put Harry on the slab for a second.

The bathroom had been upgraded using magic and was in better shape than most of the rooms in his house. He rarely inhabited the house anyway. When he used to be a Death Eater he would sleep in random places according to the mission.

Being a Death Eater hadn't been fun, but he had been a good one. He had made up at his reluctance to torture and kill, by introducing new spells and good strategies. In fact, with the idiots who had joined (Crabbe and Goyle for example), he had really been a necessary member.

But that seemed so long ago. He had been a reckless teenager, young man, whatever and he hadn't exactly enjoyed it. And now...he regretted it.

Snape washed off the mud from Harry's face and then gave him a bath, making sure he did not drown in the tub. And then he started scrubbing his black hair.

Harry didn't seem to be enjoying at first. He cried and pummeled at the air, but after a while he gave up, and began splashing the water on Snape's face.

This did not improve the man's mood.

Snape made sure Harry was spotless and free from mud before he toweled him up and made him wear a dark green shirt and dark shorts.

"Ooooooo," Harry liked these new clothes. Snape picked him up. Harry smelled fresh and clean and his skin was soft and cool.

Harry suddenly took hold of one long strand of black hair and tugged.

"Don't!" Snape winced.

"Evvu!" Harry tugged again. "Oo!"

"Bad boy," Snape snatched away the strand.

Harry looked mutinous and grabbed another strand of hair.

"You obviously feel no remorse for your actions." Snape said, sternly. "Well, we'll see about that by the end of your punishment."

Harry felt his own hair and then looked at Evvu's. It was different. Long and soft like his mum! And also a little oily. Hmmm... His dada hadn't had hair like this. Was Evvu a girl? No, no, he couldn't be. He looked too scary and tall. Harry decided that he liked Evvu's hair very much, despite the man's scariness.

Before he could convey this to the man he was suddenly dumped in his crib.

"Hmp!" Harry gasped at the sudden contact. No, he wasn't sleepy!

"You will remain in that crib for the remainder of the afternoon." Snape said, sternly. "Or until I feel that you are adequately punished."

"No!" Harry picked up his rattle and shook it to emphasize his displeasure.

"Yes."

"NO!" Harry insisted. "Pway! No Evvu! No!"

"Yes. You deserve it for being so bad today,"

He wasn't bad! He was good! He wanted to be hugged and kissed, not locked in a room. He was good! Harry felt like crying. He threw his rattle on Evvu and the man caught it with one hand, looking furious.

"This will be coming with me, boy," He gritted his teeth.

"No!" Harry cried again.

Snape walked out of the room and shut the door.

XXXXX

Snape felt horrid. He was utterly tired of Harry's shrieks and defiant 'no!'s and as he opened the boy's room, he hoped against hope that he was asleep.

What he saw, instead, was the boy staring blankly at the wall, tears dropping from his cheeks. He didn't acknowledge Snape's presence in any way.

Snape looked at him, moodily. He walked towards the crib, expecting Harry to look up. Harry didn't move. In fact, he didn't look at the man at all.

"Potter?"

No reply.

"Do you hear me?"

Silence.

Snape picked him up and Harry stayed still in his arms, leaning away from him.

"Fine. Be that way. See if I care." Snape put him back down. Harry stared back at the wall, his bottom lip sticking out.

Snape was concerned. What had happened to this boy now?

He sighed and walked away. He shot another look over his shoulder and saw that Harry was still unconcerned.

Well, be that way, Snape thought angrily. Ungrateful boy.

At lunch, Harry was still blank and unresponsive. It seemed like he was pointedly ignoring Snape. He looked sad and silent and when Snape gave him a loaf of bread and broth, he took very tiny bites and left a lot.

Snape was frustrated. Why was Harry acting in this way? Hadn't he been a good adoptive fa-er, guardian to him? Hadn't he given him a room, a crib, a place to stay? Food, toys and a rainbow blanket? For Heaven's sake, hadn't he even let him have the Lego? Why did children get more and more arrogant the more they were given? Had be been wrong? Had it have been better if he shouldn't have given Harry anything at all-in fact, would it have been better if he had refused giving him the Lego and the blanket?

He didn't understand it. It was not like he was being extremely horrid either. He hated the boy and still he was trying to do so much for him.

Or was he being too strict?

Don't be foolish. The boy got what was coming to him when he played around in the mud and destroyed the flowers. He should have been beat up by all means. My own father was very strict. Snape thought.

But did he want to be like his father?

I just locked him up in his room for Heaven's sake! Surely that wasn't so bad. I am sure there were even toys up there.

Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. He was going to die of stress one day. And it would all be Potter's fault.