Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

Author's Chapter Notes:
Fluff, anyone? I know I needed some after last chapter!
That's What Fathers are For

Harry awoke somehow clutching his wand, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. His lip was throbbing, and his brain vaguely registered a coppery taste. Images from his nightmare flashed through his mind.

Vernon's fists. Petunia's shrilly voice. Teddy in a cupboard. Wait...Teddy? that was just a dream...a dream? Have to make sure Teddy's safe.

Jumping out of bed in a panic, Harry fell to the floor with his feet twisted in his blankets, not even noticing the bruises that he was sure to sport in the morning. Harry sprinted through the hallway, past Severus’ room and the kitchen, coming to a skidding halt in the living room and nearly landed face-first as his socks slid on the cold wooden floor. Reaching for the floo powder, Harry quickly knelt before the fire and threw a pinch in, heart hammering in his chest. When a minute went by, he nearly flooed over before a voice came through, followed by a familiar head.

“Harry? Is that you?” A sleepy voice asked worriedly.


“Ms. Tonks, where’s Teddy?”


The old woman’s face registered confusion as she tried to grasp what was happening. “What do you mean, dear?”


“Teddy, Ms. Tonks, is Teddy with you?”

“Of course he is, Harry. It’s two o’clock in the morning. He is sound asleep. Are you quite alright?”

“Please check on him,” Harry petitioned, breath still coming in pants.

“Is something happening?” Ms. Tonks asked, alarmed.

“Mrs. Tonks, plea…”

“Harry, I’ve told you to call me…”

“Please,” Harry continued desperately, voice cracking.

With furrowed eyebrows, the kind old woman that had become part of Harry’s family nodded, head disappearing for several moments before returning and confirming that his godson was indeed safe. Taking in the collar of what was certainly a robe, Harry quickly became aware of himself registering the absurdity of his actions.

“Harry, please tell me what is going on,” Ms. Tonks asked in concern. She had grown quite fond of the boy and saw him as a grandson.

With pink cheeks, Harry swiped a hand through his hair and shut his eyes in embarrassment swallowing the lump in his throat. He felt like a five year old that had carried himself with immature panic after a nightmare. “I’m sorry for waking you. I…I had a bad dream, and Teddy was in it crying, locked in a…” Harry paused before continuing. “I’m sorry I didn’t think of how inconsiderate it would be to call you so late.”

“Harry?” When the boy looked up, she continued. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I appreciate you checking up on us. I can assure you that Teddy right as rain, tucked up in bed. I think that you should try to do the same, young man,” she suggested with a mock, stern look.

A hint of a smile played on his face and he nodding, bidding her a quiet, goodnight.
Harry stood up, legs protesting as his body took in the abuse he had put it through in his mad rush to the fireplace. His lip throbbed, and now that his brain had begun to think rationally, he thought that he must have bitten it in his sleep. Walking back to his room, Harry peered into the darkness feeling the echoes of his fear return. Feeling foolish, Harry quickly ran into the room, as if being chased, grabbing his pillow and blankets, before running out a shutting the door behind him.

Standing in the hallway, he weighed his options, knowing where he wanted to go, but hating himself for it.

You're too old to go running to Daddy, potter, he thought in self deprecation.

However, eventually, fear won out and his feet slowly carried him to Severus’ door. Holding his breath, Harry opened the door as quietly as he could manage and crept inside, leaving it cracked in order to make less noise.

In the dark, Harry was reassured to hear his father’s steady breathing and as he saw his form in the bed. Edging around the bed, Harry began laying his pillow and blankets on the floor beside the bed, when suddenly, a voice whispered something in the dark as a light simultaneously blinded him, causing him to jump and let out an unmanly squeak.

“Harry?” Another sleepy voice questioned, and Harry hung his head, feeling bad for causing so much trouble over a stupid nightmare.

“Hey dad,” Harry whispered back, as he watched the man sit up and swing his feet towards the side of the bed that he stood.

“What are you…” Severus began before his brain began to wake up and he took in his surroundings. “You had a nightmare?" He questioned instead. Harry hadn’t come to him in the night for a while now, although it had once been a weekly occurrence after the defeat of the Dark Lord.

Harry shyly looked at his father, and when seeing no anger or judgment, he nodded contritely. “Yeah, I’m sorry, dad. I didn’t mean to wake you. I just…” when both he and his father looked at his makeshift bed on the floor, he simply gestured towards it, face reddening a bit.

“There is no reason to be embarrassed. You know that I prefer you to wake me up if you have nightmare and cannot fall back to sleep.” With that, Severus stood up. “Wait here a moment,” he instructed, slipping into his bathroom and returning a moment later with what appeared to be a wet washcloth. Walking around the bed, Severus gestured for Harry to come closer, gently reaching to cup his chin with one hand. “You did quite a number on your lip.” He remarked absentmindedly, gently dabbing away blood that had dried on his son’s chin.


Harry began to reply, but thought better of it as he winced, despite his father’s gentle actions.

“It is not a surprise that you had a nightmare tonight after your visit with Weasley and Granger.”

As his father banished the washcloth and summoned a salve, Harry smiled to himself, thinking that Severus would probably drop dead before calling his friends’ by his given name. “Yeah. I should have thought about that. I was really tired though.” His father nodded and put some salve on his thumb, stroking it onto Harry’s abused lip.

“Your aunt and uncle, I presume?” Severus asked quietly as he capped the salve and set it on his dresser.

Harry fidgeted. “Teddy too.”

Severus’ eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he turned to look at his son.

“That is…I mean…” Harry stuttered, “He was locked in a cupboard.”

Severus eyes flashed at the word and he mumbled to himself before reigning in his temper. Harry warmed at the response, realizing that it was quite nice to have someone who would wake up in the early morning without complaint, patch him up, and be angry on his behalf, without even being asked. He chuckled to himself.

At his father’s raised eyebrow, he related his mad dash to the floo and nearly scaring Ms. Tonks out of her curlers. “She must have thought I was nutters,” Harry ended, laughing in earnest now.

Severus shook his head, amused. “Do you wish to talk about it?” He asked, knowing that while Harry was laughing about it all now, he had been too afraid to go back to sleep in his own bedroom. 

I can't blame the boy. The Dursley's are a vicious bunch, he thought darkly.

“No. I think you were right. It was just the aftermath of talking about everything.”

Severus nodded and went around the side of the bed, sitting down on it. “Alright. Well, get in then,” He said non-chalantly.

“What?” Harry squawked, voice high and ears burning.

“Come to bed. It’s quite late, you know, and although it is the weekend, we should get some rest.”

“But..I can’t sleep with you. I’m too old!” He explained, voice still a bit on the high end.

Severus raised an eyebrow unimpressed. “You are MY son. You are never too old to receive some comfort after a nightmare. “ Looking down at the bundle on the floor, he continued. “Furthermore, you are NOT an owl. I would prefer you not nest on the floor of my bedroom when there is a perfectly comfortable and large bed right here.” He punctuated his last word with a pat on the bed. When Harry continued to look at him in undisguised embarrassment, he sighed. “Do you wish to return to your room?”

At that, Harry’s eyes widened fractionally and he shook his head quickly and made a step toward the bed. To lessen his embarrassment, Severus picked up a book off of his nightstand and opened it, adjusting his back on the headboard as he felt the bed dip. As Harry sat down uncertainly, Severus grabbed a small pillow and set it on his lap. Harry smiled and some of his embarrassment bled away as he scooted down and slowly lowered himself to lay down. Severus took Harry’s wand from where is was sticking out of his pocket and used it to levitate a blanket off of the floor and onto his son, before placing it on the nightstand and turning a page in his book.

“Dad?” Harry spoke, his eyes resting on the flannel pant leg of his father.

“Hm?” His father murmured shifting his book to peer at the top of his son’s head.

“Can Teddy visit tomorrow?”

“Of course,” his father replied, without hesitation.

“Thanks,” Harry smiled, content, basking in the calm of the moment. Harry continued to think about how much he had now compared to the life he had just dreamed about at Private Drive.

“Thanks, Sev,” Harry said again without thought, for the second time.

“For what do you feel the need to thank me for now?” Severus questioned, the corner of his lip betraying the beginning of a smile.

“For all of the stuff you did tonight. For making me feel…” He paused, not wanting to be too cheesy, as half a dozen words rested on the tip of his tongue.

Severus heard them all nonetheless, and moved his hand to rest on Harry’s head, carding his fingers through sweaty, black hair. “That’s what father’s are for,” he replied simply, before dimming his light and setting the book on the table. He continued to smooth out his son’s hair until he was certain the boy was asleep, and then carefully maneuvered his head and pillow onto the bed, laying down himself. Kissing the top of his son’s head, he soon fell asleep himself.

Chapter End Notes:
Back to the plot after these fluff bunnies brought to you by a fanfic near you. ;)

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