Disclaimer: Everything recognizable belongs to J. K. Rowling.
A/N: This is a reworking of one of my earlier stories, Sparkle of Creation, under my old account name: Kolobusamy.
This is a Harry/Ron, Severus/Remus, and Draco/Hermione story. If you don't like those paring, read no further.
Chapter One
Snape's Fancy New Potion
The Burrow…
After many trying and horrible battles, the war was over. Harry Potter was the-boy-who-lived, defeating the dark lord and freeing the wizarding world from his oppressive shadow.
The party's were over, the confetti all swept away, the last of the Champaign drank, now all Harry had to do was get on with his life.
But how, he wondered, do I do that?
Harry lay awake in the cool dark room. Plastered with Chudley Cannons and Martin the Mad Muggle posters, the room was filled with the smell of Ron and youth and the sound of Ron's soft snoring and Pig's rustle of feathers …and in that moment Harry knew that he was totally broken.
His unwanted feelings toward Ron leave Harry feeling old and tired.
And lonely.
Harry wanted to cry. To scream and found he could not.
There was no reason to feel this way, no rhyme to the emotions that run amuck in his short muscled frame for his red-haired best friend.
"Spiders…biggens…nooo." Ron snorted into his arm from across the room.
Ron was sprawled, big and brawny, across his twin bed. He seemed t be having a bad dream, Harry thought, a smile twisting his lips as he surveyed his best friend.
Ron's blankets were twisted around his legs, his beautiful bare-chest glistening with sweat. He had an arm thrown across his face while his other hand twisted in the sheets.
Harry smiled; Ron really was a big brute. Harry's eyes traveled down Ron's chest, pausing at the pink nipples, before eyeing the healthy bulge in Ron's shorts.
He felt his breathe hitch in his chest.
Great, just great! Harry growled as he punched his pillow and turned to face the window.
All these stupid feelings just wouldn't go away! He didn't really want Ron like that, but his body only responded to his beautiful best friend!
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get interested in girls the same way.
Harry couldn't even bring himself to tell Ron and Hermione about his feelings.
How would they react? Would they be okay with it? Or would things change between them forever?
"Best to never tell, best to keep it a secret forever," Harry mumbled into his pillow as sleep finally took him.
Hogwarts…
Professor Snape slowly stirred the potion bubbling in front of him clockwise.
He hated that infernal werewolf! Snape added a pinch of clover to the simmering potion. Went behind my back and suckered Albus into making his Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor!
Snape growled and pushed himself away from the bubbling cauldron containing the werewolf calming potion.
It was a new potion that Snape and a little Japanese Wizard, Master Tan, had been working on for four years and the resulting potion was one that wouldn't cure the illness but treat it, successfully.
As long as an infected person drinks this potion once a month, they will feel no effects of their condition.
No transformations at all, no illness, no behavior changes. They are a fully functioning, productive member of the wizarding society once again.
Who knew that such a lucrative potion would come back to bite him!
"Remus Lupin! War hero, my ass!" Snape stirred in a few more drops of lavender. The amount of praise and adoration that handsome devil received for his part in the down fall of the dark lord galled Snape.
He, himself had played a much greater and infinitely more dangerous role in Voldemort's demise. But were their any awards or accolades heading his way? Hell, no!
Snape slammed a vile of ginger extract on the potion bench in front of him.
His motives were always called into question.
Snape growled like an angry beast, "Once a Deatheater, always a Deatheater!"
Snape eyeballed his potions cupboard; he should throw a few extra ingredients into the cauldron and see what that smug pain-in-his-bullocks, Lupin, thought about that!
"Almost worth the stint in Azkaban," Snape muttered. "Almost."
Snape finished the potion with a few expert dashes of silver dust and poured it into a wooden goblet.
"Let Lupin venture down into the dungeons and get this himself!" Snape sauntered out of the lab. "I'm not his servant or his buddy."
With a flash of his long black cloak, Snape was on his way down the hallway pasted the potions lab he was just in, journeying deeper and deeper into the depths of the dungeons to where his sanctuary, his one calming spot, awaits.
Reaching his destination, Snape let out a sigh of relief.
Here, among the potion bottles, the specimen jars, and the numerous tombs of ancient potions, he was truly at peace.
The Burrow…
Hermione swished and sashayed her way into the boys' room, a smile as bright as the morning sun on her sweet young face.
"Wake up, my darlings, wake up!" Hermione yanked Harry's blanket off his muscled, half-naked body before turning her attentions toward her boyfriend.
"Today is the day! Oh…Today is the day to ride a train!" She sang merrily as she perched on Ron's lean muscled stomach. "Get up, up, up!"
Hermione elegantly tossed her honey brown hair over her shoulder.
"We have prefect duties and studies and a whole new wonderful year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizarding!" She sang into Ron's right ear.
"Geez, Hermione," Ron grumbled rolling over onto his side, knocking Hermione off in the process. "Did you eat one of the twins trick candies or what?"
Hermione humphed and punched him in the shoulder.
"Noo," She jumped from the bed and grabbed one of Ron's shirts from the floor, folding it and throwing it on top of his dresser. "This will be the first year since we started Hogwarts that the threat of Voldemort and his evil will no longer be hanging over our heads. We can finally focus on our studies and other teenage pursuits, like…"
She winked at Harry, who was sitting upright with his legs over the side of his bed and scratching his groin.
"Like what," Ron grumbled as he pulled on a pair of faded school slacks.
"Like dating, sweetling," Hermione ran her small white fingers through Ron's ruffled red locks. "Dating and other stuff." Hermione stood on her tiptoes and kissed Ron on the chin.
"So hurry up! A new day awaits, gentleman!"
And with that she was gone in a flounce.
"Why does she always do things like that when I'm not in my right mind to take advantage of them?" Ron looked over at Harry; his hazel eye's pausing on Harry's lean tan chest before glancing away and quickly pulling his school shirt on.
"Because she wants to keep you on your toes," Harry glanced up at his friend with a grin and quickly finished dressing.
A new day, indeed!
Downstairs the whole Weasley family sat around the kitchen table enjoying Mrs. Weasley's delicious breakfast of eggs, fried sausages, potatoes and toast with sparkly homemade jam.
Mr. Weasley, now the new Ministry of Magic, sat with his right hand man, Percy, discussing Ministry business in an energetic tone while his beautiful and feisty wife looked on from the other end of the table at her family with a truly happy and contented smile.
Charlie and Bill, who stopped by to enjoy breakfast with the whole family, before half of them went back to Hogwarts, laughed at the twins antics.
Ginny and Hermione sat across from Fred and George and giggled at something only the teenagers could know.
Mrs. Weasley, hearing the stairs rumbling, glanced up and saw Harry and Ron bounding down the stairs, a feathery little owl hooting along after them.
"Boys are you all packed?" She asked as they dropped into their seats in the careless way that only teenage boys could pull off, quickly filling their plates and faces with sausages, potatoes and eggs. "We leave after breakfast for Platform 9 ¾ as soon as everyone is done eating."
"We're packed and ready to go, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said around a mouthful of eggs. Gulping them down, he grinned at her, "Sorry."
"That okay, Harry," Mrs. Weasley smiled at him, "You need to eat up, you still look a little too thin to me." She reached out and patted him on the shoulder.
All too soon, in Harry's opinion, the food was eaten, dished magically clean and off to Hogwarts train they went.
Mr. Weasley, being the new Minister of Magic, arranged for ministry cars to drive them to the train station. As Harry peered out of the car window at the bleary country side, he wondered what this school year held in store for him.
Hogwarts…
The morning sunshine danced merrily along the corridors of Hogwarts, birds chirped a sweet little tune, as the Squid splashed lazily in the lake.
None of this joyous behavior was reflected on the grouchy face of one Professor Severus Snape as he tried to enjoy what was left of his summer.
Snape slammed around his private office, located across from his bedroom, as he quickly finished a few personal correspondences.
The incompetent terrors that made his professional life miserable will be arriving this evening and of course Albus wants to have an early morning staff meeting over breakfast!
Snape enjoyed eating in his own, personal dinning room the food that his beloved house elf, Twinkle, prepared for him.
Snape threw his cloak on and strode out of his beloved sanctuary, giving it one last, longing look as he closed the portrait door.
His private quarters, which he liked to think of as his sanctuary, comprised of two floors. The bedrooms with four of the baths upstairs while the living areas and the other bathroom made up the downstairs.
Four bedrooms, five baths, a library, kitchen, dining room, den, office, and private potions laboratory make up his lovely sanctuary, and he really can't wait to get back to it.
With a heavy sigh, Snape swept through the dungeons, up the stairs and to the all too bright staff room.
"Severus, my boy!" Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster and old coot extraordinaire, all but chirped when he saw Snape slip soundlessly through the staff room's big oak door. "We were about to send out a search party for you."
The entire faculty was seated around a conjured up table laden with every possible breakfast food and then some. The only seat left was right next to none other than Professor Trelawney, and Snape glared at her before gliding dark and swiftly into the chair next to her.
Old bat has some sort of perverted fascination with me, Snape swallowed apprehensively, like he did every time he was forced into Trelawney's disgusting presence.
He stomach lurched as she licked her fork suggestively towards him.
Oh, that was so disgusting, Snape barely repressed a shiver. Looking to his right was no better, there in all his smug glory was Professor I-stole-the-job-you-really-really-wanted-for-ever-so-long Lupin.
I'm surrounded! Snape glared at Lupin's handsome smiling face and tried to keep from gorging his eyes out with a fork.
It was really going to be a long year!
"So, Severus," Remus's deep baritone boomed in his left ear, causing Snape to shiver and grit his teeth. "Did you sleep well last night?"
Lupin leaned forward with one eye brow dashingly raised, leaning one muscled arm against the back of Snape's chair. Effectively pinning Snape in and forcing him to breath in Lupin's expensive cologne.
Snape stared straight ahead, his face twisted in a sour expression. He was all too aware of Dumbledore's twinkling gaze and Minerva's greater-then-thou expression.
"Very Well," Snape gritted out between his pursed lips. He hated social gathering with their forced platitudes.
"And you?" Snape managed to choke out.
Snape was trying not to vomit at the approving look that Albus was shooting his way for practicing what Albus's had started to call friendly work-place etiquette.
Work-place etiquette was a horrible new idea that Albus had happened upon in some unfortunate manner and was really hounding everyone to practice.
Damn muggles and their stupid forward thinking ideals! Snape forcibly exhaled through his nostrils. Plah, what did they know about the wizarding workplace!
Snape tried to explain this to Albus, but would he listen, Oh No!
"Not so good, my friend," Lupin sighed with such sugary sadness that made Snape wanted to hurl him out of the Astronomy Tower. "I waited for you and waited, for hours last night."
He leaned even closer; his breathe stirring Snape's greasy hair. Snape continued to stare stonily straight in front of him.
Snape was forced to interact with that damn werewolf but he would not look at Lupin anymore than he had too.
And he absolutely refused to allow that werewolf to chase him out of the place he called home for over 20 years!
Snape laid his wand hand on the table to keep it from twitching.
This type of fake affectionate behavior had become some sort of humiliating routine for the jackass! Pretending to be concerned about Snapes welfare and all acting friendly and supportive! It was disgusting!
I hate him, Snape venomously thought, I hate him! I hate, hate, hate him!
"Till midnight," Lupin whispered. "And then I became alarmed and raced down to the dungeons to check on your well-being."
"Almost fell," This part was aimed at Madam Pomphrey, who simply adored the dashing werewolf.
"Severus," Professor Dumbledore exclaimed, obviously buying the bag o' lies the handsome brunette was selling. "I thought you were going to make the werewolf calming draught for Remus last night?"
"And I did," Snape shot back, feeling quite put upon. "I left it in the potions lab. All he had to do was walk down and get it!"
"Severus, that's not very friendly or conducive to a healthy workplace," Minerva chimed in, malicious delight shining on her wrinkled face. She loved watching Severus squirm.
Minerva takes the rivalry between her house and mine too personally; Snape shot her a venomous glare. She should just admit that the Slytherins were by far the superior of the two groups and get it over with.
"How was Professor Lupin to know when you had finished the draught," Madam Pomphrey added, all concerned and motherly towards the handsome werewolf, who nodded sadly at her.
Sensing this could go on forever; Snape gritted his teeth and did what no man should ever have to do.
"I apologize, Lupin," The words barely making it out passed his clenched teeth. "I'll bring it up to you next month."
"That will be simply wonderful," Remus breathed into Snapes left ear.
"Wonderful," Dumbledore smiled at the two men. "Remus, you simply must try these waffles…"
Trying to tune out the mindless drivel of his oh-so energetic co-workers, Snape glanced around the table.
Too sugary, too salty, Aha! Snape spied a pink bowl of berries and a silver bowl of whipped cream.
His hand paused over the berries as he deliberated as to which one should eat first, before deciding on a heart-shaped strawberry.
He delicately dipped a bright red strawberry into fluffy snow white whipped cream and popped the tart fruit into his mouth. Hmmm, delicious!
Unbeknownst to him, amber colored eyes watched every move Snape made.
Remus licked his lips as he watched Severus close his eyes and savor the taste of the bright red fruit.
Those magic berry bushes I purchased in Ireland were worth every Knut, Remus thought with a hungry sigh.
Lupin was really happy and felt it was worth all the effort he poured into growing them as he watched the Snape devour another bright berry.
Lupin sighed, how he would like to devour the pale, slender man sitting next to him.
Snape, ignorant of all the steamy glances being thrown his way, grinned and was about to reach for another bite of fruit when, with a hoot and a sweeping shadow, a brown and cream colored owl dropped a small brown package onto his plate.
Growling, as he tends to do at everything, Snape snatched up his package and decided that he had enough breakfast and swept out the door before anyone could stop him.
In the Dungeons…
In the cool, dark comfort of his potion's classroom, Snape relaxed behind his desk and with two quick slashes of his wand, he opened his mail.
It contained a small blue bottle and two pieces of parchment.
Snape held the bottle up to the light, unable to determine the contents, he went on to read the first piece of parchment.
Professor Severus S. Snape
Potions Master, Hogwarts
We, of the Potions Guild are writing to inform you that a new potion has been brought to our attention. Its creator, Potion Mistress Marilyn Maggs, died shortly after making it. Upon her death it was discovered, but she made no note as to what it was meant for, just a list of materials needed in acquiring the potion (which we have included on a separate roll of parchment.)
Your expert skills of analysis are greatly needed, Professor Snape. Many of the PotionsGuild have tried but failed to determine what the purpose of the potion is. We are certain you will succeed where others have failed and are well aware that you are up to the challenge.
Nathaniel Leon
Keeper of Potions
The Potions Guld
"Humm," Snape grinned a totally evil grin. So, the Potion Guild wanted him back in the fold. Probably because most of the Potion's Guild are egotistical windbags and dunderheads that couldn't solve the simplest of puzzles. Well, they finally realized that this potion (like most in their case) needed his penetrating intellect and, of course, he is more than willing to oblige them.
Picking up the crystal blue potion bottle between his forefinger and thumb as if it were the Hope diamond and he a connoisseur of priceless gems, Snape smiled. Today was finally looking up.
Later that evening in the Great Hall…
Harry felt contentment wash over him as he surveyed his classmates and friends.
The train ride had been mostly uneventful. Just a nice, pleasant ride on a train.
Hermione had read a book out loud to the rest of them, a humorous volume of hexes she had stumbled across in Diagon Alley.
Harry had bought them all candy and found three Famous Witches and Wizards cards he'd been looking for. Ginny had snuggled up to Neville and Luna had knitted a pair of magic socks that would keep ones feet warm even in below zero weather.
Now, they were all seated at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. His sixth year was about to start, and he could feel, for the first time, the giddy lightness that everyone else must feel at the start of a new term.
Maybe I'll be alright after all, he thought, forking a heaping bite of mashed potatoes into his mouth. Happiness and contentment, he thought as he smiled at Ron who was seated across the table from him, may be within his reach…
The Slytherin Table…
Draco Malfoy watched the girl of his dreams, who he had been secretly in love with for three years; interact with the giant red-haired boob, Ronald Weasley.
His hand clenched until his knuckles turned white. She belonged with him, to him.
His and only his for all eternity.
This year will be different, Draco thought as he watch the light hit her soft, honey brown hair, now there was nothing standing between him and his beloved.
His father and mother had perished at the hand of the dark lord, causing Draco to switch sides in response to their brutal slaying. He still shook with anger when he remembered how they had died
His parents were loyal followers; agreeing with everything Voldemort had stood for, and had done everything the madman asked them to. Yet still, that bastard had slain his parents.
That was all it took for the last remaining Malfory to switch sides and become a spy for the Order of the Phoenix. He even earned a medal after the whole bloody mess was over!
Now, Draco schooled his expression to show none of his violent thought, all he had to do was get that weasel away from his princess, and he had a delightfully devious plan that was almost ready to implement to accomplish just that.
Seventeen days later…
For Professor Snape, September the twenty-eighth started out like any other day.
He awoke at precisely 5:00 am, graded students' incomplete and idiotic papers until 7:00am, and then headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast.
He had no idea that today would change his life far more than when he became a spy for Albus Dumbledore or when Voldemort had finally been defeated.
He stormed into the Great Hall and took his customary seat (the only empty one every morning for some godforsaken reason) beside the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Remus Lupin. Magically, his coffee cup filled with his favorite dark roast coffee.
Snape had already eaten, but his presence was required on the weekdays in the Great Hall to monitor the students for all three meals.
"Good Morning, Severus," Remus Lupin wiped his face as he turned to Snape. "Did you see today's article on Harry? The new journalist for the Daily Prophet did a wonderful in depth article on how he defeated Voldemort."
"Mm." Snape growled turning toward Madam Hooch, and away from Remus, as he angrily took a swig of his dark roast.
Damn that boy! Snape thought, every morning that grubby little prick was in his Advanced Potions class. Snotty little shit! Just the thought of having to teach that brat was enough to make him sick to his stomach. Like father, like son.
Just the thought of that boy made him vomit up the oatmeal he had for breakfast, Snape glared across the Great Hall at Harry Attention-hog Potter. With his unruly dark hair and his fathers ugly face!
Snape growled angrily causing Remus to glance his way with an eyebrow dashingly raised on his disgustingly handsome face.
What had started out as a maybe not too insufferable month had quickly went down the toilet.
Mistress Maggs mystery potion had yet to yield its secrets and every night Snape has been laboring hour after hour over that infernal blue liquid.
I absolutely refuse to give The Potions Guild the satisfaction of allowing this potion to stump me! Snape growled under his breath, earning him yet another curious sideways glance from Remus.
Slamming his coffee cup down, Snape glared at everyone around him and swept out of the Great Hall, heading down to the damp cool dungeons.
Remus watched his Potions Professor sweep like an overgrown bat out of the Great Hall with a slightly bemused look upon his face.
How Remus would love to strip Snape's pale thin body bare and ravish him until he couldn't breathe.
Remus looked down at his plate, feeling the hopelessness of his romantic feelings toward Severus crashing down on him.
At the Gryffindor Table…
"Wonder what's crawled up his butt," Ron slurped his fried egg off his fork, earning a double glare from Hermione.
"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione glared at him. "That is no way to talk about a Professor! And that is no way to eat." She daintily wiped her mouth as if to demonstrate proper table etiquette to her fiery boyfriend.
"I just hope he isn't in a bad mood," Neville mumbled. "We've got Advanced Potions with him first thing."
Harry felt the all too familiar sting of pity for the poor sweet Neville. He really was a cutie-pie!
"Don't worry, Neville" Harry grinned encouragingly at his hapless friend. "I'll be your potion's partner today."
Without the threat of Voldemort hanging over his head, Harry soon turned into quite the potions brewer, surprising almost everybody and pissing Professor Snape off, royally.
"Thanks, Harry!" Neville looked so relived.
Harry forgot for a second why no one really wanted to be Neville's lab partner.
"I really appreciate it!" Neville smiled a happy smile at Harry.
Harry smiled happily back.
"It's nothing." Harry stood up and gathered his book bag.
Hermione and Ron were way ahead of him and Neville, bickering as they walked hand in hand out the Great Hall's giant double doors.
"Come on; let's get Snape's ruddy potion's class over with!" Harry said over his shoulder at Neville as he jogged towards the dungeons.
Grinning, Neville gulped down the last of his pumpkin juice and jumped from the Gryffindor table almost tripping on his book bag in his haste to catch up with Harry.
Down in the dungeons…
"Today class we will be finishing our work on the Draught of Living Death." Professor Snape turned to the board and began to list the second string of ingredients needed for the Draught of Living Death.
He was in his element, tormenting teenagers. Pausing to enjoy the delicious rush of pure evil, Snape glared at his incompetent and lazy Advanced Potions class.
Excluding the Slytherins, who accomplished everything perfectly and in good time, of course.
"I want this done by the end of class; the inability to do so will result in complete failure of this class." He paused, grinning evilly.
"Submitting to me a draught that doesn't produce the desired effects will result in complete failure of this class," Professor Snape turned to the class, directing his gaze to his most irksome student (seated right beside Potter).
"Whispering directions into your neighbors ear will also result in complete failure of this class, do you comprehend, Potter? Complete and total failure where no whining to the Headmaster will save you from your complete and total failure." The great Professor seated himself behind his desk looking at the class before him.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Begin!" A flurry of movement from the students followed his words and Snape grinned merrily.
Neville Longbottom's hands shook as he began to measure his dragon juices.
He knew somehow that he was going to drop the small vile of liquids before he did it. It may have been the inch of sweat lining his hands or maybe a true premonition.
Anyhow, the small blue vile crashed against the stone floor, splashing its contents everywhere.
Fear rushed through Longbottom's veins as the silky smooth voice of doom snarled, "Longbottom! How is it that you cannot manage to do anything correctly? Must everything fall apart in you slimy little paws?" Professor Snape growled as he stormed around his desk.
"Professor, give him a chance to redo it," Harry Potter growled. His angry green eyes spitting fire at the Professor.
Knowing it would probably be futile, but wanting to see Longbottom suffer a while longer…
"Oh, very well," Professor Snape growled, "Longbottom, you have ten seconds to run into the storage room and collect a new vile of dragon juices."
The boy stood there, stupidly staring at him. Oh, what the hell…
"NOW LONGBOTTOM!!!!" The clumsy boy started a loopy as hell run toward his office.
Professor Snape immediately felt manipulated as he watched Harry grin at Longbottoms retreating back.
Why the hell was Potter acting as if he won some sort of victory for the sniveling snot nosed Longbottom boy. Well, he was going to wipe that grin off Potter's face, once and for all.
Harry, sensing Professor Snape's hard unyielding glare, felt a tingle of apprehension run along his spine. Oh, he was in for it now.
"Mister Potter?" The boy glared at him. "Come over here."
Harry Potter stomped over to where Professor Snape stood by his big oak desk. "Yes, sir?"
"Mister Potter, I have warned you time and time again about speaking out of turn…"
Whatever threat or punishment Professor Snape was going to stow upon Harry's unruly head was interrupted when an eternally clumsy Longbottom came bounding out of Professor Snape's office carrying a crystal blue bottle.
A crystal blue bottle the ignorant prat should never have laid his grubby hands on!
Professor Snape turned toward the prat, his mouth opening to snap at the ignorant fool, just in time to see him slip on the spilled dragon juices and fling the tiny blue bottle that contained Marilyn Maggs mystery potion toward himself and Harry Potter.
In slow motion Professor Snape and Harry Potter watched the bright blue bottle spin towards them. Losing it stopper in the process; showering them with its contents.
Stumbling backwards, Snape right side bumped Potters clenched fist just as the potion struck them.
Feeling a strange and peculiar popping sensation, Snape glanced down at his lower right abdomen and for a moment in time his mind could not comprehend quite what he was seeing.
Potters arm was sticking out of his side.
All of his hand was submerged in his chest.
As if they were conjoined twins.
Potter grubby arm was sticking out of his side! Snape's mind whorled. Oh, this was so not happening.
Logic flew at the window as Snape begin to yank on Potter's wrist to get his hand out.
Looking into Potter's wide shocked eyes, Snape jerked frantically, swinging the now hapless teenager around.
Ignoring the stunned faces of his students, Snape begin to tug at Potter's wrist in earnest.
"Have to get it out!" Snape hissed, frantic. "Get it out!"
"Professor, you need to go to the infirmary…" Hermione and one of the Weasleys, which one he could not in his panic recall, ran to his and Potters side.
"Professor, Stop!" The Weasly boy grabbed at Snape's shoulder, and found that where Snape normally had the strength of a middle-aged man, in his absolute terror, he gained the strength of ten abnormally strong men.
The class watched in wonder as Snape began to spin around and around in circles in an effort to force Potter off.
"You are hurting Harry!"
"Sir, you really must stop!" Somewhere in the back of Snape's frantically whirling head, he recognized the sound of his favorite student and godson, Draco Malfoy.
Who was at that very moment aiding Hermione Granger, the Weasley and a few others in an attempt to restrain him.
"Someone go get Professor Dumbedore..."
Harry managed to trip Snape in a last ditched attempted to stop his thrashing about, and Snape landed on the floor with a thud, glaring in disbelief at the dark haired youth that was straddling his stomach.
The floor began to spin underneath him, even though Snape was lying down.
The voices seem to be fading away as darkness closed in on Snape and he mercifully passed out.
In the Infirmary…
Professor Snape was lying in a hospital bed unconscious with a worried looking Harry Potter still attached to him as Headmaster Dumbledore and Madam Pomfery worried over their welfare.
Excluding Harry's wrist buried deep within Professor Snape's right side they could find nothing wrong with them, but no one could tell them what was in the potion bottle Longbottom accidentally thrown at them that has put Professor Snape and Harry Potter in such a state.
"Oh my god," Harry Potter turned an interesting shade of puce as his face began to sweat.
"What is it my dear?" Madam Pomfery rushed over to his aid.
But before she could render any assistance, Harry's arm popped out of Snape's right side with a sickening plop. Leaving behind nothing but smooth pale as buttermilk skin on Professor Snapes thin stomach.
Where the hell just happened? Harry thought in horror, he looked at his hand like he was seeing it for the first time.
"Oh dear, you gave us such a fright!" Madam Pomfery fluttered over to Harry's side. "Is you hand all right? Here, let me see it!"
A shocked Harry stood perfectly still as Madam Pomfery ran test after test on his perfectly normal looking hand.
Headmaster Dumbledore and Remus Lupin (who came a-running when he heard what had happened) watched from the sidelines, a complete baffled look on Albus's normally acute facial features and a look of mind-shattering worry on Remus's.
"Oh, thank the gods you are all right!" Madam Pomfrey pulled Harry into a quick hug and a relieved Headmaster Dumbledore stepped up and patted him on the back.
Remus finally found he could move and went over to stand by Snapes bedside.
Snape looked so fragile and helpless. Remus felt a bewildering sense of worry and fear as he stared down at the man he felt so much affection for.
Affection, Remus shook his head, no; I'm in love with him. I can't believe I didn't realize it until just now. I love the snarky git.
Harry, Albus, and Madam Pomphrey continued to marvel over Harry's hand behind Professor Lupin.
"Yes indeed," said the dear old Headmaster Dumbledore. "I was about to send for more mediwitches from St. Mungos to help separate you two."
As Headmaster Dumbledore and Madam Pomfery tended to Harry and Professor Lupin stood guard over his love, Professor Snape's body was accommodating its precious little visitor…
In the warm, dark recesses of Professor Snape's newly acquired womb…
It's so warm, the small sprite wondered, and the light…
She had no little hands, and she could not kick and maneuver about, but she knew she was completely and utterly safe.
And surrounded by music! Rush, rush, pump! Rush, rush, pump!
The small sprite became aware of a strange gurgling feeling coming from somewhere about her round middle, not pain, not really discomfort, more like a need that somehow it knows that this new place will fill.
Wondrously, she listened to the far away voices rumbling through the walls against which her new bubble of a body bounced
The loudest booming one seemed so very familiar to her.
Her incredibly tiny body bounced this way and that as that safe, familiar voice rumbled back at the far away voices.
Outside of Professor Snape's newly acquired womb…
"I'm fine!" Snape growled at Madam Pomphrey and Professor Lupin, who were trying to force him to stay in the hospital bed. "And I'm returning to my classes!"
His pride had begun to sting as soon as he regained consciousness, and accordingly Professor Snape began to struggle to get out of bed.
Oh, Neville Longbottom was going to die! Die, die, die, and die!
He's going to ground his bones into bread and bath in Neville's blood! Snape growled like a wounded bear as he struggled to sit up.
His body felt like it did in his youth after his father had tormented him. He felt both bruised and angry.
Standing up a weird woozy feeling, an odd weakness swept over the pissed off Professor, rendering him silent. For a second.
"Albus, there is something wrong with him, he should lie back down." Professor Lupin exclaimed as he watched Snape struggle to stand.
The moment passes and everything is righted for Professor Snape.
"Never mind, it must have been where I stood up to fast." Snape growled waving his had in a dismissing fashion at the three nervous nellie's surrounding him.
"Are you sure, Severus?" Professor Dumbledore came around to where Professor Snape stands with his hand over his right side.
"Maybe you should let Madam Pomfery give you a once over, just to be on the safe side. I'd hate for you to collapse again." Dumbledore laid a fatherly hand on Severus's shoulder.
Madam Pomphery grinned and started forward, but one ill-tempered glare sent her scurrying away.
"Maybe you should let her do her job, Severus," Remus stood on the end of the bed with an odd sort of gleam in his eye.
A gleam that Snape didn't feel all that comfortable with, to tell the truth.
"I'm fine, Albus," Professor Snape growled, ignoring the all-too-handsome Lupin, "It'll take more than a snot nosed brat to make an invalid of me."
Leading one and all to believe he meant either Longbottom or Potter with that comment.
Swishing his cloak, he stormed past a worried Dumbledore, a disproving Pomphrey, and a determined Professor Lupin.
Back in the dungeons…
Professor Snape angrily began to clean up what was left of Marilyn Magg's potion. Realizing that there was really nothing to be done, he chucked the whole lot in the trash.
Better to start Marilyn Magg's potion from scratch, Professor Snape growled in his head as he overlooked the wreckage. No way to salvage any of this mess.
As Professor Snape turned to head back to his office to await his next class, a strange dizzy sort of shifting fell over him.
Clutching the frame of the door, Professor Snape tried in vain to steady himself as the floor rushed up to greet him.
The last thing Snape heard, before the darkness overtook him was heavy footsteps and a deeply concerned, all too familiar voice exclaiming his name.
Back in the infirmary…
"I found him collapsed on the floor!" A worried Remus Lupin exclaimed. "I was going to try to convince him to go back to the infirmary and found him crumpled on the ground."
Professor Lupon stood at the foot of the hospital bed that Professor Snape was stretched across, a look of abject terror on his handsome face.
"Don't worry, deary," Madam Pomfery soothed as she ran a mystical looking forked branch over Snape's prone body. "I'm sure it's nothing more than…"
The branch jerked over Professor Snape's right side.
"What?! This can't be!!"
Three days later…
Severus Snape's nightmare…
Professor Snape glared out of the Library's window. I wish they would just leave me alone…
"Professor Snape?" a small voice ventured behind him.
Turning he saw a small girl with straight black hair and bright green eyes. She was wearing Slytherin robes.
"What is it?" he snapped at her.
"Today, did you mean it?" She whispers as she steps closer.
"Mean what?" Snape huffed. "Speak up, girl!"
Suddenly she was right up on him.
"Did you mean it?" She sobbed, holding up bloody hands, "Did you mean it?"
Suddenly, as if an invisible hook yanked at her from behind, she went flying back, spilling blood everywhere.
Three Days later…
Down in Professor Snape's rooms…
"No!" Professor Snape screamed as he jerked up in bed. He looked around. He was in the safty of his rooms. Breathing a hefty sigh, Snape dropped back onto his green pillow.
Sleep was beyond him now and his half awake brain started to dance around his head.
Ever since he was confronted with what had happened to him, he knew what he was going to do about it.
He had stared brewing the potion that day. He intended to fix this mistake.
And now the damn potion was ready to take, but something was holding him back.
Pregnant was something he should not tolerate being, Snape growled and flopped onto his side.
Closing his eyes he remembered the look in Madam Pomphrey's eyes when she told him.
Flashback to that first dreadful day…
"Somehow, you're pregnant," Madam Pomphrey said in a wondrous voice, looking down at him where he lay on the hospital bed like he was some kind of living miracle.
"Wow," Lupin whistled under his breath, bringing Snape's sudden and terrible wrath upon him.
"Get out, you smelly werewolf!" He howled at the tall handsome brunette. "Right now!"
'You had better leave now, Remus," a kindly voice said from the corner of the room. "Let's not upset Severus any more than he already is."
Headmaster Dumbledore ushered the reluctant Professor Lupin out and returned in a flash. His eyes were a twinkling and his mouth was in a happy curl.
"Severus, think about this," Albus whispered sitting in the chair beside Snape's hospital bed.
"You will make history. The first male to carry his own child within his body. It's a miracle." Albus looked like his was going to burst into tears.
"Right here in my own school," Dumbledore cried into a purple tissue.
"We'll see the birth of a new age, the beginning of hope for all the gay wizards who thought they would never have children." Madam Pomphrey looked way to happy for Severus's likening.
Anger flooded every cell in his body, this was not happening! He would not allow this to happen!
"I'm not keeping it!" Snape shrieked and flung himself out of that damn hospital bed.
Then he all but flew out of the infirmary, like the room was on fire.
Pointy ignoring Albus and Madam Pomphrey's cries to stop, come back, Snape resembled a great bat as he fled down the corridor, pasting that stupidly handsome werewolf on the stairs.
He did not slow down or stop until he made it to the sweet sanctuary of his quarters.
End of flashback…
Back in Snape's bedroom…
Looking back that day seemed to speed past him. His mind had whorled within his head and disapproval showered down on him from all sides.
Because that busy body, Madam Pomphrey, had the audacity to tell everyone she could find that the baby was Potter's and that Snape was planning to have an abortion.
Resulting in the entire faculty treating Snape like the anti-christ.
On the evening of that first dreadful day, Professor Dumbledore had walked in on Severus as he was putting the finishing touches on the abortion potion.
Albus simply looked at him, turned around and walked out.
Potter didn't find out about the miraculous pregnancy until the morning of the second day, when Professor Dumbledore had sat him down and explained the whole ruddy mess to him, ending with the assumed abortion.
The look in Potter's eyes when he confronted him not ten minutes later, that soulless look in the boys eyes, cut right though the Professor.
Harry had looked like Snape had ripped out the boy's very soul and shat on it.
Flashback to the day after Snape learned he was pregnant…
(The second day)…
Snape's potions classroom…
Snape didn't notice Harry was even in the room until the teenager was upon him.
"You monster." Harry grabbed the professor's arm. "That was my unborn child you murdered."
Professor Snape jerked his arm out of his grasp. "Mister Potter, that abomination of nature was not meant to be born, and frankly you're out of line. That wasn't your baby; it's was not even a baby in any sense of the word."
"Now remove yourself from my presence before I deduct points from Gryffindor!" Snape glared angrily at the sixteen year old brat.
"Noo," Harry had broken down by then and few into a rage, grasping at Professor Snape's robes and shaking him.
Snape was unable to wrestle the boy off or reach his wand where he had left it on his desk. The sixteen year old seemed to be possessing of some kind of crazy strength.
Just when he thought he was going to pass out, he saw a flash of purple and knew Albus wouldn't let The-Boy-Who-Lived murder him.
"Mister Potter," The kind soothing voice of Professor Dumbledore cut threw the frenzy that was building up in Harry Potter.
"Please, let go of Professor Snape and come with me." Gently Professor Dumbledore pulled him away from the crumpled form of the Potion's Professor and half-drug half-carried Harry out of the room.
Back to the Third day…
In Professor Snapes' quarters…
Now at 2:00 am on the third day, Snape groaned and tried to go back to sleep, but knew it was futile, there was no getting back to sleep. His troubles were too heavy for him to sleep peacefully.
Throwing back the covers he strode over to where he placed the potion.
It was silently resting on top of his 200 year old oak vanity that Great Grandfather made for Great Grandmother shortly after they had wed.
"This is the best thing for the child." Picking up the bottle in his right hand, he let his left rest over his right side. "It would more than likely be terribly deformed."
His hand shook as he brought the bottle to his lips.
Drink it, Damnit! His hand shook with fury. Fuck it!
Violently he threw the bottle against the wall.
Tears stream down his face as he fell to his knees.
After all that he has done that he has had to live with, this was one thing that he simply cannot do.
His child will live.
Forty years ago…
It was cold in the room where Snape's father had locked him.
The wall, a bare brick, no windows. In one corner of the room, on the cold stone floor, was a pile of feces and specs of urine.
He had not eaten in days. It was dark, and the boy could not see the blood stains on the walls and his clothes from the continuous beatings he has had to endure.
But the boy didn't cry and beg to be let out, at age five Severus Snape had accepted his fate and no longer fought the walls that were closing in on him.
Instead, he embraced them and, over the years, erected walls around his heart twice as thick and cold as the ones his father had used to torture him with.
But old walls have a way of toppling down, especially when there is a determined sprite stubbornly beating her hard little head against them.
Day five…
Back in the darkness of the dungeons…
In Professor Snape's potion's classroom…
Two more days have passed and still it seems unreal.
It probably won't live much longer anyway, Snape thought. No real need to do anything about it.
Everyone already believes I've gotten rid of it. And from the expression on some of the faculty's faces ever since, no one was too happy about his supposed abortion.
Especially, Lupin, who hasn't talked to him since and that bothered Snape for some reason.
And the fact that Lupin ignoring him had the power to bother him pissed Snape off!
Well, who the hell cares what that pompous werewolf thinks. Snape smoothed out his wizarding robes. I sure as hell do not!
What they don't know won't inconvenience me, Snape thought as he lined up the ingredients up for next class.
Shaking his head, Professor Snape finished laying out the potion ingredients.
Potter still won't look me in the eye, Professor Snape thought guiltily, as he walked back to his desk.
I'm not sure how I feel about that. Maybe I should tell him…No, there's no need. The child would most certainly die. Men are not equipped with what a baby needs to develop.
Professor Snape seated himself behind his desk as he waited for his class to come streaming in. Settling himself into his comfortable chair he whipped out his favorite digest, Potion's Weekly.
He began to quietly read out loud his newest issue of Potion's Weekly (a habit he started when he was only eight years old and never grew out of) when a childish giggle made him jerk up in his chair.
Storming to the other side of his desk he bellowed, "Come out right this instant before I give you detention on top of the 20 points that will be deducted from your house. This had better not be you, Potter, hiding under your damn invisibility cloak."
Jogging, he began to climb up the stairs that go up to the back of the class stopping at every level to check under each row of desks. "Come out right this instant!!"
The giggling had stopped. Professor Snape felt the room was indeed empty and he prided himself on his ability to tell if there was someone nearby or not.
Maybe they snuck out already….
Probably Potter, damned piss ant of a boy, Snape growled, trying to punish me some more for supposedly murdering their baby.
Grumbling under his breath about Potter and Weasley, Professor Snape stomped back to his desk and checked the time; 29 more minutes until class was to start.
Yanking his Potion's Weekly up from where it landed face down on the floor, he warily looked around.
After a few minutes he began to read under his breath again.
"Heee hee hee," the little giggling voice started again.
Only this time he could see where it was coming from.
"Oh my god!"
About ten minutes later…
Headmaster's Office…
"What do you mean, you can't see her?" Professor Snape bellowed at Professor Dumbledore. "She's breaking one of your toys right under your nose!"
"I see the wreckage, but not the child," and indeed Albus could not.
Only Severus Snape could see the thin naked little hellion, who appeared to be about two years old and naked as a jay bird. She was fuzzy about the edges and a complete blur when she moved, but was a very adorable, none the less.
An adorable little sprite, who was at this very moment, rifling through Professor Dumbledore's desk.
"Stop that, right now!" Snape pointed a long finger at the ornery little one.
Looking up at her father, the little vixen grinned a Harry Potter heart-stopping grin. "Na, na, na, na, Na!" She sassed him over her shoulder; wriggling both a tiny finger and a tiny butt back at him.
"Why you snotty little brat!" Snape roared and shot out of his chair, fully intending to snatch up his misbehaving little devil.
"Severus!" Professor Dumbledore snapped at him, forcing Snape to step back with the force of his disapproving glare.
"You made her the ghost that she is; you can not run around snarling names at her for her lack of maturity." Headmaster Dumbledore stood up and surveyed the damage that Snape's unborn daughter was wreaking in his once pristine office.
"Albus, the little monster just…" Severus argued, stopping mid-sentence as realization of what Professor Dumbledore said,
"Albus, I didn't make her a--" Snape tried to explain, but was cut short by the angry shaking head of his mentor.
"Let's not argue about this," warily Professor Dumbledore walked around his desk, herding a flabbergasted Snape toward the door.
"I'll need to inform the Ministry of Magic about Hogwarts' new poltergeist. As well as Mister Potter." The last bit came out with an uncomfortable sigh from the saddened Professor.
"But, Albus," Professor Snape wanted to explain.
"Really, Professor Snape, there's nothing you can say that will make this situation better," Headmaster Dumbledore looked 200 years old as he all but pushed Snape out the door.
"You'll just have to deal with our little ghost's tantrums form time to time, as will we all." Headmaster Dumbledore sadly shook his bearded head.
"But…" was the last thing Professor Snape got out before the door slammed in his face.
Slipping through Professor Dumbledore's door, Little One grinned up at him sleepily. Yawning she floated up to his middle and disappeared into his right side.
"Fantastic,"Snape growled, rubbing a hand over his face. "At least I know my luck is still holding."
And with a flash of his black cloak Snape headed down the corridor and back to his class (which was probably ¾ of the way through completely wreaking the potions classroom).
A resolution started to burn in his brain.
He was going to make Albus listen to him!
First thing tomorrow, with Madam Pomphrey in tow, Snape was going to prove that Little One was still alive and thriving.
But right now, Snape was on his way to terrorize a group of incompetent first years.
Later that night in the sanctuary of Snape's private rooms…
Still peeved with the way the headmaster treated him, Snape hurled himself into his bedroom with an angry, you guessed it, growl.
"Ghost! You're no more a ghost then I am Potter's biggest fan!"
Snape was in the process of getting ready for bed, directing all his ranting at his right side with a poke of his finger.
"Not a ghost (poke), confused spirit (poke), or lost soul (poke, poke)."
Jerking his old-fashioned nightgown over his head, "You're a brat, that's what you are! And I should know, I'm been up to my neck in them for over 20 years."
Snarling at himself in the mirror, he spat out the spell necessary to off the lights.
Next day…
Storming Severus Snape entered his classroom for his first class of the day about twenty minutes late.
"What are you doing!" he bellowed at the ruckus the first year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were making.
"50 points from each Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws! And get to your seats!"
After the class was settled into their assignment, Professor Snape wondered what he was going to do about Little One. The child was tormenting him…
At 2:00 this morning, Little One had decided he had slept long enough and that he needed something wet and slimy first thing in the morning.
He can just see the little snot, pondering on what evil to bestow upon him.
In his mind's eye, he can see her big eyes as green as emeralds gleam as Little One surveyed her weapon of choice (the glass jars lining the selves in his office.)
Never will he forget the feeling of all that slime and filth hitting his body. Or the "hee hees" and "Na, na, Naas" that followed as he chased the slippery little snot around the room, forgetting in his dripping rage that he couldn't catch her (but by Merlin, he had tried!)
To top off the ordeal, he was forced to bathe which made him late for the rest of the day, and thus unable to confront Albus.
Almost passed out when the water hit his face. Another little legacy from his bastard of a father, Snape thought, this helpless and extreme fear of being submersed in water, naked and drowning.
Thank Merlin, she's finally asleep. Snape thought to himself as he rubbed his side.
Must have been the extremely large breakfast he uncharacteristically consumed before heading to class (though Merlin knows it could have been from the jolly good time she had this morning!)
Professor Snape isn't sure how he knows it to be true, but right now the naked little hellion was fast asleep.
Probably dreaming of how else she can torment me, Snape snorted.
Crouching low in his seat, Snape began to intently glare at his class, enjoying the looks of pure terror from any unfortunate child who happened to make eye contact.
Twenty enjoyable minutes passed as such, when there was a thud at the door.
"Professor Snape!!" An angry as all get out Harry Potter came storming in. "You Rat Bastard!" He screamed at him, running at him with the devil in his eye.
"Mister Potter! Wait one damn min--" KA-POWW!
No one really understood, least of all Snape, what up until now only Voldemort understood.
That Harry Potter was one hell of a wicked adversary.
If Snape had only known, maybe he could have ducked the evil right hook that smashed into his jaw and sent him crashing to the floor.
Once again, at the infirmary…
"Uh…where am I?" muttered a dazed Snape. "Potter! 120 points from Gryffindor…."
"That won't be necessary, Severus," Professor Dumbledore smiled down at the semi-conscious Potions Master. "It seems Mister Potter may have clocked you a good one, but he's really torn up over it."
"Well he should be! I hope you have his unruly head on the next train back home!" Snape struggled to sit up. "The nerve of the little…"
"Now, Severus," Professor Dumbledore soothed. "He thought his child had been sentenced to a ghost's imprisonment. He was distraught…"
"He thought….What!?" Snape tried to fly into denial.
"Severus, we know the baby's still alive," Professor Dumbledore grinned merrily. "Madam Pomfery found out when she examined you after Remus brought you in."
"Remus Lupin?" Snape's hand covered his right side, which he absently stroked.
He missed the look that crossed Professor Dumbledore's face as he observed the protective gesture.
"Yes, Professor Lupin pulled Harry off you." Professor Dumbledore leaned forward, "Severus, why did you let us believe you had terminated your pregnancy?"
Professor Snape snapped to attention.
"For just that reason! All my colleges and those nasty little brats poking fun at this! More of this unwanted touchy-feely moments with you!" Professor Snape leaped out of bed.
"On top of that, this child might still die, or worse be terribly deformed! And then it would be in the news: Man gives birth to deformed baby!"
Shrugging into his robes, he bellowed: "I just want to be left alone with what's left of my privacy!"
With that Professor Snape stormed out.
In the sanctuary (Snape's rooms)…
Seated at his desk after managing to make it to the dungeons without running into anyone, Professor Snape pondered the "weirdness" that has taken over his life.
It isn't an entirely bad thing, the professor thought; I will no longer have to worry about my family ending with me…
If only the little menace would stop that, Professor Snape thought, ducking just in time as a book flew by his head.
Professor Snape knew better than to give any reaction to the miniature tornado that the dark haired monster had made out of what was once a pile of graded, ready-to-return parchments on the different uses for dragon's blood.
This day couldn't sink any faster, Snape thought as he absently scratched the brim of his nose. Thank Merlin it's almost over.
No sooner had he thought those thoughts that the door to his sanctuary (his office door) swung wide open and let in more insanity in the form of Professor Dumbledore, Harry Potter, his godfather Sirius Black, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Professor Lupin, Mr. Weasley (the new Minister of Magic) and his wife Mrs. Weasley, and, bringing up the rear, an unknown witch and wizard.
The shit's storming tonight, Professor Snape thought as they closed in on him.
"Professor Snape," Arthur Weasley has never sounded so enthused as he sat down across from Snape.
The group looked in wonder at the mini tornado Little One was hell bent on driving her daddy insane with.
"Yes, Mr. Weasley," Professor Snape drawled. Raising an eyebrow at the strange sight before him:
The unknown witch and wizard, without asking permission, was setting little disk shaped objects around the outside of the group.
For some reason, Harry, Sirius, Remus, Ron, Mrs. Weasly and Hermione were walking around bent over and waving their arms at the stone flooring like some poor muggle dope that has lost a contact.
And to top it all off, Headmaster Dumbledore's head could not be seen as he had dove head first into a large bag decorated with dozens of laughing teddy bears that he had brought with him into Severus's office.
He was apparently in hot pursuit of something way at the bottom of the charmed bag. (His efforts were tickling the bears into fits of breathless laughter.)
"It has been brought to our attention that your baby has been gifted with prenatal telekinesis along with the ability to astrally project her image." Mr. Weasley drew a deep breath as if preparing to mount his soapbox.
"I already knew that." Growled Snape. "Who are they?" He nodded to the couple who had just finished setting up disks along the perimeter of his office.
"Allow me to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. LillyWater," Professor Dumbledore paused in digging through his bag.
"They are experts in the field of prenatal telekinesis and are going to help us understand and accommodate the newest little addition to Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." His head disappeared back into the bag.
Mr. LillyWater grinned and offered his hand, "Your case is especially intriguing. Your pregnancy alone would make a wonderful case study, but the nature of your child's gifts…You must be so proud!"
Professor Snape ignored the offered hand and glared at the disks laid about his sanctuary.
"And what are those--" Quickly he ducked a flying book that Little One had aimed with careful precision for the top of his head.
"Those objects supposed to do?" Pointly ignoring the tiny hand shooting out of the tornado to snatch up his pen.
"With the right incantation," Mrs. LillyWater's elegant voice carried from where she stood by Harry, Ron, Mrs. Weasley, and Hermione, "these objects, as you called them, should project the child's thoughts magically to the rest of the people within the boundary of the Pyscomagic Orbs."
"Theoretically, allowing the rest of us to see and hear her," Mr. LillyWater butted in, going to hold the hand of Hermione and Mrs. LillyWater. "Now we just have to give it a go."
"Albus, if you will," Mrs. Weasley held out her free hand.
Jumping up, the headmaster took her hand and that of Mrs. LillyWater to complete the circle the group had formed.
"Serverus, would you—"Albus was about to force him to join, and Snape just couldn't bear the thought of looking that stupid.
"No!" Professor Snape growled trying to sound final and absolute, earning him a raised eyebrow from the handsome Professor Lupin.
"Aaah, come on, Snape," Sirius taunted, "Are you scared?"
God he hated the man, Snape growled and flung his hand as quickly as he could into the mini-tornado that was his demon spawn's doing.
Snape's fingers snagged his favorite grading pen, but, alas, not quickly enough. Little One quickly grabbed the other end of the pen and had no intention of letting her Daddy have it back.
Ignoring the group in front of him, Snape threw himself into a fight to the death with the mini tornado for his pen.
"I've been put through enough nonsense today." Snape snarled at everyone that was ruining his life, meaning everyone in the room.
Harry shot him a filthy look, which Snape countered with a pointly raised eyebrow.
"We don't need him," Mrs. LillyWater exclaimed. "His bond with the child could interfere with the process."
"Yes, indeed," Mr. LillyWater agreed. "Let's begin! Just like we practiced in Professor Dumbledore's office."
The last bit was aimed at a nervous looking Ron and Harry.
As one their voices lended themselves to the chant.
Well you can tell they practiced, thought a tried Snape, giving up on his pen for now.
With a raised eyebrow, Snape watched his naked offspring dance her way across his desk.
Little One was shooting silly grins at him as she shook his ink well with all her might
Suddenly the disks glowed a bright blue that washed over the whole room before disappearing.
Well, at least they didn't blow up the classroom, Snape thought as he rested his chin on his right hand.
Then, as one, Professor Dumbledore and company noticed the dancing naked baby.
Harry stood shock still, watching his precious child torment Snape with a look of true wonder on his face.
"Oh, she's so darling!" Remus exclaimed. "Looks just like you did as a baby, Harry. Don't you think so, Sirius?"
"She's beautiful," Sirius breathed as he watched his soon to be goddaughter try to get each and every one of them with a spray of black ink.
Hermione, Mrs. Weasley, Mrs. LillyWater, and Dumbledore, surrounded Little One next, oohing and aahing at her tiny perfect features and amusing facial expressions.
"She's so ornery!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed as Little One stuck her tongue out at them. "She reminds me of Fred and George at that age."
"Too bad I can't hold her." Harry was right; even though everyone could see Little One no one could touch her.
"Just as well," Snape drawled from his bent over position.
He was busy trying to pick up all the pieces of wreckage that was once the contents of his desk. "She'd probably bite you."
"Na, na!" Little One exclaimed and flew over to her Daddy disappearing into his side.
"She seems to be enthralled with you, Professor," Mr. LillyWater observed.
"Albus," Mrs. LillyWater produced a black silk bag. "Would you like Mr. LillyWater and I to secure more areas around Hogwarts?"
"Yes!" Professor Dumbledore still hadn't found what he was looking for in the bag.
"In all the classrooms, including Hargrid's Hut, the Great Hall, the stairs, and the main corridors," his head disappeared back into the bag only to pop back out, "Oh! And my office."
"Hopefully, the little monster will spread her reign of terror to include every resident of Hogwarts." Snape had put his desk to rights, including the rolls of graded parchments.
Out of his side poked a little curly top, "Na, na?"
"Yes, I mean you!" Snape mumbled at his side, preoccupied with the fourth year class's homework he had begun to grade. (He wisely hid them in a secret compartment in his desk.)
He missed the looks the group shot his way.
"You can't talk to a baby that way," Mrs. Weasley admonished. "She'll think that's the way you're supposed to talk to people."
"So?" Snape didn't even bother to look up from grading his papers.
"You see, Mr. Weasley!" Harry growled. "He's unfit to carry my baby."
"What's that supposed to mean!?" Professor Snape was finally paying attention to his unwanted guests.
"Mister Potter petitioned the Ministry of Magic for full custody of his child." Mr. Weasley looked very somber.
"You've done what!?" Snape's voice was very low, anger apparent in his taut facial features.
"You don't want her or care for her like I do!" Harry shouted with pent up rage. "To you her life is disposable!"
"You little—"
"Now, now!" Professor Dumbledore interjected. "Let's not say or do anything to aggravate this already difficult situation."
Mr. LillyWater came around to stand beside Snape, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I think I know of a way to settle this. Has either of you considered marriage?"
"Sir, kindly remove your hand from my shoulder! And step away from me!" Snape's pale complexion went a soft gray color.
"Mr. LillyWater!" Mrs. Weasley squealed. "You don't honestly believe the solution to this problem is to marry a 16 year old to a man almost three times his senior! And his professor to boot!"
"Now, now!" Mr. Weasley interrupted. "This could be the best thing for all three of them."
"How do you mean?" Ron asked, looking at his father with the most shocked look on his confused face.
"Harry," Professor Dumbledore piped up. "Do you plan to go on to work after you graduate?"
"Yes.." Harry croaked, not liking where this was headed.
"Think about it for a while, you two." Headmaster Dumbledore stepped closer to Snape. "Just consider the idea of marriage."
"It could be a marriage in name only," Mrs. Weasley added, warming up to the idea.
"Harry, you could wait a year before getting a job," the headmaster continued. "Working for me and around the school will get you good credentials for when you finally do head out into the work force."
Professor Snape huffed. Headmaster Dumbledore turned to him.
"And how do you plan to take care of the baby and teach potion classes? Hmm?"
Professor Snape looked at the back wall, not meeting anyone's eyes.
"It can be annulled," Mr. Weasley added. "No one would think anything of it."
"Best that the baby has two parents." Mr. Weasley stated as if that was the final word on the subject.
Harry's head was swimming. Hermione looked thoughtful and Ron looked at a lost for words.
"Let's stop for this nonsense right now," Professor Lupin announced angrily, "Harry is not marrying Severus! They don't need to marry. Harry has a whole family willing to help him and Severus has an entire faculty that would be more than willing to help with the baby."
"I agree," Sirius huffed. "Harry is not marrying Snape, ever!"
Harry looked at Sirius with relief in his big green eyes.
"Yeah," Harry stated with a tremble in his voice. "We could have spit custody, I guess."
"I agree with Potter," Snape said with his head resting in his hands. "We will share custody if all this marriage talk would just stop!"
"I think you may be right (Snape huffs)," Professor Dumbledore whipped out his wand and tapped it against his thigh. "That may be the best arrangement. Shared custody is the solution to this predicament."
"Yes!" Ron found his voice, "Harry and Professor Snape should not get married, they should just share custody." He sounded so relieved.
"A child is a blessing," Albus waxed on swinging his wand between Harry and the Professor. "You two really need this child. She will bring you both back into the world of the living and give you the happiness you two deserve."
Dumbledore's voice grew soft with concern and he looked Snape straight in the eye. "You've paid for all you mistakes. Close the door to that part of you life, and move on."
"..Albus..." Snape stared at the floor.
"Give it a chance." Albus implored. "For all three of you."
Snape's chest tightened as he met Albus's eyes. Pulling out his wand, Snape looked at Potter as comprehension started to dawn in Harry's eyes. Harry swallowed and pulled out his wand.
"Alright," Professor Snape nodded pointing his wand at Potter and Potter did the same. "I promise to share custody of my child with Harry Potter. On my life, she will have two parents."
Looking Harry in the eye, Dumbledore waited.
"Professor Snape and I will share custody," Harry agreed and felt magic swirl around himself and Professor Snape. "On my life, she will know both her parents."
Harry and Severus had entered into a wizarding oath.
Releasing the breath he'd been holding, Headmaster Dumbledore returned his wand to his pocket and smiled at Harry and Severus.
"Thank Merlin!" He exclaimed. "Now I bet you're wondering what I have in this bag…hmm." Dumbledore looked up at Snape expectantly.
Professor Snape, looking utterly resigned, said, "What's in the bag, Albus."
"Things to make your life easier, my friend."
"But first," Albus stood up quickly, "What room are you going to make into the baby's nursery?"
"I don't have a free room."
"What do you mean," Remus exclaimed. "You have four very nice bedrooms here. Just make one of them into her bedroom. Albus has bought her a lot of very nice things."
"I'm using all four of my rooms," Snape snapped at the interfering werewolf, before going around to seat himself behind his desk. "I don't have the room for any of this infernal nonsense."
"Now, Severus," Dumbledore chided him. "You are simply going to have to give her a room. Move some of your things into storage," Snape stopped him with a glare.
"Things you don't use all that often." Remus leaned against Snape's desk and winked at him. Snape ignored this tom foolery and returned his attention to grading essays.
"You'll just have to move," Sirius chimed in. "There are many suites in a castle this size, pick another one."
Snape didn't bother to acknowledge such an ignorant statement. He loved his home and had no intentions of moving. He'll cross those bridges when he gets to them.
"The never ending demands I put up with." Snape muttered, returning to his grading.
Dumbledore looked down at Severus bent head and sighed; this may take a little longer than he thought.
"Okay! I'll let it be," Professor Dumbledore sighed.
"Oh! My Goodness, look at the time!" He jumped up as if someone charmed his robes to bite him on the rump. "We must all be going if we want to place the rest of the Pyscomagic Orbs around the school tonight. We simply must be off."
The group made their way to the door reluctantly. Very reluctantly on the part of one sexually frustrated werewolf.
Dumbledore paused at the door, and sighed a heartfelt sigh, "And I wanted to see your face when I showed you the simply wonderful toys and whatnots I bought for the baby!"
"That's all right, Albus," Snape muttered as he viciously slashed away at some poor student's paper. "Just leave it there; I'm sure Little One will scatter the contents about my room in the middle of the night,"
Snape looked up at Dumbledore, "After she gets her second wind." He grinned evilly.
In the corridor…
"Little One," Remus spoke very quietly as he followed the group out towards the great hall. He glanced back over his shoulder at the portrait that was guarding Snape's quarters.
"Severus, you're already in love and you don't even know it!"
In Snape's sanctuary…
Snape dragged the heavy teddy bear bag into his bedroom. Receiving angry looks from the teddies as he unceremoniously tossed the bag into a corner of the room.
"I don't even want to know what's in there," Snape grumbled as he striped for bed.
Later that night…
Something soft and light brushed his face.
"Little One, let Daddy sleep," Snape's gravelly morning voice rumbled.
Plop! Something soft, like a stuffed animal, hit his stomach.
"The lion goes," a mechanical voice sounded from somewhere near his stomach, "RrrrroOOWW!"
Damn Toys! Snape threw his arm over his eyes. Trust Little One to find the toys that make noise.
"The lion goes," now the voice was closer, somewhere just below the midsection of his chest, "RrrrroOOWW!"
"The lion goes," Now the mechanical voice sounded from right over his heart, "RrrrroOOWW!"
"The lion goes," a mechanical voice sounded from somewhere near his stomach, again, "RrrrroOOWW!"
"RrrrroOOWW!" Now the voice was getting closer again.
I guess sleep is out of the question tonight.
"RrrrroOOWW!" Right by his ear.
Wait a minute! Snape's sleep fogged brain began to register that something was off.
"Na, na, Naa," a bouncing feeling, then, "RrrrroOOWW!"
Opening his eyes, Snape wished he hadn't.
For there on his chest, dressed in a soft full-fledged lion costume: floppy ears, long fluffy mane, and fur tipped tail, bounced Little One.
She even had on furry gloves.
"RrrrroOOWW!" She roared as she squeezed the small plush lion toy that she held in tiny little paws.
"The lion goes," sounded the mechanical voice from inside the stuffed toy, "RrrrroOOWW!"
"What the hell!" Snape picked up Little One with one hand and tried to touch her face with the other. Nothing! His hand went right through.
Little One has astrally projected herself into a lion costume.
"Now this is new," Snape grumbled as he drew the baby close and laid back down.
"Na, naa!" Little One squealed, intently studying the lion.
"The lion goes," a mechanical voice sounded yet again from the blasted toy, "RrrrroOOWW!"
Hmmm…I can handle this, Snape thought as he drifted off to sleep.
Wait till Remus sees this.
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