"Harry, time for bed," Severus called for the little boy who was playing quietly in front of the crackling fire with his stuffed rabbit/
"Not tired," the boy said. The flames cast an eerie mix of light and dark on the boy, the shadows would in one moment show the chubbiness of the three year old's baby cheeks, then cast them in a sinister way that made it look like he was thin and evil. Severus shuddered at the thought of his little boy turning evil, he prefered the chubby baby cheeks on this little one.
"How bout you just come and change into your pajamas then?"
"Not-" Harry broke off with a wide open mouthed yawn, "tieed," he finished with a giggle.
"Oh really?" Severus asked softly, coming behind the boy. Quiet as a mouse he swooped the boy up from where he was sitting. Harry let out a piercing shriek and his mouth opened up and a sweet tinkling sound came forth from his lips as he laughed at his guardian.
"Wiwy," he said, his face composed of all seriousness, his little eyes were wide, and this tiny mouth was set in a line that rivalled Minerva McGonagall's.
"Well mister, I think that maybe we should at least get your pajamas on, they are a lot comfier than what you have on now," Severus said. He settled the boy on his hip and looked into his green eyes.
"I wike my cwoths," Harry's bottom lip stuck out and his big green eyes turned upward.
"You like them?" Severus asked, his black eyes wide, pretending to be amazed at what the boy had just told him.
Narcissa had recently decided that Harry had needed, what she deemed, a 'proper' wardrobe, complete with dress robes, and even a miniature tuxedo for the poor boy. Severus thought it was a bit much, but Harry loved that his aunt Narcissa bought him nice clothes, and he wore them all the time. Today Harry had decided on little black dress pants and his favorite England Quidditch shirt.
"Mhm," Harry gave a stern nod and crossed his little arms.
"What if I get my pajamas on as well?"
"You doesn't got pjs wike me!" Harry exclaimed. "I gots ones with moving stars on dem. Yours are bwack."
"I know, you have much cooler pjs, don't you want to wear them? Then you can see where the stars are tonight." The pajamas were, again, Narcissa's idea, she had gotten Draco and Harry matching pajamas with stars on them that rotated to reflect what stars were out on that night, and Harry was in love with them.
"Otay," he said. The little boy wriggled in Severus' grip with a giddy smile on his face.
"You go get your pajamas on, I'll get mine, and we'll have a glass of milk before bed, ok?" Severus asked.
"Ok, ok, ok!" Harry said, with every word he clapped his little hands together and squirmed even more in the man's grasp. Severus bent down and let Harry go. The boy took off in a whirlwind down the hallway to his bedroom. Severus watched him go with a ghost of a smile on his lips. After a moment he turned to his own bedroom to pull on his nightclothes and in a few minutes was out in the kitchen.
The cool air from the Muggle refrigerator blasted Severus when he pulled it open to retrieve the carton of milk from the door. He began his nightly routine of pouring out two tall glasses of milk, he uncorked a vial sitting on the window sill above the kitchen sink and carefully put a few drops of the nutrient potion into both his and Harry's glasses. He smiled as he set them on the table, this was his favorite time of the day, just sitting and relaxing with Harry. The parents at the Muggle school Harry attended told him that once Harry hit four he would start to be able to hold a conversation. Severus couldn't wait until then, but for now he was able to smile and laugh at the adorable boy.
Severus was alerted of Harry's oncoming presence by the car noises that Harry was making as he ran from his room to the kitchen. With a screech, that was supposed to resemble a car braking, Harry stopped in the doorway. "I's here!" He cried, he flung his arms open wide to show Severus his pajamas.
"Yes you are," Severus said, a smile on his lips. The man would have never guessed that James Potter's son was going to make him smile like an idiot so often, but Harry Potter was in front of him, making his life better. "Would you like your bedtime drink young sir?" Severus asked, with a mocking bow to the boy.
A bubbling sound escaped Harry's lips. Green eyes alight with life and laughter he ran at Severus who picked him up and twirled him into a hug. "Yes Sev," Harry said.
"Alrighty, right then," Severus said, and sat Harry down at his chair.
"Fanks Sev," Harry said and wrapped his little hand around the glass in front of him. Severus turned his back to the boy to rummage through the cupboards. In a few moments he found what he was looking for. He pulled out the small box and turned to Harry. He normally didn't condone sweets before bed, but Severus was in a good mood, he had finally completed his potions mastery testing.
"Here you go little man," Severus said, reverently putting the piece of chocolate in front of Harry. The boy's green eyes doubled in size, and his lips, with a white ring around them from the milk, fell open.
"Afore bed?" Harry asked, picking up the chocolate wrapped in gold.
Severus choose not to answer the question,it would be hopeless to explain, instead said, "It's the last chocolate from Narcissa from France."
"Mmmmmm," Harry said, ripping the dark brown goodness from it's golden confines. He popped it in his mouth and chomped down on the ball. Harry closed his eyes and smiled, his shoulders raised up to his ear as he enjoyed the little piece of heaven in his mouth. With a large gulp the chocolate had disappeared to the boy's stomach, but the toothy smile stayed.
"That good huh?" Severus asked, he was just undoing the wrappings of his own piece. He, unlike three year old Harry, knew how to savor such a rich flavor. Severus took a nibble off of the candy. The rich taste of dark chocolate melted in his mouth, and covered his taste buds with so much flavor that it was hard to resist a moan. Really Narcissa knew his weakness for chocolates, and she knew where to get the best sweets from.
Severus slowly ate his chocolate while Harry began talking about something that he had neglected to tell Severus that had happened at school earlier in the day. It was a Friday at school so the kids had free time, and Harry was going on and on about a board game his friends and he had played, and about the game of tag they had played at recess. Severus smiled and let his boy keep on talking.
"Alright little man, I think it's time for you head to hit a pillow," Severus declared when his chocolate was gone and Harry was yawning with every other word. He came around the side of the chair and lifted Harry out of it, the boy's head fell right to Severus' shoulder and the breathing instantly deepened. Severus chuckled into the mop of hair on the boy's head.
After tucking Harry in with a goodnight kiss on the forehead Severus too retired to bed. Sleep came to embrace him quickly once the lights were turned out, and Severus gladly accepted the good nights rest to come.
But all that's good cannot last forever.
Severus didn't hear the soft creak of the door opening that night, or the light tread of bare feet on the wooden floors. But he was yanked out of sleep by a soft tug on his sheets and a muffled sob.
Severus shot up. Years of being a guardian had certainly taught him that when his child came into his room in the wee hours of the morning something was wrong. And his senses were attuned to the sound of crying, that was what had gotten his attention.
"Sev?" asked a small voice to the left of him.
"Harry are you alright?" Severus asked, pulling back the covers and swinging his legs out of bed to face the boy. Harry only gave a hiccuping sob. "Hey lil man, what's wrong?" Severus asked, he grabbed the boy in the dim light and pulled the child up onto his lap. Harry instantly clung to Severus' arm and curled his tiny head into Severus' shoulder. The boy vibrated in his lap as another sob shook his small body. "Harry?" Severus asked in a gentle tone, his hand automatically came and began rubbing circles on Harry's back.
"Deres a monsta," Harry sobbed. "In my cwoset," the little boy sniffled and nosed Severus' shoulder, trying to wipe away the tears. Severus sighed.
Of course it was the curse of the monster in the closet. Even he as a child had had such nightmares. He had never let the boy sleep with him, he thought it was coddling him too much, honestly he didn't even know if it was something that parents did on a regular basis. And there was the question of if Harry would then constantly come to his bed when ever there was a sound in the night.
"Do you want to sleep here with me?" Severus' eyebrows flew up, he hadn't meant to say that. "Uh-" Harry nodded sleepily into the man's shoulder and wrapped his small hands around Severus' arm, firmly anchoring himself to the man.
"I guess it won't be such a big deal if it's only one night," Severus whispered to himself and swung himself and Harry onto his bed. With a motion of his hand the door of his bedroom shut and they were cloaked in darkness once again, waiting for sleep to take them into her warm embrace. Severus had the little boy wrapped up in his arms, the boy's head was nestled into his chest. Severus gave a sad smile, there was no way in hell that he deserved to be this happy, or have the privilege of raising such a sweet, innocent boy. With that thought he fell into a deep sleep.
Severus awoke to hands on his face. "Sev is seepy," Harry's little voice called to him through his sleep, a laugh from the little boy finally made the man open his eyes. "A 'mornin," Harry smiled toothily at him.
Severus grunted. It's not that he didn't like be woken up with his little boy in front of him, he just couldn't function without coffee. And he was always a lot less grumpy with caffeine buzzing through his system.
"Can we fight the monsta?" Harry asked. Severus felt a weight on his chest and looked up at the boy. The three year old was laying on his chest, his head was resting underneath Severus' chin, and his little hands were intertwining themselves behind Severus' head.
"We need breakfast," was the muttered response of the man, he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the little boy on top of him, holding Harry closer to himself.
"Sev," Harry laughed. The boy on top of him squirmed around under his tight grip. But Severus only smiled slightly and tightened his arms a little more. "Wet go of me!" Harry demanded, but from the slight lilt in his small voice Severus knew that the boy was trying not to laugh.
Severus groaned, and made to let the boy go, but instead he rolled onto his stomach, trapping the boy beneath him and the bed. "Harry?" the man asked, looking around for the boy. "Where'd you go?"
"Wight here Sev!" Harry's muffled voice sounded from beneath his chest.
"Where? I can't see you?" Severus was smiling broadly and looking around his stark room pretending to look for the boy.
"Can't bweeth Sev," the boy said, squirming harder beneath the man.
Severus rolled off of the boy. "Well how'd you get under me lil man?" Severus asked, keeping a straight face and looking right into Harry's green eyes.
"You did it siwwy," Harry said.
"Me?" Severus asked, trying to sound astounded. "I would never do that to you!"
"Nuh ah you did it to me," Harry said, trying to look stern, but the look failed on his cute face, his chubby baby cheeks weren't ready for that look quite yet. Severus chuckled and shook his head as he got out of bed, intent on getting a cup of strong coffee into his system. Harry, surprisingly, left him alone on his tread to the kitchen, but there was no such luck of having a quiet cup of coffee to start his day.
"Sev!" Harry yelled from down the hall that potion master had exited.
"Don't yell Harry," Severus warned in a stern voice.
"Sev!" Harry called again.
"Harry James, listen to me, you don't yell inside, we use inside voices here."
"Sev!" Harry's voice reached a crescendo. There was a waver in his little voice. The cup dropped from his hands, but he didn't register the shatter of glass or the hot liquid on the floor, his son was in need. Severus sprinted towards Harry's voice.
"Harry? Are you alright Harry? Harry?" Severus asked, the worry in his voice increasing with every word.
"Sev?" Harry whispered, the little boy's voice was bordering on tears.
"Harry, kid, what's wrong?" Severus rushed to the little boy. His hair was messy, his hands were shoved down the front of his pants, and his green eyes were full of tears. Normally Severus would berate Harry for having his hands in his pants, but the distress in his little eyes was too much.
"D-d-da monstas m-m-moved," Harry cried, looking up at Severus.
"Where is it Harry?" Severus asked, he put his hands on the boy's shoulders and pulled the little boy into his arms, Harry's arms instantly clasped behind Severus' neck.
"I-I-It's in the bafrum," Harry's speech was harder to understand because his head was in Severus' shoulders and the tears were thick.
"The bathroom?" Severus prompted. Harry nodded in the man's shoulders, his little body shook as he tried to hold in the sobs. "Ok bud," Severus pulled the boy off of his shoulder. Harry's hands went up to his cheeks and tried to wipe away the tears, more like he pushed them around instead of drying them. "You have to be brave now, you think you can do that?" Severus asked, looking into the boy's face. Harry's eyes steeled over, or as much as they could for one so young, and nodded up at Severus. "Good, that's really good Harry cause we are going to go fight this monster, are you up for it?" he asked. Harry nodded. "Ok, come on lil man," Severus stood up and held his hand out to Harry. The boy took a firm hold of three of his fingers, and stood tall beside his guardian.
"I's ready," Harry said, the quiver in his voice from earlier was gone.
"Let's go," Severus said, he pulled his wand out of his arm sheath, more for show than anything, there was no way that an actual monster was in the house.
The pair stalked to the bathroom door, Harry on his tiptoes trying to be as quiet as possible, Severus treading lightly in his bare feet. There was a rattling from behind the white door. Severus' three fingers were squeezed tighter in Harry's grip, and a small, terrified face looked up at his. Severus looked down at the boy and put a finger to his lips. Monster hunting was a big deal.
But, he didn't reveal this to Harry, the rattling of the door did bother him. He hadn't cast a spell to make the door do that. There might actually be something. But it seemed like it could be a boggart, hiding in Harry's closet, then moving to the small half bathroom that Harry claimed as his own, they were both dark spaces, and convenient places to hide.
The door rattled again. Harry pressed himself flush to Severus' leg, his whole body trembling. Severus pointed his wand at the bathroom doorknob, and with a silent spell the door banged open.
Severus' breath caught in his throat, it was not possible, how was he here?
Out of the bathroom came a man. He was tall, long billowing robes, a deadly wand and red eyes like a snake. Lord Voldemort.
Harry began trembling violently, tears were streaming down his face. Severus came to his senses and bent down to Harry's level. "Ok, you have to be brave now my lil man," Severus said into Harry's ear, while keeping an eye on the boggart Dark Lord. "Remember, we're fighting a monster, so, I'm going to change it to something funny. The way to beat this monster is to laugh at it, can you do that for me?" Severus asked.
"I beat monsta then?" Harry asked, looking to his guardian.
"Yup, you'll beat the monster if you laugh at him, do you think you can be brave enough to do that?" Harry nodded, staring wide eyed at the boggart Dark Lord before him.
Severus stood to his full height, facing his worst fear, his wand raised to utter the spell that would change the boggart. But the boggart shifted, it wasn't the Dark Lord anymore, it was Severus. The boggart was holding something in his arms, a little boy. A little dead boy, one that looked exactly like the one holding his hand now. Severus choked back a cuss, and instead exclaimed, "Riddikulus!"
The boggart changed into a man riding a unicycle, and juggling circus balls.
Harry's light peals of laughters brought Severus back to this moment, where his son was alive and well beside him.
"'Ook, 'ook!" Harry laughed, pulling on Severus's hand. Severus looked at the boggart, now struggling to stay upright on the unicycle, his laughter soon joined in with Harry's, and with a final shudder the boggart disappeared.
The laughter died quickly after that. Severus stared at the wooden wall in front of him. Harry's worst fear was Voldemort, the boy seemed to recall memories from that night when Lily died. Severus shuddered at the thought, he didn't want his boy to remember something so terrible. And the form that the boggart had taken for him, Harry dead in his arms. He looked down at the little boy who was looking up at him expectantly.
"What?" Severus asked, lowering his wand to his side.
"Did we win?" Harry asked.
"Yes we did, you did so well my lil monster fighter," Severus said. He swooped down on the boy and caught him underneath his armpits and lifted him into the air.
"Yay!" Harry yelled, and clapped his hands together, his mouth split into a wide grin.
"You did so good," Severus repeated and brought the boy to his chest and wrapped his strong arms around the boy, he buried his head into Harry's hair. His little boy.
"Beck-fast now?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, I'm soooooo hungry," Severus said, pulling the boy away from him. "I think all this calls for a special treat, just because you did such a great job laughing at the monster and getting rid of him. Do you want some chocolate chip pancakes?" Severus asked, making his way to the kitchen.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Harry exclaimed, squirming in Severus' hands. Severus' smile grew as Harry started rambling about how he fought the monster single handedly. This time Severus didn't correct him, he just relished in the fact that Harry was alive, and his, he was his son, and he loved him.