Chapter 1

Friday 6th March 2001 17.47pm

Harry walked through the familiar halls of Hogwarts quite glad that most of the students were in the Great Hall eating their dinners. He shifted the boy on his hip thinking how heavy he was getting now; the boy frowned at him clearly informing Harry that he didn't like being jostled about. The child just received a smile for his efforts. In the depths of the school the pair came to a halt in front of a life size portrait of Salazar Slytherin; the portrait glanced to them and gave a sigh.

"It's been two weeks already has it?" He asked Harry in a saddened voice. The man just laughed.

"I think you missed him really. It's the Quidditch season so he'll be here most weekends. Dunderheads." With one last desperate look, the portrait swung forwards revealing a comfortably furnished living room. Harry stepped in spotting the dark haired man sitting behind his desk at the back of the room and at about the same time so did his son.

"Papa!" The boy cried out wriggling out of Harry's arms. Severus Snape had already stood up and moved away from his desk before his son hurtled in to his arms. "I missed you." he told the man sincerely as Harry busied himself placing a brightly coloured rucksack down on the sofa. He glanced up at the pair who were whispering softly to one another then opened the rucksack and took out a tub of ointment.

"Have you been good for your Daddy?" Snape said a little louder inviting Harry into the conversation.

"Orion, why don't you put your toys away in your room?" Harry told the boy motioning to the rucksack. "You know your Papa doesn't like clutter." He watched as the boy clung a little tighter to the dark man's neck but did as he was told with one raised eyebrow. Once he was safely out of earshot, Harry moved around the sofa and lent on the back of it.

"You have something to tell me which you fear I will not like." Snape's dark eyes flickered to Harry's making him feel like a school boy again. Of course he had only left school two and a half years ago so that wasn't such a distant memory.

"Orion burnt his arm the other day. I've been treating it with this burn salve." He held up the tub he was holding, and Snape snatched it from him taking the lid off and sniffing it. "It should be fully healed by Sunday but you need to put that on him every night."

"And pray tell how he came to receive this burn?"

"He was helping Oliver make dinner while I was at training. You know how impatient he can be..."

"...and how easily distracted Mr. Wood can be," Snape countered causing Harry to flush angrily. It was an argument they had on a regular basis; Snape didn't like Oliver and didn't trust him with his son.

"Severus please it was an accident. Just leave it for once." To his surprise, the man did just that, and a moment later, Orion bounded back into the room. Snape had made it very clear that they were not to argue in front of their son and he had agreed whole heartedly with the man. Arguments were not for little ears. "I hope you put all your toys away properly, Ri." The boy just nodded before demanding to be picked back up by his Papa. "Alright then I'll be off. I've got a match in the morning." Snape reached into his pocket for something producing what looked to be a cheque.

"The latest royalties payment came in. This is your percentage... A little more than three thousand galleons." Harry thought that Snape must hate sharing a creation of a potion with him even though the Potion Master's percentage was a little higher than Harry's as he had been the one to test and publish the findings once the initial potion had been created. During that potions class during Harry's seventh year when they were making a fertility potion for some of Hagrid's beasts and that one fateful moment where Harry was about to add the frog spawn by scraping it in with his silver blade before he had added the bat's wings. The Professor had spotted the mistake and raced over to try and stop the pending explosion that would be caused by the frog spawn. He was too late though and actually made the situation worse and, as he reached for the frog spawn, Harry had cut him with the blade and also himself; in shock he'd dropped the blade in to the potion as well. The potion went up in smoke and much to everyone's surprise a tiny new born baby was left squirming at the bottom of the cauldron; the biological son of Severus Snape and Harry Potter. The potion was a big seller of course; it allowed homosexual and infertile couples to conceived children of their own for the first time. Orion Severus Potter-Snape was perfect in Harry's eyes; the boy was the spitting image of Harry apart from his almost black hair and lips which were much thinner than Harry's own. Harry moved forwards and took the cheque from pale hands replacing it with the tub of burn salve. He then took the boy's face between his hands and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"Be good for Papa. I'll miss you." Harry told him. "Love you."

"Love you, Daddy." Orion's green eyes glistened with tears as they always did when one of his parents left him. Harry decided it was probably best to make a quick retreat; he almost ran from the rooms with a quick 'See you Sunday' feeling the loss of his son profusely.

Sunday 8th March 2001 - 18.09pm

Severus arrived at the door of Harry's London flat with Orion in one hand and the rucksack in the other. He knocked on the varnished wooded door and waited patiently for it to open. It was... By Oliver Wood. The ginger haired man nodded briefly to him before opening the door wider to admit them both. Once they were in the living room Orion freed himself from his grasp and ran off presumably to find Harry.

"He's not here, Sport." That stopped the boy in his tracks and made Severus turn to face the man who had just thrown himself back down on a brown leather chair staring at the television set.

"Where is he?" They both asked as the same time; Orion coming to stand beside Severus. Wood shook his head glancing at the pair.

"I hate it when you two do that." He muttered referring to their similar personalities; he looked back towards the television watching the muggle sports game again. "Harry's not back from training yet. He'll be back soon though; have you had your dinner?" The boy nodded. "Good. Then go and get your jim jams on before Daddy gets home will you?" Once he was gone Wood motioned for Severus to sit down clearly assuming he would be waiting for Harry's return.

Severus cleared his throated to get the other man's attention. "Harry told me that Orion burnt his arm while he was helping you?" He couldn't help but find out Woods side of the story.

"Yeah, you know what he's like doesn't listen to a word anyone says and decided to try and take the pizza out the oven on his own. Burnt his arm on the oven door." Severus eyes narrowed, granted, Orion had his moments like all children but he listened when someone told him not to do something.

"Where were you when it happened?"

"Blimey; what is this? The Spanish inquisition?"

"I'm merely trying to discover how the incident happened."

"Orion disobeyed me and ended up getting hurt. Harry said his arm would be healed by now anyway." Orion's arm was healed but Severus still wasn't happy that he had received the burn in the first place. A tense silence fell over the room; Severus decided to go and see if he could help Orion but was stopped in his tracks at Wood's next words. "I'm going to ask Harry to marry me. I'm not asking your permission or anything but I just felt you should know." Severus decided not to say anything but carried on down the corridor to Orion's room where the boy was waiting for him book in hand.

"Please Papa." He held the book towards Severus who took it. He helped the boy in his bed and tucked him in sitting on the edge of his bed and began to read the book. The story was about a little boy whose parents had a new baby and how the boy helped his parents to look after his new baby sister. Severus couldn't help but imagine the baby girl with red hair and green eyes just as he imagined Harry and Wood's child would look. It was ridiculous to feel jealous of Wood Severus knew that. He and Harry had never been together but they had a child together and to Severus that was special. It wouldn't be so special if Harry had children with Wood would it? He knew he shouldn't begrudge Harry a happy stable life... He'd passed over that chance.

"He loves that book... Of course it sounds much better when you read it." The man turned to find Harry leaning against the doorframe; hair ruffled from the wind, face sweaty from the hard workout, and clothes muddy. Severus gave him a small smile as Harry came over to the bed and leaned over Severus to place a soft kiss on the sleeping boy's forehead. He glanced over his shoulder at him. "You've tired him out."

Severus coughed awkwardly his senses overwhelmed by Harry's strong scent. It was a little disconcerting how arousing he found that smell. He stood up and away from Harry. "I'll take my leave then."

"I'll see you on Friday." Severus watched Harry for a moment as the man carefully took Orion's arm inspecting it closely for any remnants of the burn.

"It healed fine." Harry jumped slightly as he had clearly thought that Severus had left but then nodded. He flashed a bright smile at Severus.

"You know he gets more and more like you every day. How old where you when you learned how to smirk?" Severus chuckled at that it was true that Orion had many traits of his own personality but he felt that he had inherited the best of Harry's as well; his affectionate nature, kindness, and friendliness towards others. Severus found it hard to make it down a single corridor at school without Orion trying to befriend one student or another.

"May I use your floo? Dumbledore asked to see me this evening." All the teachers had floo access in their chambers and offices but the only floo in Hogwarts that was able to be used for transport purposes was located in the Headmasters office and though Severus usually apparated to Hogwarts gates he felt he would rather not spend the entire walk up to the office thinking about Harry and his pending engagement.

"Of course I'll unlock it for you now." Harry brushed past him as he left the room and went back to the living room Severus following close behind.

"He asleep?" Wood asked as they entered.

"Yes. Severus managed to have him asleep before I got back; it's a minor miracle." The brunette waved his wand in a few complex maneuvers and the fireplace burst to life. "There you go. Floo powders on the fireplace." Severus watched Harry step towards Wood as he moved towards the fireplace.

"I was three."

"Sorry?"

"When I first learnt how to smirk. Dumbledore's office." With that he had stepped into the flames and was gone.

19.23pm

Dumbledore and Severus were seated either side of the Headmasters desk.

"He's going to propose."

"Who is?"

"Wood is!" Snape huffed as Dumbledore tried to keep a knowing smile from his face.

"You don't like the idea?"

"Of course I don't like the idea. He's lazy; all he ever seems to do is sit watching that blasted muggle contraption. What kind of role model is he for Orion?" The dark haired man fumed.

"Be fair, Severus, the boy was badly injured a few months ago. He's had to retire from Quidditch altogether. It will perhaps take him a little while to discover what path his life should follow now," Dumbledore reasoned.

"You can't play Quidditch forever. He should have had a plan in place; Harry does."

"Harry has a child to think of; a person's rationality greatly changes when there are children involved. You for one should be able to understand that."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Only that you changed once you had a son. You accepted Harry into your chambers without argument, you gave him the time of day that you wouldn't have before, and I believe you grew to care for him very much while he was staying with you. Your behavior changed greatly towards Harry in ways I thought I would never see." The old wizard's eyes twinkled as he recalled a particular memory of the pair of them. Orion's first smile had been presented to them in the busy Great Hall. Severus and Harry took turns looking after him during meal times; some days he would sit at the Gryffindor table and some days the head table. On this particular day Severus had the baby but he was being very fussy and it was not ten minutes into the meal when the potions master had stood up and marched towards the Gryffindor table. Dumbledore had watched as Severus passed the baby to Harry and how the young saviour had begun cooing at him; something he knew his Professor refused to do. Then, right there, in the middle of the hall Orion Severus Potter-Snape smiled for the first time which resulted in his Daddy's smile growing even wider and for his Papa to grace the hall with a small smile too all the while never taken his eyes from his son or Harry. That's how Dumbledore knew he cared for Harry.

"I defy you to not care for the father of your child!"

"I wasn't suggesting that there's anything wrong with it, Severus, just merely pointing out that without a child you and Harry would have never put your differences behind you. I had hoped that Harry might stay with you in the castle indefinitely but, alas, it was not to be." Snape narrowed his eyes at the Headmaster. He had been trying to find out why Harry had suddenly left the castle two years ago and so for he had not found out.

"He couldn't stay here forever. He needed his own life..."

"Which you now disapprove of." Dumbledore tutted.

"I don't disapprove of his life just his choice of company." It was the truth. He admired the life Harry had made for himself and their son; he was a successful Quidditch player, had a nice spacious apartment in a pleasant area, and kept Severus informed every step of the way.

"Have you told him?"

"Of course. He just brushes me off. Orion had a burn which I am positive was a result of Wood's shorter than average attention span."

"I'm not sure what there is to be done, my boy," the old man said with a sigh leaning back in his chair and clasping his hands together to survey the potions Professor better.

"There is nothing to be done I was merely informing you that I do not approve of the situation."

A/N: I know, I know! I should slap myself on the wrist for starting a new story before finishing A Life Time! But it's so nearly there and I really wanted to try a Snarry and my muse just demanded I start it! Let me know if you think it's worth continuing!

A big thankyou to my beta Natalya!