Rating: PG
Words: ~1,100
Warnings: Strong language; mentions of violence; gen with some hints; AR.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended – Standard disclaimer.

Notes: Behold the beginning of a new series, Harry's Two Daddies. As sorry as I am for betraying my OTP (Snarry), I think I'll quite enjoy this one.

Severus Snape knelt down next to the crib in the mist of broken furniture and blasted walls; the stench of Dark magic was impossible to ignore, just as the unmistakable misfortune associated with a house that he was sure had once been a place of love and happiness. The baby, Harry, had finally cried himself to sleep, leaving Severus alone in the unnatural quiet of the house, a single letter crushed in his left hand, as he waited for his new master.

Harry was Lily's son, through and through; sure, he had Potter's hair and some of his traits, but the nose and the cheeks – and also the eyes, he knew – belonged to Lily; Harry was Lily's. It took a while for Severus to process that bit of information, having known Lily most of his life and placed her in a high pedestal where nothing earthy could reach her. Apparently, she was quite human, and that was a blow to the man that saw her as an ideal.

A sudden noise made Severus whip out his wand and aimed it at the bedroom's entrance; the shuffling noise continued as something crossed the ruined house, but before Severus could take the child and flee, a large black dog appeared in the doorway. A rather familiar Black dog. "You!" he shouted, outrage filling him at the dare of the traitor; he whipped his wand, yelling, "Stupefy!" The dog side-stepped the hex, barking like mad, but Severus didn't lose any time, "Incarcerous! Avada—."

The dog dodged again, growling lowly, just as the green light that poured out of Severus' wand smashed against the last standing wall of the upper level. The dog darted away, his body morphing until it was a man that stood before Severus. Sirius Black held up his hands in surrender, which was the only thing holding back Severus' hatred, and threw his wand towards Severus. "It wasn't me, I swear."

Shocked at such faith, Severus picked up the wand, his own still held at arm's length. "I could've killed you, fool," he gritted out. "You know what I am."

"Listen to me, Snape," Black began urgently, "we need to leave. They'll be coming after Harry." As Severus didn't move, Black huffed and said, "You loved Lily; you won't kill Harry and I'm hoping you'll at least be curious enough to hear me out."

"Talk."

"You're not safe here," Black pleaded, eyes darting around urgently and his hands twisting together in almost panic.

"We are. I've cast the wards against Dark Arts, and—" he stopped abruptly at the implications, looking at Black as if seeing him for the first time. "You're not a—like me, are you?" Black shook his head; Severus stared dumbfounded for a while as his dogmas were crashed through the ground, before clearing his throat and getting his bearings in place. "That proves nothing. What happened?"

"A decoy—Peter," Black tried to explain. "Look, Snape, I have to get Harry out of here and go after the rat myself. Just let me—."

"We're waiting for Albus Dumbledore, you moron—."

"You're a spy?"

"Black!" Severus barked, "Don't interrupt me! We're waiting for Albus Dumbledore and you're not going after Pettigrew! Think, for once. If you did that, you'd wipe out any evidence of your innocence."

Sirius looked about to argue, but after a moment of seeming internal debate, he just nodded, gaze drifting towards Harry. "It's my fault he'll never see his parents again." He looked close to tears, wringing his hands together anxiously.

"Let's not talk about guilt, shall we?" Truth be told, there was no need to antagonise Black when he could really use and ally right then. After a moment of silence, the darkness of the house started to get on Severus' nerves. At his side, Black kept a silent vigil over the boy, his gaze haunted and so sad; who could blame him? His poor choices had just cost him the life of his . . . best . . . friend . . .

With an inward groan, Severus refused to look more carefully at the implications of the ambivalence of that sentence. In this shame, they were the same. He just wouldn't bond with Sirius Black of all people, especially on this particular subject.

It was only an hour later that twin pops of Apparition sounded loud in the street. Without much thought, Severus handed Black's wand back to him and they stood next to the crib, willing to do everything to guard the child of their best friends. A light appeared in the hallway, before Dumbledore's voice was heard, "Severus? Are you there? I like three sugars with my tea."

Black looked ready to attack at that small oddity, but Severus replied, "I hate lemon drops, and I have company."

Finally, Dumbledore appeared in the doorway, looking tired and edgy. "Sirius, my boy?" Black's response was to lower his wand. "Don't tell me . . . A ruse? Oh, dear me, you should have told me. Who was it, Remus or Peter?"

Black swallowed thickly. "Peter. We thought that . . . Remus—we didn't know . . ."

Dumbledore sighed. "Don't blame yourself, Sirius; blame Peter. I just hope we can prove what happened—."

"Lily left a letter on Harry's crib," Severus announced, handing him the piece of parchment, "and it's for you, Headmaster. It was heavily protected; the magic was impossible to miss. I don't know how the Dark Lord—."

Dumbledore, who was skimming through the letter, looked up to reply, "It was white magic, Severus, love magic. He wouldn't notice it even if it bit him on the—oh, she knew." He shook his head sadly. "Lily was always a very smart witch . . . It's their last will, dear boys, James and Lily's."

"What does it say? Can I read it?" Black demanded immediately.

"It clears you of suspicion, Sirius. I have to take this to the Ministry while their still in a disarray—best chances of having the issue solved faster. Now, if you don't mind . . ." Dumbledore said in guise of goodbye and headed to the exit, if it could be called that.

"Wait, Headmaster!" Severus called. "What about the child?"

"Oh! Dear me, of course." He glanced back at the letter, then at them. "You were nominated Harry's guardians." He paused dramatically. "Together." Then, Harry began wailing.