Authors Note: I wanted to write a wrong BWL story without making the Potter's treatment of Harry seem too unrealistic. Make no mistake, it will be abuse, but I will attempt to explain it more than it only occurring because Harry is not the BWL.
Nobody in this story is what you might expect them to be. My Remus will be more sadistic and easily amused. My Sirius fighting with his past, but not how you may think. My James a pranking prat, but with a twist. My Lily, not who you think at all. My Snape- vulnerable.
I know I shouldn't be starting another story, but I have two full months with nothing to do but write, and a head full of story lines. I already have multiple chapters for all of them anyway.
Warnings: This chapter has nothing disturbing in it, unless Snape laughing could be counted as such.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
When Harry was born, it was with a full head of hair, and a full set of teeth. He was pulled from his mother's warmth, into the sterile coldness of the hospital room, and didn't make a sound. His brother, soft and wrinkly and toothless, screamed and wailed, and broke the spell that had arisen from Harry's odd appearance.
Sirius- Harry's godfather- held him before Lily did. He looked into green eyes that seemed remarkably focused for a new born, and felt something in him settle and swell with warmth.
Beside him, Remus was looking at his own Godson who was swaddled in red, and cradled in Lily's pale hands. The child-Charles- had not stopped crying, but the two parents were sharing a relief-filled smile. All too often the birth of twins in families with no history of them usually resulted in the youngest one dying. The final, necessary burst of magic twins receive from a mother is usually taken and horded by the oldest twin in the womb, and used to procure a smooth exit into the real world. The other one is left to struggle with a severe handicap. Usually, they suffocated before the mother could deliver them.
In the womb, magical children relied on magic, not oxygen or nutrition, to survive. Any well-blooded fetus anyway.
Sirius mentally hit himself for thinking something even slightly derogatory about muggleborns, but it was true. Only Wizarding children born of other wizards and witches went through this.
Muggleborns weren't born with magic after all.
Judging by Harry's small size and Charles' plump appearance, obviously it had not been the elder who had horded the magic, even though Harry was born first. Sirius suspected it had been a continuous thing, but decided it didn't matter.
Both of Prong's children were finally here, and both seemed healthy.
He bounced Harry a little in his arms, and was rewarded with a slight widening of green eyes. Beside him, Remus chuckled and nudged his shoulder.
"He's a cutie isn't he?"
Sirius pretended to be affronted, and put one hand to his heart, manoeuvring awkwardly behind Harry's back to do so.
"As if my cub could be anything by insanely handsome and devastatingly charming! Cute is a word not to be associated with such a lady-killer Remus. You'd best remember that."
Harry yawned and stretched one hand up to rest on Sirius's wrist. Immediately Sirius was cooing and rubbing his cheek against the baby's, ignoring Remus completely to mumble nonsensically into Harry's hair.
Remus coughed and smiled bemusedly. He turned back to James and Lily, who were alternating between looking at a now quiet Charles and a sappy Sirius. Both were smiling.
A soft knock came at the door before it opened swiftly and quietly. Severus Snape stood there looking as dour as usual, but Remus could see a sense of nervousness hidden deeply behind his frown.
"What are you doing here Snivellous?! How did you get past the nurses?"
A furious James jumped up from his place beside Lily, and advanced threateningly towards the Slytherin.
"James Potter! You will sit down right now or so help me, you will be the first and only to change and feed the twins!"
James threw a fuming look towards Snape, but turned and made his way back to Lily. He apologised softly to Lily who held a now fussing Charles.
Snape had closed the door by now, and moved a step further into the room. Remus was surprised that Sirius hadn't said anything, but when he looked over he saw Sirius covering little Harry's ears and looking exasperatedly at James.
From her place on the bed, Lily spoke up quietly.
"I asked him to be here James. We agreed I could choose a Godparent."
"Yeah, but I never thought you meant Snivellous! I thought you'd choose Alice or something; someone who wasn't scum of the earth."
Lily looked furious and slowly handed Charles to a nearby Remus. A loud slap sounded throughout the room.
James had his face turned away from lily, turned by the force of the blow. It was already turning red, but he didn't make a sound.
"Severus. I asked if you would be the godfather to one of my boys two months ago, and you agreed. Now you just need to choose one."
Severus nodded slightly in remembrance, and turned to face the children, obviously wary of turning his back on James.
The first child he saw was a red, wrinkled thing. Remus held it with both arms, and smiled amusedly at him when the child whimpered. It was wrapped in Gryffindor colours, and wore a little red beanie. It was ugly and smelt odd, and he saw nothing of his friend in it. He sighed internally and moved to the next one.
As soon as he saw it, he knew that this was it. This one was meant to be his Godson.
"What is the child's name?"
It was Sirius that answered.
"His name is Hadrian James Potter."
He was looking at Snape with a calm expression Severus had never seen on him before. One of his hands was clutched tightly by the child, and as he looked a little closer, the other tiny hand shot up and clutched firmly to his nose.
He froze, tensing heavily. It was only a child. It could do nothing to him. It was not ridiculing him.
As these thoughts and more went desperately through his head, the child moved his hand and smacked him gently on the cheek. A tiny spit bubble swelled and burst from the child's mouth, dribbling over his chin and onto the soft blue blanket. A spot of spit landed on Severus' eyelid.
Sirius was staring opened mouthed at Snape, waiting for something horrible to happen, but it was to everyone's surprise when he straightened up and began laughing. He laughed deeply and thoroughly, and by the end, was nearly crying. Snape cut an amused glance at a gaping Sirius and turned back to Lily.
"I accept my role as second Godfather to Hadrian."
A band of blue the same colour as Harry's blanket snapped into place on Snape's wrist, in the exact same location as Sirius'.
Lily gave a small smile, and tightened her grip on James' hand in warning.
"Thank you. It means a lot to me."
Snape nodded, and glanced at Harry.
"I hope it was not too presumptuous, but I brought a present for the child. It's a plush but I assume all children have a fondness for them. It's what Minerva informed me. "
Remus handed Charles to Lily again, and backed in a corner to watch the events unfold. James was visibly displeased with the entire situation, and was throwing Sirius and Lily dark looks. Sirius, who alternated between staring at Harry and Snape, seemed immune to the whole situation, but Remus knew he was aware of everything.
Snape waited for lily's acceptance, and then reached into his outermost coat to retrieve the teddy. When his hands emerged, they were clutching the softest looking toy Remus had ever seen. It was a unicorn, with silky white hair and a delicate silver horn. Its mane glimmered gently, and when Severus moved, Remus could smell lavender and vanilla wafting towards him.
It was a beautiful teddy, and he could see by the gentle look on Sirius' face that he agreed.
Snape set it next to Lily, and she picked it up with one hand to marvel at it better.
"It's so soft. I've never felt anything so…"
Snape coughed and grit his teeth.
"It's magic-infused and hand made. It's enchanted for peace and easy sleep; as long as he has it, I'll always be there for him."
Lily looked awed, and even James had a begrudging look of gratitude on his face.
It was a surreal moment of silence between friends and rivals; only the quiet sniffling of the youngest Potter broke the air.
Charles, after the silence incurred by Snape's initial arrival, began crying again- this time in loud piercing shrieks. His little face was becoming wet with tears and snot, and he wiggled ferociously in Lily's arms.
Lily began to panic; she acted instinctively and dangled the unicorn over his grasping hands, bobbing it up and down until he grasped at it with chubby fingers. He pulled on the unicorn angrily until Lily let go, whereupon he pulled it down and buried his sticky face in its mane, breathing quickly and shakily.
He had stopped crying, and fell remarkably quickly into a light doze; his hands remained wrapped around the horn, squeezing and flexing reflexively in sleep.
Lily and James were awed by the quick silence, and James even deigned to throw a short nod of thanks at Snape.
For his part, Snape didn't look like he cared either way, but was eyeing the dirtied toy with annoyance; its first real time being used and it wasn't by his own godson. He felt a sharp stab of irritation towards Lily, but smothered it quickly. The child had been crying- of course she had acted instinctively.
He glided over to say goodbye to little Hadrian, finding a secret delight in the way his little hands fluttered towards him when he neared. Sirius was still clutching him tightly, but he was allowed to gently run the tips of his fingers over Harry's soft, fine hair, smiling a tiny smile as he did.
He gave a brief nod to Black, rolled his eyes in the direction of an obviously entertained Lupin, and gave one last look to Lily and the other baby, where he was still drooling on the unicorn.
As he walked through the door, he felt the beginnings of a headache spread its barbed fingers in his brain. Light flashed in his mind, followed by cupboards and unicorns and snakes, and he felt a jolt of alarm burn in his stomach.
He quickly turned on his heal, looking urgently back into the room. The door slowly swung closed, and as it did he saw James, Lily and Charles, sitting calmly on the bed and glowing with happiness.
The perfect family.
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