Are You My Daddy?
"Like hell you are!" Yelled Vernon standing up so fast his chair banged to the ground. "Get out of my house!" He screamed.
Severus just looked around the room. Obviously, he was in a dinning room and had just interrupted the man from his late afternoon snack, which was probably not a good idea.
"I'll 'get out' when you give me Potter," he said trying to stay calm and not hex this over sized man into oblivion.
"What do you want with that freak of a boy anyways?" Vernon asked curiously, "He's useless and lazy." Severus just stared in disgust. This man sounded serious, but from what he saw today, Harry was not lazy.
"Give me the boy or I will report you to your law enforcers and you will find not only Potter, but your spoiled son taken away." Severus was not messing around. His face had a menacing glare, his voice was deadly low, and his hand gripped tighter on the wand that Vernon was now eyeing cautiously.
"Put that - that stick of yours away and you can have the stupid boy!" though he was trying to sound as deadly has the wizard in front of him, his voice faltered and there was panic in his eyes. Severus didn't seem to hear a word he said as he walked to the cupboard he saw earlier.
"Where do you think you are going! Get out! Petunia! Petunia!" Vernon yelled for his wife who came down the stairs. Upon seeing Severus, she frowned and jumped in front of the cupboard, which was now only a few feet away from her.
"We don't need your kind here!" She squealed in a voice so small Severus had to strain to hear it.
"Good, then let me grab Potter and my kind won't be here any more," he sneered at her, pushed her aside with a mild spell and went for the door under the stairs.
"Dumbledore won't be happy!" Petunia yelled hoping the wizard before her would take this as a threat. She had heard from here older sister after her first year at Hogwarts, that the old man is scary and powerful, and she was hoping Severus would take the bait. Neither her husband or she really wanted the boy to stay, but the moment Dumbledore finds out that the boy is not in her care, the money he supplied would stop coming.
At that the wizard laughed. "Dumbledore sent me."
Vernon was mad. No one in his right mind has dared come in his house, refused to get out, then laughed at him and his wife before, and all for what? A stupid, good for nothing boy! Maybe he snapped. Maybe he went crazy. Maybe he was braver than he looked. More than likely though he was just stupid, because at that moment he launched himself at the professor with the intentions of seriously harming him.
"Congelo," Severus hissed freezing the man in mid jump, and walking to the little door.
"What did you do to my husband!" shrieked Petunia.
"Limito," he said binding her and her husband in thick purple ropes. "Next time you lay a hand on a child again, you will wish I killed you!" he said casting a Crucio curse on them for nearly two minutes before letting up. He wanted them to be sane for questioning from Dumbledore later. Ignoring their whimpers, he went to the cupboard and pulled the door open. They would get what they really deserved some other day.
There he was; there was Potter. The son of a person he had grown up hating. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it wasn't this. Here was a boy he wanted to hate, curled up in a tight ball, jammed in a lightless cupboard, silently crying in his sleep. He had his arms wrapped protectively around a small bundled blanket blue in color, but grey with dirt. Severus swept his eyes around the small room. By the door was a pair of old trainers, in front of him only a foot away, was a medium size box filled with clothes, an old magazine was to his left, a few spiders were crawling around, and a small boy slept on the floor looking innocent and helpless.
"Get up," he said, unsure of how else to wake the child. Harry woke up, saw the stranger and ran to him screaming.
"Daddy! You really came for me! I knew you loved me! Aunt said you died, but she lied didn't she daddy?" Harry asked wrapping his arms around Severus' legs and looking up at him with his emerald eyes.
"I'm not your dad!" He growled. Harry, who was momentarily happy, lost his wide smile. He backed up trying to get away. The man in front of him now looked ten times meaner than his uncle has ever looked. Shaking he coward into the corner, while Severus mentally slapped himself. What was he thinking?
"Come hear Potter," he whispered lightly beckoning the frightened boy forward. "It's okay, I promise not to hurt you. That's right come here." He inwardly smiled when Harry crawled slowly in his direction, but not getting to close. "Now, get any thing important to you and let's go," he said encouraging the boy with a half smile. Harry looked around the room and grabbed the box. "No you won't need that."
"Kay," said Harry quietly picking up the blanket, but still refusing to go near Severus.
"It's alright child," Severus said walking forward and awkwardly picking Harry up. He turned around to leave the small space and ducked to get out. Forgetting to lower Harry along with him, the boy's head smacked into the door frame and Harry fell out of his hands, onto the floor. Looking at the child's limp frame he almost choked. The boy had stopped breathing!
Severus grabbed Harry's wrist and felt a faint pulse. He sighed and looked closer at the four year old. Harry was indeed breathing, but it was hard to tell with how quiet it was, and his chest barley moving. Severus was glad he didn't just save the boy from possible death by Muggles, only to kill him. Whispering soothing words to the child that couldn't hear him, Severus picked him back up, more gentle this time and began to walk the three blocks to the hotel. He knew he couldn't Apparate with the small boy in this shape, and he didn't want to risk Flooing either.
Harry woke up to a weird liquid being poured down his throat. Hefought with himself not to spit it out because he knew his uncle would be mad if he did. Eyelids to heavy to open he tried to figure out what was going on. The last thing he could remember was talking to his egg. Harry was telling it about his parents and the dream he had the night before. He told the egg that he saw his parents, his mum; red hair and beautiful eyes almost like his, she was a little on the short side with a loving smile. He told the egg that he only saw his dad from behind, tall, black hair, and wearing funny black clothing, when he fell asleep. After that, he couldn't remember anything, just that he now had a searing headache.
"Are you awake yet?" Harry flinched at the voice, but he forced his eyes open.
"Yes, sir,"" he said refusing to look at his uncle.
"Then can you swallow this?" Harry was confused; it wasn't his uncle's voice he heard. In fact, no one he knew had ever talked to him this kindly before. He looked up and into the eyes of his….dad? His aunt lied to him! His dad was alive!
"Kay, daddy," Harry said quietly looking suspiciously at the small bottle in his father's hands.
"Here," Severus said bringing the vial to Harry's lips, "Drink it all." Harry's eyes started to water has he took the container and brought it to his mouth.
"Kay," he said again hands now shaking uncontrollably. "Do I have to?" He asked in a heartbreaking voice. "Please, daddy I don't wanna get sick," he was used to his uncle giving him month old drinks that made him ill and he just couldn't bring himself to drink it, even if he wanted to show his daddy that he trusted him.
Severus sighed for what felt like the hundredth time, he knew he had his work cut out from him. "Potter," he said almost soothingly, "It won't hurt you; it will make your head stop hurting. I promise." Harry tried to drink it again, but stopped after smelling the stuff.
Severus took the potion from him, drank a sip and gave it back to Harry. "See? I didn't get sick now did I?"
"No, sir," Harry said downing the drink so his daddy wouldn't start hating him. It was nasty, but he felt his head and his hand both stop hurting. Severus heard Harry's stomach growling and remembered that the boy had yet to eat that day.
"How about some soup, Potter?" He asked also feeling a bit hungry and knowing that it was after dinner hour.
"Harry, sir."
"What?" Severus asked confused.
"It's Harry, daddy," Harry said softly looking at the carpet.
"I'm not your daddy!" Severus yelled. Harry leaned against the bed throwing his hands in the air to protect himself from harm. His body was quivering and his eyes only showed fear. If possible, Severus began to hate the Dursley's even more. What could they possibly have done to cause the Potter brat to be so jumpy?
"Potter!" He barked his voice reflecting his anger for the boys relatives. Harry flinched into a ball, hands wrapping around his stomach for protection. Severus forced his voice to be calm and tried again, but this time using the child's first name. "Harry, it's okay . I won't harm you child," his voice was soothing has he repeated these comforting words over and over again. Harry finally stopped shaking and Severus gently placed his left hand on the boy's shoulder . Harry tried not to flinch and looked up.
"Sorry, sir," he said still not meeting the man's eyes.
Severus stood up, nodded his head in reassurance and walked to the phone. "Stupid Muggles and their stupid communication devices," he whispered.
"Do you know how to work this…this…thing?" he asked. Harry didn't answer at first, but after a while, he shook his head no. Severus stared at the phone intently . He was sure his father used to keep one of these things in his office when Severus was growing up, but he didn't remember it ever being this complicated .
"You sure?" Severus asked turning the whole phone upside down, before he accidentally pressed the speakerphone button.
"How may I be of service…uh…Mr. Snape?" Asked a voice through the phone.
Severus looked around confused, but began talking aloud anyways. He order a light soup and milk for Harry, and a steak dinner for him.
"Yes, Mr. Snape, it will be up in thirty minutes, or it's free. Have a good day . " The voice said before hanging up.
"Oh, no!" Severus heard a whisper. He turned around to witness Harry crawling on the floor.
"What is it?" He asked still trying to keep his voice calm a s not to frighten the boy.
"My blanky's gone!" The boy cried. Snape smiled at him for a second.
"It's over there Potter," he pointed to the dirty blanket he had every intent of throwing away a little while ago, but had just changed his mind.
Harry went to the other side of the room cradling the blanket in his arms and smiled. "Mummy gave me it," he said proudly showing Severus the initials HJP on the blanket, but not looking at the man, and not showing him the egg inside. Both the egg and the blanket were the only two things that were ever Harry's and Harry's alone, so naturally he was upset when he thought he had forgotten them. He took a look around the room and his eyes stopped at Severus' knees.
"Is this your house?" He asked.
"No, this is a hotel," Severus said simply, a s if that cleared everything up.
"A o-tell?"
"Hotel, Potter. A place to sleep for a bit." Harry just stared at the man's knees lost in thought. He was wondering if he would get to live at this 'o-tell' with his daddy, or would he send him back to the Dursley's.
After dinner, Severus washed up, then sent Harry to bathe. He started the water and called Harry in the bathroom. "Potter take a bath please. " Harry stared at the water and shook his head no . "The water is warm." Severus bribed when the boy refused to get in.
"Shower?" Harry asked. "Please!" He begged.
"Fine a shower," Severus said grumpily emptying the drain. "Spoiled rotten little brat!" He whispered under his breath, only to make himself feel better about the fear displayed so openly on Harry's face. Harry was in and out of the shower in just two minutes.
Severus put a pillow and Harry's blanket at the other side of the bed for the child to sleep. "G'dnight Daddy," Harry said hiding his egg under his pillow so Severus couldn't see it.
"It's goodnight, not g'dnigh; and its Snape, I am not your daddy." Severus snapped.
"Gou nigh Snape," Harry tried again closing his eyes and ignoring the hidden burns on his chest from that morning .
Despite himself, Severus smiled a real smile, and fell asleep. He was only asleep for three or four hours when he awoke to heavy breathing. Harry had somehow curled up against Severus' chest during the night, and was now sleeping through a nightmare. He was whimpering and yelling "No!" in his sleep . "Harry!" Severus said trying to wake the boy. Harry started to scream in his sleep . "Harry wake up!" Severus yelled panicking when the child awoke , but didn't stop screaming.