"Bye-bye!" Severus waved as the Weasley's left through the floo, and turned big black eyes, filled with tears, up to Albus.
"Oh, don't fret." Albus consoled, Severus's abandonment issues popping up often enough that Albus was well-used to them. "They'll be back soon, Severus." He promised, rubbing his adorable babies back.
"Arr, Mowwy." He said forlornly, staring at the fireplace as a few tears escaped to fall down his cheeks. "Bye bye."
"They will be back soon, Severus." Albus assured, smoothing the wavy black hair. "Why don't you make a potion for them for when they get back?" He suggested, gesturing over to the play potion set perched atop a small table Severus's size.
"Poshun?" Severus's face lit up and he turned to look at his 'work-station,' one of the few non-muggle toys he ever bothered to play with. "Poshun." He repeated, sounding more resolute.
"Yes," Albus nodded, seating Severus down in the chair at the table, "What potion are you going to make for Molly and Arthur?"
Severus furrowed his brow, looking absolutely adorable as he did so, and opened up the potion book Albus had set on the table for Severus to use as a 'reference.' He carefully turned the pages, until he stopped and pointed at a wolfsbane potion. "Happy Poshun." He declared, referring to the Beatus potion that had nothing to do with the page he was looking at.
"Ah, what a lovely idea!" Albus praised. "You work on your potion and I'll work on my paperwork, how does that sound."
"Shhhh!" Severus held a finger to his lips, emphatically shushing him. "Me poshun!" He exclaimed indignantly.
Albus nodded. "Sorry, sorry," he placated, "I'll be quiet."
"Good, Aba!" Severus praised, before turning back to his 'work.'
Albus sat watching his child play, amused at the antics and totally engrossed at the scene. Severus first lit a fire under his cauldron by pressing a button on the table, the flames bewitched to be smokeless and, more importantly, heatless and harmless. Once that was completed, Severus perused his ingredients, which were nothing more than colored water and powders, and decided to sprinkle some yellow dust into his cauldron. After stirring clockwise four times, Severus poured some pink goo (nothing but shampoo) in with it. The cauldron made bubbling noises, Albus having charmed it to do so, and Severus scribbled 'notes' in his journal.
Albus smiled at the play, glad to see Severus so carefree and healthy looking. While the first few days he had been deaged, Severus was crotchety and unsoothable, Albus had gotten him to embrace and accept the change.
Severus had also been unhealthy, darn right runty and sickly, but after a few days of Albus's coddling Severus looked just as healthy and cute as any baby. Even cuter, Albus dared to think. The skin was no longer ghostly, but a smooth shade of alabaster that complimented the lovely (and clean) thick waves atop Severus's head that fell down a little past the ears. The large black eyes were no longer somber, but filled with innocence and joy, and the nose below them was no longer crooked and broken but tiny and perfect. No longer was Severus runty, babyfat covered him exactly where it needed to, and Albus dared to think Severus could win a multitude of cutest baby contests should Albus be bold enough to dare enter him in one.
"Aba!" Severus called out, "Aba, poshun!" He explained, stirring in a figure-eight pattern with some difficulty.
"Yes, my little Prince is quite the potioneer." Albus said fondly. "What would we ever do without you?"
"Sev Abus!" Severus said adamantly. "Sev no go bye-bye, Aba."
"I sure hope not." Albus agreed, willing to do everything to make sure Severus was happy adult or baby.
"Aba no go bye-bye." Severus added as an afterthought, looking fearful that Albus might abandon him.
"No, Albus will always be there for Severus." Albus promised.
Severus nodded, pleased with the answer, and began to 'bottle' his 'potion' by dipping the unbreakable flasks into the cauldron. Satisfied, Severus placed his creation on a tiny shelf beside his table along with the rest of the potions he had brewed over the week.
"Mowwy, Arrr poshun." He said declared, making sure his shelf of potions was secure before crawling over to a toy that was supposed to be a 'phone.'
"Aba." He gave him a pointed look, letting Albus know it was time to have yet another phone conversation with the boy. Opening a drawer in his desk, he pulled out his toy phone, and waited for Severus to call him.
While the phones were muggle and only rang when one pressed a button on their own phone, Albus had done some magical work and made it so that when Severus pressed the purple button on his phone Albus's would ring. That had delighted Severus to no end, and for the rest of that day Severus had made dozens of phone calls to Albus.
Albus picked up the phone after letting it ring a few times, as Severus would scold him if he didn't. "Hello?" He asked, pretending he couldn't see Severus holding the phone a few feet away from him.
"Aba!" Severus began, his voice a happy one that let Albus know that this conversation wouldn't be the serious one they had had a few days ago pertaining to something that Albus hadn't been able to decipher.
"Ah, Severus. How are you?" Albus asked, twirling the phone cord in his fingers like he had watched Severus do multiple times.
"Aba, good." Severus said happily. "Aba nice."
"Does this mean I'll be getting a raise?" Albus asked, watching as Severus nodded.
"Aba, yes." Severus nodded again. "Aba, Min on phone?"
Albus grinned, recalling Severus insistence that Minerva put a phone in her office so he could call her. The witch had at first, of course, argued and ignored Severus's pleas. But Albus, together with Severus's craft, had weakened her defenses and convinced her it would be an easy way for Albus to call her to his office when she was needed. It was also a fun game for Severus to call her, but he had left that out, deciding not to push his luck.
"Push the red button, Severus." Albus reminded, having color-coated the buttons according to which professor Severus wanted to call.
Brown was Hagrid, who loved the game almost as much as Severus. Yellow, of course, belonged to Padmona. Blue was for Fillius. Draco Malfoy's was green, while the Slytherin Common Rooms shared phone was dialed by pushing a silver button. Charity's color was a pretty pink, and the woman was greatly amused that Severus, a slytherin, had taken a liking to a muggle toy and would very frequently call Severus without warning. Severus just loved the surprise, and would often return the favor. Poppy, who was almost always too busy to answer the phone, had a white button and would sometimes fit in time to play the game with Severus. The Gryffindors phone color had a lion, the ravenclaws a book, and the hufflepuffs a sun, Severus was particularly fond of the Gryffindors, who would make ridiculous noises and sound effects, but by far his favorite were the Slytherins who would talk to him like he was an adult and offer him up endless praise for his intelligence. Hufflepuff got their fair shares of conversations, more than willing to read to Severus from the same stories again and again. It was Ravenclaw who got shafted, not that they minded, because they would simply not waste much time with needless talking when they could be studying. Not that they didn't make time, just like Poppy did, to have a few minutes of conversation with the boy.
"Min!" Severus laughed when Minerva picked up on the other end, and Albus swore he could hear her tired sigh coming through Severus's phone.
Albus, channeling Severus's Slytherin nature, grabbed his own phone having found that one could listen in on conversations by doing so. Severus had caught him in the act, and scolded him for it, not appreciative of the fact that he was eavesdropping on his conversation with Draco. Any other conversation, however, Albus was more than welcomed too.
"Severus!" Minerva sounded forcefully cheerful, and Severus quickly picked up on it.
"Min, sad?" He demanded.
"Minerva is tired." She explained. "She has many tests to grade."
"Why?" Severus uttered his favorite word, learned two days ago, and Albus was glad it always seemed to be directed at Fillius and Minerva- two people whose answers always seemed to satisfy Severus.
"Because I have many students, Severus." The witch started to sound amused, and Severus grinned smugly.
"Min." Severus agreed. "Min papers?" He babbled.
"Yes, Minerva is grading papers." She confirmed. "Can Severus tell Albus I hear him breathing on the other end of the phone?"
"Ah, Minerva." Albus laughed. "I must admit I find it hard to not be apart of these conversations. I assure you, though, I have permission."
"Severus," Minerva ignored the conversation, "Albus is making Minerva sad."
Severus's mouth dropped in indignation, and he scowled at Albus. "Aba naughty?"
"Very naughty," Minerva made her voice sound sad, "He's not being nice."
"Aba sorry." He glared at Albus.
"I'm so sorry Minerva." Albus placated the scolding boy. "Please forgive me."
"Aba sorry." Severus repeated, mediating the peace between the door with expertise.
"I forgive Albus then," She agreed amiably, "But I need to finish these papers now, why don't you try calling the Gryffindors?"
"Okay." Severus agreed, hanging up abruptly on Minerva like he did with all his conversations save for the Slytherins, who insisted that he properly say goodbye.
Jabbing the lion button, someone on the other end picked up right away, and Albus quickly deducted it was the twins who weren't ashamed to be silly and undignified, even more so than the rest of the Gryffindors, in order to get Severus's giggling and laughing.
"What's the word?" One of the twins asked.
"Min." Severus warbled.
"You don't say?"
"Min." Severus repeated.
"And how did that conversation go?"
"Aba sorry." Severus explained. "Min tiwed."
"I see, I see. Is Severus tired, or can he tell us what sound a cow makes?"
"Moo!" Severus yelled.
"What about...a dog!?"
"WOOF WOOF WOOF!" Severus barked, realizing he was about to play one of his favorite games.
"What about...a kitty?"
"Meow!" Severus said loudly, imitating Ms. Norris's meow very well.
"What sound does a Mandrake ask?" One of the twins laughed, disregarding the fact that Albus had adamantly banned that question from ever be asked again when Severus was in hearing shot. Had he known which twin it was, the consequences would be severe.
Severus let out a horrible noise, making Fawkes cry out angrily until Severus stopped and shared a good long laugh with the twins.
"We hate to let you go, Severus, but we have a detention to serve with Filch. Why don't you call the Hufflepuffs? I'm sure they've got nothing bet-"
Severus hung up before they could finish and decided he had had enough of the phone for now. Placing the phone down carefully in the receiver, as he took great care of his toys, he crawled over to his blocks and began to stack them three high before knocking them down and laughing.