Rather than do two stories like i'd been thinking about, i'm gonna be switching between the adult Severus and his younger AU counterpart's stories. So i'll be covering both his AU self's past, how he and James got together etc and canon Severus' reactions to the life he's ended up with.

Also to warn you, James will not be quite so innocent as he might seem. The man pursued Lily all throughout Hogwarts and I personally see him as doing something similar with Severus, Only instead of pursuing him, he's doing everything he can to keep him by his side. Not necessarily in an evil sense, he's just kind of a possessive spoiled brat who is used to getting his own way. And Severus is just kind of amazed people actually like him. It's sort of a new experience for him. But don't worry, the AU Severus is not going to just let James do whatever he wants.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I can't believe I've already gotten 13 just for one chapter. I hope you like this chapter!

James had first fallen in love with Severus back when they were eleven. From the minute he'd barged into his room looking for a seat for him and his friends, he became enraptured by the small raven haired boy. As for the girl, well she was very pretty, James might have even fancied her. She however had very different ideas, scowling at him, calling him a rascal and ordering him out of their compartment. Despite what many might think, James could take a hint, even back then. She hadn't been that pretty anyway and who wanted to put up with her nagging all the time? But the boy, Severus, James sure did like him.

He was quiet; already a plus compared to his redheaded friend, smart; if the third grade spell book he was reading was any indication and just the right mix of helpless and desperate for affection. He wasn't exactly needy, not the way some of the pureblood girls his parents had introduced him to had been. With their whining and pleading with him to save them from stepping over a puddle, or remove a spider from their path, all under the misguided notion that it made them seem like a damsel in distress. So that James would play the part of their prince. Well not bloody likely.

No, Severus was nothing like them. He was helpless in a way that made something inside James' belly clench, as if the idea that this boy was suffering in any way actually hurt him. It was something primal, something that demanded James just grab the boy and hide him from prying eyes. But common sense held him back, as unbelievable as that might sound. It was there, James just never listened to it. So instead of dragging him off there and then, James had done the next best thing. He plastered himself to the boy's side, wrapped an arm around his bony shoulders and glared at the girl until she finally fell silent, though her eyes continued to blaze. And if his arm should happen to slip to the boy's thin waist, well that was purely by accident of course.

Thankfully for everyone, Remus and Sirius, the two James had already made friends with, were able to distract the girl, Lily, until the trolley came around. Now James was no auror, at least not yet. He couldn't decipher the clues and solve the mystery, but he could still tell when something was wrong. And judging by the state of Severus' clothes, all second-hand, not to mention his battered old trunk and rather worryingly skinny frame, James concluded his new boyfriend was poor. Because of course at that point, with James' arm wrapped around his waist for a good half hour or so, that meant they were dating. Not that James felt the need to tell Severus that. That would only give him a chance to say no.

Now James was a generous lad, he really was. He always let Jack, his mother's Jack Russel, finish off his leftovers, especially his vegetables. What a weird dog he was, but James loved him all the same. And he always let Mipsy, his own personal house elf, clean his room whenever she asked. She always smiled at him for that, that meant she liked it didn't she? So of course when faced with a brand new boyfriend (who still didn't know they were dating) who was so obviously in need of financial aid, James did what any spoiled pureblood child thought was right. He bought the entire contents of the trolley, flashed the woman a charming smile, as the manners his parents drilled into him demanded he do, then proceeded to hand them out to everyone in the carriage. Of course he made sure Severus got first dibs, he'd done it for him after all.

Strangely enough Severus didn't seem too thrilled with his grand gesture, not at first anyway. But James hadn't worried, he knew Severus was sure to come around. It was probably because no one had ever done anything like that for him, that had made him tense the way he had. Perfectly understandable. But soon enough Severus had given into his coaxing, although it had taken James offering to feed him to get him to give in and eat. It was a shame, James had been all for feeding him, merlin knows he could do with fattening up. But at least it got him eating. Baby steps as James had to remind himself.

Then the subject of houses had come up, James had been horrified to learn that Severus had been considering Slytherin. His first reaction was one of horror mixed with disgust, though he at least attempted to hide it. Slytherin? Over his dead body. No way could he let Severus join those slimy snakes. They were evil, everyone knew that. Except Severus apparently, but as James soon learned he was only a halfblood who'd been living in the muggle world. James could forgive his ignorance; he couldn't be expected to know everything.

"What about Ravenclaw? You were reading that book earlier weren't you? That's a third year spell book". James had asked. He just had to get Slytherin out of the boy's mind.

"Trust me, you don't want Slytherin. My whole family's been in it, you don't want to end up like them" Sirius had added. It was the first time he'd really spoken to the other boy.

"But I-" Severus began.

"I was thinking about Ravenclaw too" Remus admitted, in that soft-spoken way of his. "I really like reading" he added after everyone turned to look at him.

James had been thrilled, he'd clearly chosen his friends well. Already he could tell they were changing Severus' mind. His words had become more uncertain, he'd taken to leaning on James just a little more. As if waiting for his approval. James had been quick to give it, giving him a cheeky grin which only made the pale boy blush a delightful shade of red. James made a note of it, he was sure he'd be having fun with that later.

"What's so wrong with Slytherin?" Lily had asked, Severus had only ever spoken good things about Hogwarts. He'd never mentioned anything evil about it to her.

"You're a muggleborn yeah?" James had asked, receiving a nod in return. "Well there's four houses; Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, named after the four founders of Hogwarts. Gryffindor is for the brave and chivalrous, Slytherin is for the cunning and ambitious, Ravenclaw is for those with wit and wisdom and Hufflepuff is for the loyal and honest. At least that's what they tell us. Really though, Slytherin is for the bad guys; they're obsessed with blood purity and all that rot. Dark wizards the lot of them. Gryffindor is the best, it's full of heroes throughout the ages. Ravenclaw, that's more for the really smart students, like you". James paused to give Severus a smile, his arm moving to pull him even closer against him. "And Hufflepuff is, well to be honest it's kind of the dumping ground for whoever's not good enough to get into the other three".

"That's horrible!" Lily had exclaimed. "How can you say that?" She was quite clearly outraged.

"It's true though!" James had protested. Sirius had been quick to back him up. "I'm not trying to be mean" he added. It had just occurred to him that pissing off the girl Severus was so clearly friends with, probably wasn't the best idea. "But everyone knows it's true. Oh but don't worry, I doubt you'll end up a Hufflepuff" James had added. He'd only said it to try and smooth things over a bit. Lily still looked quite peeved.

"Lily, don't" Severus had spoken. While his voice was quiet, his words were not. In an instant Lily fell silent, looking at her friend with uncertain eyes. "I'm sure he didn't mean how it sounded. He's just excited about getting sorted, we all are".

Severus had smiled at her, James found himself scowling. As soon as they were sorted he was asking Severus out. He wasn't about to wait until Lily, with her sweet smiles and bright green eyes, or someone else came along and took what was his. Fat chance, Severus was his. James knew it and soon everyone would. Hell Sirius and Remus already seemed to know it, they'd both seen his arm around Severus' waist and barely batted an eyelid. It made James smile to think how accepting his new friends were.

"Look, I'm sorry Lily. I don't want us to fight, I'd really like us to be friends actually. Think we can start over?" Mother had always said keep your enemies close.

Lily had only scowled, relaxing slightly when Severus reached over to give her a little nudge. "Fine, so long as you don't go about insulting people you've never even met again". Lily offered her hand out, waiting for him to shake on it.

"Deal". James shook her hand, dropping it as soon as it was polite to do so. He still didn't like her, but for Severus's sake he supposed he'd have to put up with her.

Thankfully the rest of the trip remained uneventful. Sirius had pulled out a pack of cards and had roped Lily and Remus into playing with him. Even so, Lily had continued to sneak looks back at Severus, who had begun explaining what he'd been reading to James. Lily didn't like him, James that is not Severus. The way he looked at her friend, well it unnerved her. She didn't think it was because they were both boys, although that had been a strange sight to get used to, but James had just acted a little too friendly with her Severus. For as long as she'd known him, Severus had always shied away from another's touch. It had taken weeks if not months for him to open up to her and accept her hugs. Yet here he was, with that snake Potter wrapping his arm around his waist like he owned him. And Severus was just letting him, why? It just made no sense to her.

'Why wasn't her doing that to her?' Lily steadfastly ignored that little thought. Now was not the time to get jealous, even if James was a rather attractive boy. 'And very generous' her mind supplied again.

Yes, he was generous, buying all that food and sharing it with everyone. She'd seen the looks he gave Severus, the way his eyes had taken in his shabby clothes and skinny frame. It was obvious he'd bought the food for Severus, but at least he had the sense to know Severus wouldn't just accept it. Severus had never been fond of charity, not even when it was disguised as friendship. It had led to many arguments between them, none of which Lily was keen on repeating.

No, Lily couldn't let herself think like that. If James liked Severus like that, well she'd just have to deal with it wouldn't she? That wasn't to say she'd accept it. No the boy might be handsome and generous, but that didn't mean he was good enough for her Sev. Nobody was, not after everything he'd been through and it was Lily's job to protect him from scoundrels like Potter.

The sorting ceremony went just as James had hoped for. Naturally he'd ended up in Gryffindor as did Sirius. Lily too joined to house of the lions, although she made a point to sit with the other first year girls. She'd had her fill of Potter for the day. Remus, who had secretly feared it had all been a mistake and he'd be sent home, had been delighted with Ravenclaw. And as for Severus, well no one had clapped harder than James when the boy had been sent to Ravenclaw.

Severus had been conflicted with the sorting. His mum had been a Slytherin and he always thought he would be too. But James had made Ravenclaw sound like the perfect house for him, a house where knowledge was actually prized, it was almost too good to be true. Severus came to like the idea of being in Ravenclaw, smiling as his tie changed into the signature blue. Yet in the back of his mind he found himself wondering, why did he care so much what James thought? He never had before, but then no one had ever treated him like James had. Not really.

Severus found it a little disconcerting that in the space of a day, his head could be filled with thoughts of one boy and one boy alone. Yet as he glanced up to see James staring at him, that cocky grin appearing as soon as he noticed him looking, Severus couldn't help the way his stomach twisted and turned. It didn't make sense to him why James looked at him the way he did, not when there were so many other students to look at. Like Lily with her warm smiles and beautiful eyes, James should have been talking to her on the train, not him. Everyone always liked Lily better, it was just how things worked. But not James, no. He was different, he seemed to like Severus first. That never happened. Severus found he liked it.

James meanwhile had found it difficult to keep his eyes off Severus. Only breaking his gaze to reach for more chips. More than once he'd caught Lily and the girls she sat with staring at him. Each time he smiled at them, causing most of them to giggle and turn their heads, pretty blushes staining their cheeks. All but Lily. Not that he cared, what did he want those silly girls for? He had Severus and as soon as he had a moment free, he would ask him out all proper like.

Dinner soon ended and everyone was carted off to their common rooms. Sadly, James didn't get a chance to find Severus, but no matter, come morning he'd find him. Besides, he did have other things to think about. Like what bed he wanted and what his new roommates would be like. Severus would still be there in the morning, for now it was time to explore his dorms a bit. Surely Sirius would help him, wouldn't he?

While Sirius and James began to plot their first but certainly not last prank, Remus and Severus had been quick to secure the beds next to each other. Life in a new school was quite scary for them both, although the reasons for that different greatly. But without needing it said, they both made a pact there and then to stick together. Safety in numbers and all that.

As James watched the man he loved sleep soundly in their bed, he smiled. A chubby hand reached up to touch his cheek, diverting his attention from his naked husband to the toddler in his arms. "What say you and I go raid the fridge, hmm? Would you like that Harry?" James grinned at the babble Harry gave in response, before a wide yawn left the toddler leaning against his chest. "Or perhaps we'd better get you to bed" James smiled.

Striding over to the crib, James carefully set little Harry down, carefully wrapping the blankets around him and giving him a kiss on his forehead. "Sleep tight champ". Harry's only response was a final yawn before his eyes slowly shut. As soon as he could be sure that Harry was indeed fast asleep, James returned to the bed where Severus lay dead to the world.

It had been a particularly good night for them both. James had just gotten a promotion, his first big one since finishing school in fact and naturally they had to celebrate. Getting Sirius to look after Harry, that had been easy enough. Harry adored both of his uncles and was always happy to see them. Finding the energy to leave the bed, now that had been significantly more difficult. It had taken three long hours, full of kissing, licking, sucking and fucking for the two to finally tire themselves out. In the end it was only the reminder that their child was waiting outside, that forced James out of bed. Severus had barely been conscious at that point; his hair mussed, his lips reddened and swollen and his dick still at half-mast. Such were the perks of being a teenager.

James had barely had remembered to grab a robe, well aware of what state he was answering the door in. At least Harry had been glad to see him, Sirius had just made a face.

"Fucking hell mate, can't you crack open a window?" James hit him for that. Everyone knew not to curse around their baby. "Hey!" Sirius had protested. "Whatever, tell Sev I said hi".

"Will do. Now get out of here. I'll see you Monday" James had smirked back. With one last wave shared between them, James shut the door.

With Harry asleep and Severus still alone in their bed, James knew what he had to do. Climbing into the bed and pulling Severus flush against him, he finally sighed in contentment. He had everything he wanted right here. A beautiful baby, a gorgeous husband and another little one on the way. Well James hadn't told Severus about that last part. Not yet anyway. Unbeknownst to his husband, he'd cast the spell a week or so. Should he have told him? Probably, but then he hadn't told him when he'd gotten pregnant with Harry now had he.

No, Severus still believed Harry's conception had been a happy accident. Only that wasn't exactly true. You see James had always wanted a big family, what with the war and all children were more of a blessing than ever. So come Christmas day when they'd once again been fooling around, it was something of a tradition by that point to spend the morning in bed with each other, James had conveniently forgotten to cast the usual contraception spells.

Male pregnancy really wasn't that uncommon, at least half of the wizarding population carried the gene to make it possible. Although for a muggleborn to possess it was unheard of, even for a halfblood like Severus, it was quite rare indeed. But Severus had always been quite the powerful young wizard.

Contraception spells had become as necessary as lubricating and stretching spells. A visit to Madame Pomfrey in first year, a mandatory requirement for all new students, had identified Severus as a potential carrier. While they were too young to be thinking of such things at that age, she still insisted on giving them both plenty of information to prevent any accidental pregnancies before they were ready. Why had she given James the same information? Well a week into first year and James had gotten Severus to agree to go out with him. They'd been inseparable ever since. Everyone said how cute it was, but Madame Pomfrey had seen enough of it over the years to see where it might lead.

Hogwarts had the unusual talent of producing couples deeply in love. Almost ninety percent of those couples survived past graduation and a further seventy-five percent went on to grow old together. Even back in first year, their professors had been sure the two of them would be part of that seventy-five percent. Provided they survived the war of course.

"Mmm, love you" James had mumbled against Severus' neck. Severus only gave a happy sigh in response.

Their lives truly were perfect…or so James thought.

He was pregnant, he was fucking pregnant with Potter's spawn. No wait it got better; he was pregnant with Potter's spawn, he was nineteen and having had a chance to look at some of their old photos while James had been in the bathroom, he'd never been sorted into Slytherin. He was a goddamn Ravenclaw! Severus didn't know which part galled him more. It probably should have been the pregnancy, or if not that then Potter. But Slytherin had helped make him into the man he was today, into the man he'd ended up dying as. Which let's face it, wasn't exactly a good thing. But Severus wasn't really thinking rationally at that point.

"Papa!"

It was Harry again. The little one had stuck to his side ever since Poppy had told them the news. Severus still didn't know what to make of it all. For years he'd grown to accept that children usually hated him on sight. Hell most of them were terrified of him and let's face it, he kind of did it on purpose. His concern was with teaching them what they needed to know, teaching them how to survive. He had no time to mend hurt feelings or wipe away tears, he was a teacher not their bloody father.

"Papa!" Harry demanded again, this time more insistently.

Taking the hint, Severus picked him up. Harry immediately snuggled against him. By now Severus had learned to let him be, his one attempt at creating some distance between them had Harry bawling. Thankfully James had bought the excuse that the stuffed wolf he carried had fallen off the bed. Harry apparently loved it. It was a present from his Uncle Remus, who like Severus in this strange new world, had been sorted into Ravenclaw too. They were even best friends, as hard as Severus found it to believe. But then Remus probably hadn't almost killed him in this world. Once again Severus found himself envying the Severus whose body he now possessed. The first time he'd felt envy had been when he woke up in that bed. Loathe as he was to admit it, it did belong to Potter after all, but that bed was heavenly.

"Wolf!"

Harry had lifted the toy for his Papa to inspect. His Papa was acting very strangely; he wasn't nearly so smiley as he usually was. He was almost grumpy, as strange as that sounded to him. But Daddy had explained it to him. Papa was growing a baby in his tummy, like the flower he and Papa had grown on the windowsill. Growing a baby took a lot of work, a lot of time and sometimes it would make his Papa grumpy. Harry didn't really understand it, but Daddy had done his best to explain it. The bigger the baby got, the heavier it would become and as it was safely tucked away in Papa's tummy, he would have to carry around all that extra weight until the baby was ready to be born. Daddy explained Papa would get very tired around the time the baby would be born. So Harry knew he had to get as much playing done with his Papa before then. Harry wanted as much time with his Papa as possible, the special time that was only for them. Once the baby came along, there would be no more Harry and Papa time, it would only be Papa and Baby time. Harry didn't like that idea so much.

"Yes, wolf. Do you want to play with it?"

Severus knew very little about babies, except that they cried, pooped and drank their weight in milk. So he wasn't the best conversationalist when it came to them. Thankfully Harry didn't seem to mind. As much as he didn't want to admit it, the Harry in this world wasn't nearly so annoying. Although, Severus took some time to consider the child babbling at the toy, that was probably because he only knew a few words.

Severus blinked as Harry began tugging at his shirt again. "Baby!" Harry demanded, it was becoming a bit of a habit.

"Baby's sleeping. Why don't you play for a bit?"

The baby was not sleeping; the baby wasn't even visible yet. But like hell was Severus going to let Harry start listening to his stomach again, it was creepy enough the first time.

Harry pouted, Severus felt his stomach sink. He wasn't going to start crying again was he? But fortunately for Severus' already wavering sanity, Harry was easily distracted as his Daddy said those oh so familiar words.

"Honey, I'm home!"

Severus had never wanted to hex someone so badly in his life.

Please review and let me know what you think!

KB