Disclaimer:
I don't any Harry Potter related characters.Chapter Four
Whispers spread throughout the Hall like a wildfire. Their Potions Master was a mere two-year-old! He was recoiling into the shadows as they spoke. The teachers' were staring in disbelief. Professor Lupin was trying to look as shocked as he could manage. Adelaide and Co. were laughing.
"He's so cute!" Tahnee cooed.
Indeed he was. Snape now had a neat mop of grease-free hair and dark, dark eyes that darted around the room in horror. His skin was milky white as always and he was wearing the robes of his future self, which sat at his bear ankles.
Adelaide finally stopped laughing and wiped some tears from her eyes.
"I'm gonna go say hello to him," she said, making her way to the cowering toddler.
As Adelaide approached Snape, he shrunk as far he could go into the shadows and draped the huge robes over his head. Adelaide giggled.
"What's your name?" she asked warmly, slowly taking the black material off the tiny boy's head.
"Sevewus," he answered bashfully.
"Hello, Severus. I'm Adelaide. You can call me Addie if you want," Adelaide replied gently.
"Hewo, Addie. You can calls me Sev," Severus greeted.
"Do you want to spend the day with me and my friends. I'm sure they'll love you," Adelaide said, her voice as sweet as sugar.
"'Kay. Why has you gos a snake on your arm?" Severus asked, his shyness slowly departing.
"Sev, this is Rhoda. Rhoda, this is Sev. I have to look after Rhoda for school," Adelaide explained, taking the boy to the Gryffindor table.
"You hab to look after a snake?" Severus said sceptically.
"Yep," Adelaide said.
"That a is stupid!" the toddler confessed.
They had reached the place where Harry, Ron, Hermione, Kristen, Tahnee and Bryce were sitting.
"Sev," Adelaide began, "I would like you to meet some of my friends. This is Harry, Ron, Tahnee (but you can call her Nee), that's Bryce, Hermione (call her Hairy), and that is Kristen (call him Kriss)."
"Hewo, Hawwy. Hewo, Won. Hewo, Nee. Hewo, Bwyce. Hewo, Haiwy. Hewo, Kwiss," Severus said.
"Hi, Sev," Harry, Ron, Tahnee, Hermione, Bryce and Kristen chorused.
Professor McGonagall suddenly appeared beside Adelaide. Severus instantly backed away behind Adelaide.
"Excuse me. But do you know how in Merlin's name did Professor Snape turn - turn into this?" McGonagall asked stiffly, pointing to Severus.
They all shook their heads vigorously. McGonagall raised her thin eyebrows.
"Very well. The boy seems to have taken an immediate liking to you anyway. So you will babysit him for the day."
She then turned on her heel and disappeared before they could react.
"Did you hear that, Sev?" Adelaide tutted. "Professor McGonagall said you can stay with us."
Severus' face lit up.
"I can?"
"Yep. And we'd better hurry up and get too Charms class."
Adelaide and Co. strolled through the halls towards the Charms corridor.
"I can't believe we have too look after Snape!" Ron exclaimed, watching with astonishment as Adelaide held Severus' little hand.
Ignoring Ron, Hermione called to Adelaide, "Hey, Adela? Why did say to Severus that he could call me Hairy?"
"Heat of the moment, Hairy," Adelaide answered, chortling.
The tiny Professor Flitwick allowed them to file into the class. When Severus followed Adelaide in, Flitwick gave a little squeak, but said not a word.
"Today we will be trying to master the Severing Charm on a partners arm. And only the arm. Can anyone tell me the incantation?" Flitwick said, once the class was assembled.
Hermione's hand shot up. So did Adelaide's. Then when seeing that his new friend's hand was up, Severus did it too.
"Hm. How about Miss Weller."
"Dritious Dain," Adelaide replied.
"Dwitious Dain," Severus copied.
Overlooking the toddler's words, Flitwick continued. "Correct, Miss Weller. Please begin casting the charm."
Adelaide put her snake, Rhoda on the windowsill and took her wand out. Severus was gazing up at her face sadly.
"How 'bout you watch us make our arms fall off, Sev. You can sit on this seat," Adelaide instructed kindly.
Severus nodded glumly, but sat down.
"Dritious Dain!"
Adelaide heard the words but wasn't ready. Her left arm instantly dropped off. She giggled as she looked at her severed arm on the floor.
"Are you okay, Addie?" Severus asked, his dark eyes wide with utter concern.
"I'm alright, Sev. That was supposed to happen. And now I'll do it to Hairy. Dritious Dain!," Adelaide replied.
Hermione rolled her eyes as her arm fell to the ground.
"See, Sev. Sev? Sev? Hairy, where'd Severus go?" Adelaide said, looking around for the boy.
He was gone. Hermione and Adelaide heard a familiar voice.
"Dwitious Dain!"
The found Severus pointing a wand at Professor Flitwick who had turned lilac with lime spots and his head was lolling around on the floor.
"Sev! What have you done?" Hermione exploded, carefully picking up poor Flitwick's head.
"I did what you did," Severus sulked, tears pouring down his face.
"Oh, Sev," Adelaide groaned, hugging him. "It's okay. You just made a mistake."
The rest of the class was marvelling Severus' work. Nobody but Hermione seemed at all worried. Flitwick's head suddenly spoke.
"Class dismissed. Ah, Miss Granger, please take my head and lead my body to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey will put me right."
"You know what, Sev?" Adelaide said merrily, reattaching Rhoda to her arm. "You did a good thing. We got to get out of class early."
"Weally? I can do it again for you," Severus answered adorably.
"Er - Maybe not," Adelaide said.
"Hey, Ron? What have we got next?" Bryce said.
Ron grimaced. "Divination. The teacher's a big-eyed git, mind you."
"All the more reason to go," Tahnee cheeped.
Ron and Harry led the group to the Divination room. When they arrived, they climbed up into the room.
"Ew! This woom stinks!" Severus exclaimed, wrinkling up his nose as he ascended into the dense room.
The air was thick with strong essences and was stifling hot.
"I know. Just don't say anything to the bat woman," Ron whispered.
"Why not, Won?" Severus wanted to know.
"She doe's like people insulting, her, her predictions or her room. Best to keep your trap closed."
They sat down on fat little cushions and waited for the so-called 'bat woman' to arrive.
"I see an aura of unmanly strength and determination around you. Not a nice combination."
Adelaide jumped. The husky voice belonged to a spindly woman who strongly resembled an insect.
"Unmanly strength and determination, huh? I think that's a right good combination myself. I could conquer the world!" Adelaide said steadily.
The woman glared and moved to Harry.
"Ah, my sweet. Death is at your door. So be extra careful. But I doubt my caring warnings will help you."
The bat woman gave a loud, dismissive sob. Adelaide rolled her eyes.
"Oh, please. Don't we all die?"
Ignoring the remark, the woman introduced herself. "Sibyl Trelawney is my name. My job? To teach the young to gaze into the depths of the crystal balls, to look beyond the tealeaves to the future. All in all, to teach you the ways and understandings of the delicate art of Divination."
Almost the whole class snorted.
Trelawney continued. "Today, my dears', we will be reading Tarot Cards. There is a set per pair."
The class went on as boring as it had started. Eventually, it was lunch.
"Is Miss Insect always that bad? Does she always predict (as she calls it) Harry's death?" Adelaide moaned.
"Yep. And ever since third year, the old bat's been telling Harry he's gonna die," Ron answered.
"You have my sympathy, Harry," Tahnee admitted.
The sat down at the Gryffindor table and began putting things on their plates.
"Addie?"
"Yes, Sev."
"I can't weach."
Adelaide looked down at the toddler. His head barely came above the table.
"Here," she said.
Adelaide cleared a space on the table and sat Severus on the tablecloth.
"Thank you," Severus said.
"No prob'."
After lunch, they made their way to McGonagall's class. She was waiting for them.
"Today we will be Transfiguring these dead bees into a bouquet of flowers. Begin."
Adelaide grabbed a bee and sat down next to Severus.
"Are you going to promise not to steal Professor McGonagall's wand?" she asked.
"I pwomise, Addie," Severus responded sweetly.
"That's good."
"Addie?" Severus said.
"Yes, Sev?"
"What are those?"
"Bees."
"Are they alive?"
"No."
"Then why do you hab a dead bee?"
"We have to turn them into flowers."
Severus stared at Adelaide as if she were mad.
"But that's not what I do with bees," he said.
"Then what do you do with them?" Adelaide asked.
Severus grinned. He picked up the dead insect and put it in his mouth.
"I eats them. They taste like chicken."
Adelaide tried not to grimace.
"Do they? Well, I think I might stay to turning them into flowers. Professor McGonagall?" Adelaide said, smiling weakly.
"What is it Miss Weller?" McGonagall demanded.
"I need a new bee," Adelaide replied amiably.
"What happened to your first bee?" McGonagall said, obviously annoyed.
"It - er, got digested," Adelaide said, trying her hardest from laughing.
The befuddled Transfiguration teacher stared.
"And how did this happen?"
"Sev, here wanted to show me what he liked to do with dead bees. He seemed to think that turning them into flowers was inappropriate," Adelaide answered truthfully.
Severus put on a syrupy, lopsided grin that was gorgeous as McGonagall gaped at him.
"Very - very well," she choked. "But in the future please try and restrain Severus from doing such things."
And with that, she walked away.
When the bell rang to signal the end of class, McGonagall called over the hustle and bustle. "Homework! Study a Transfiguring Spell. You have to be able to complete the spell correctly by the next lesson! Weller! I need to speak with you!"
Adelaide wormed her way through the Gryffindors towards McGonagall's desk with Severus clinging to her arm. Harry, Tahnee, Ron, Kristen, Bryce and Hermione automatically followed her.
"You wanted to see me Professor," Adelaide said, vaguely aware that the others were standing behind her.
"Yes. It's about Severus. We found traces of an Infancy Draught in his pumpkin juice this morning. It caused Severus to turn into a younger version of himself. We are aware that the potion should wear off at about seven this evening. You are to bring him down to the hospital wing at six thirty. I'm sure Potter, Granger or Weasley would be able to show you the way," Mcgonagall explained.
"I'd be happy to bring Sev to the hospital wing this evening. Goodbye, Professor," Adelaide agreed, leaving the class.
"Where do we go now?" Kristen asked.
"History of Magic. It's really boring. Half the class falls asleep. No, make that everyone except, Hairy," Ron said, glancing at Hermione.
"Ron! Don't call me Hairy! And you should really pay attention in Professor Binns class. It's interesting to learn about that type of stuff," Hermione retorted.
"Whatever you say, Hairy."
When they entered the classroom, Binns had already begun an extremely monotonous lecture about the Goblin Sightings by Muggles in the Fourteenth Century. They quietly tiptoed in, not wanting to be caught coming in late. They were just about to sit down when Severus let out a loud squeal.
"LOOK! IT'S A LITTLE BIRDY!"
Sure enough, there was a blue bird perched on the window ledge. Thankfully, Binns didn't glance up.
"Ssh!" Adelaide hissed.
Severus frowned but shut his mouth.
"How do you bear this class?" Adelaide mumbled to Harry.
Her head was rested on her forearm. Harry gave her a wonky smile.
"Dunno. We just use the class as an extra sleeping time," he replied.
"It seems that Sev is very good at sleeping soundlessly," Adelaide observed, glimpsing at the sleeping toddler.
He was curled up on the carpeted floor with his mouth wide open. He was drooling slightly.
"Yeah. It's weird how Snape wasn't as sour as he is now than when he was when he was two," Harry said.
"I know. You'd think that Snape would have been an evil prick ever since he was born. But the potion proves that theory wrong. Too bad the potion only lasts twelve hours," Adelaide sighed.
"We could always put some more in his drink," Harry suggested, a mischievous glint in his starling green eyes.
When the bell rang, Severus didn't wake up.
"Sev? Wake up," Adelaide whispered, shaking the tiny body.
"Sleepy," was all he said before falling into another deep slumber.
Adelaide sighed and hauled the boy in her arms. Harry carried her school things while she carried Severus towards the Gryffindor Common Room. People gave her weird stares as she walked through the halls.
When she arrived in the Gryffindor Common Room, she climbed the stairs up to the Fifth Year Girls Dorms and placed Severus in her bed.
"He's so sweet!" Tahnee exclaimed when Adelaide seated herself in a scarlet armchair.
"Yeah. Too bad he grows up to be an evil git," Ron said.
"You really should get started on Binns assignment," Hermione advised, not looking up from a book she was reading.
"What assignment?" Harry, Ron, Tahnee, Adelaide, Kristen and Bryce said in unison.
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"The one we have to do on Goblin Sightings by Muggles! We have to write an essay on one or two sightings. Like how they came about and so on," Hermione clarified.
Hermione managed to get them to do the essay eventually. At dinnertime, Adelaide went up to get Severus. But he was still sleeping without a sound. So she picked him up carefully and took him into the Great Hall.
"Are you going to wake him?" Harry asked, cutting up a piece of steak.
"Nah. But I'll say goodbye to him when the potion has to wear off," Adelaide answered.
"You've really grown to like him, haven't you?" Harry said.
"Yeah. He's got such a cute personality. Wonder why he didn't stay nice," Adelaide mused.
Harry came with Adelaide to the hospital wing. The others' had gone off to play a mega game of Exploding Snap. In the room, Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall were waiting.
"Please place Severus here," Dumbledore instructed, gesturing to a bed.
Adelaide gently placed the boy on the bed. But it wasn't gentle enough.
"Addie? Where are we?" Severus said, looking dazedly around the room.
"We're in the hospital wing, Sev," Adelaide said softly. "This is Madam Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore. You already know Harry and Professor McGonagall.
Severus nodded. Adelaide sighed and frowned.
"Sev, you have to go back to where you came from," she explained miserably.
She had grown to like this little boy so much. Now he was to leave. Severus seemed sad too.
"Why?" he said, a single tear coursing down his pale face.
"I don't want you to go, Sev. But you have to. And you have to keep this a secret too. Maybe I'll find a way to get you back," Adelaide said.
"There's twenty seconds to go, Miss Weller," McGonagall said loudly.
"Thanks. Sev, we have to say goodbye now. So bye-bye, Sev," Adelaide whispered.
"Bye-bye, Addie," Severus muttered.
As if on cue, he began to grow. He got taller and his hair longer. Finally, the Professor Snape was lying there.
