Chapter 14

~O-O~

Harry found himself still nodding dumbly at the space where Snape had been moments before. He had come and he had helped Teddy.

Leaning down, Harry kissed the top of Teddy's head, not noticing his tears were merging with the bath water. "You're gonna be fine, Ted. Snape helped you. He is an amazing potion master, probably the best in the world. You are gonna be fine, Love."

Gussy twittered around the bathroom, unsure what to do with herself, "Master Harry, I be making water cold again."

The temperature of the water cooled significantly but Harry didn't notice, he kept babbling to Teddy in a soothing voice. The baby was lethargic, barely moving in Harry's arms.

A loud pop announced Snape's return. The dour potion master held up a potion bottle, "This will fight the infection. Similar to muggle antibiotics but much faster."

Snape ran another diagnostic and found the fever a bit lower. He wasn't sure if it was the potion working or the cold bath but either way, the child was in less danger. "I will spell it into his stomach in a few minutes. I want the fever reducer to be absorbed completely."

Nodding again, Harry jostled Teddy higher up in his arms, so the baby was almost sitting up, "Good, I don't think I could get him to take it. He's been refusing liquids all day."

After five agonizing minutes, Snape spelled the potion into Teddy's stomach and checked his temperature again. It had lowered again by a half a degree. "I think you can take him out of the bathtub now."

Harry handed Teddy to Gussy, afraid to drop him as he stood up. He cast a half-hearted attempt at a drying charm on his clothes before he took Teddy back. Wrapping the small child in a towel, Harry sloshed his way to Teddy's room. Carefully drying him off, Harry dressed him in a nappy and a bodysuit. He could hear Snape in the other room, instructing Gussy to warm soup for the child.

"Oh Teddy," Harry sighed as the baby snuggled into his shoulder, tucking his head in. "Don't go to sleep, baby. You need to drink something."

~O-O~

Potter entered the kitchen with the child nestled in his arms. His clothing was still wet but not dripping, and his dark hair plastered down on his head.

The house elf waved her hand at him, drying him completely. Potter's hair remained a mess, flattened in some spots while standing on end in others.

"Master Teddy be needing soup."

"He's half asleep. Maybe we can put the broth in a bottle instead of trying to get him to eat or drink from his sippy cup."

Severus watched as Potter transfigured a sippy cup into a baby bottle, handing it to the elf to fill. Potter murmured gently to get the child to suckle at the bottle. Severus felt uncomfortable as if he was intruding on a family moment. Busying himself with another diagnostic charm, he was thrilled to see the child's fever was down again.

"Is the boy's mother off getting a healer?" Severus asked, wondering where the Weasley chit was when her child was ill.

Potter's eyebrows shot up, disappearing under his bangs, "Sir?"

"He's not a ginger but I assume he is a Weasley." Severus shook his head disapprovingly at the teenager, "Couldn't keep it in your pants, Potter?"

Snorting, Potter turned so Severus could see the baby's little face, "Sir, allow me to introduce you to Edward Remus Lupin Potter, or Teddy for short."

Gobsmacked, Severus stepped back, "The werewolf's offspring."

'How did I not see that coming?' He asked himself. He didn't know what happened in the final battle, he didn't know the casualties. All he knew was that the Dark Lord was dead and he was free.

"Then he and Miss Tonks are deceased."

"Yes, Remus and Tonks are gone," Potter kissed the child's forehead, "Andi couldn't take care of him so I adopted him."

Giving a non-committal noise, Severus gestured towards the bottle, "It's empty. See if you can get him to drink more."

Gussy refilled the bottle before popping out of the room.

Potter prodded the baby, the nipple at his mouth, "can you drink a little more, Love?"

Once the child was drinking again, Potter addressed Severus, "Sir, I really can't thank you enough. You saved Teddy's life."

"Don't be dramatic, Potter. The child had a febrile seizure. They are common with small children when they have a high fever." Severus set up two potion bottles on the kitchen counter, labeling instructions on them with a wave of his wand. "You will need to give him more fever reducer in four hours. It's already diluted for his weight." Holding up the blue bottle, he continued, "this is the potion for his ear infections, you can give him this one in the morning."

"I will," Potter nodded, glancing at the clock to make note of the time. He let out a short laugh, then hiccuped, "I can't put him down. I was so scared of losing him." Potter looked as if he was about to burst into tears again.

Terrified that Potter would want comfort from him, he accioed his bag and spoke curtly, "Send me a patronus if his condition changes."

He apparated away as Potter was still thanking him.

~O-O~

A/N: More Snape! Yay!