A/N: Hello! Thanks again for the reviews. Anyway, progress is being made towards what you guys have been waiting for. Snape is still in the wrong mindset, but he should get there . . . eventually. Enjoy!

Chapter 20 – How to Be a Parent

Poppy insisted that Tristan stay the night in the infirmary. She also insisted that Severus leave, to calm down and get some sleep, promising she had no intention of leaving the boy alone.

Severus was hesitant to leave. He looked at Potter; the boy was still awake, picking lint – or something – off his robes. Obviously angry, and Severus couldn't blame him. Perhaps time away to regroup . . . Severus thought. Albus couldn't get upset if he took the time to refocus himself, especially if the boy was in the Hospital Wing. Making his decision, Severus took a few steps toward the bed with the intention of letting Potter know he would be back.

Potter looked up, glaring at him; Severus stopped and looked at Poppy, who looked up from her magazine. A look understanding and she waved him off.

He turned around and left without another word.

On his way back down the to dungeons, he wondered what, exactly, he was supposed to do now. He needed to research more on the curse, but it would be quicker to start with Lucius, who he hadn't heard from since he left the Malfoys in Albus' office. He needed to find something to keep the boy occupied for the summer, but a stop at a bookstore and game shop could satisfy that, at least temporarily; the shops in Hogsmede would be closed by now, but he could floo to Diagon Alley; several of the shops now stayed open late on Saturdays.

What the worst was, he knew, was that he needed to learn how to deal with Potter. He's your son now, Albus' voice rang in his ears.

What the hell did that mean? A day ago, he had every intention of dumping Potter off on someone else, and now that would no longer be an option. He was stuck with a brat who felt himself above rules, above respect for others . . . how did he deal with that? Ground him perpetually? Detentions hadn't much much of a deterrent, so he doubted grounding him would be of any use. And, somehow, that felt wrong at this point anyway, especially since it was certain the boy would act out in response to . . .

In his response to his nearly being killed.

How can I be a parent? Severus asked himself. He was out of his depth, he wasn't going to lie to himself anymore. He needed help.

Albus was out. Although the old man would be infuriatingly pleased at Severus' effort, he was sure the Headmaster never had children. The closest he had was the students. Lucius and Narcissa were an option. They cared for Draco more than anything – enough to go back on their pureblood-purist beliefs – but something burned on the edge of his mind when he thought about talking to Lucius more than he had to at the moment. It would be awhile before Lucius would trust him again, he was sure. Severus thought about who else he knew well that had children, but the only others that came to his mind were the Weasleys.

Reluctantly, Severus ticked off the reasons why talking the Molly and Arthur would be a good thing. By the time he made it to his rooms, he went straight for the fireplace before he changed his mind.

It was Bill Weasley who answered the floo. Severus was ready to tell the boy – man now, he knew – to ignore his call, but Arthur came up behind him.

"Severus, how can I help you?" he asked.

"I need to speak with you and Molly," he said simply. His voice was tighter than he would have preferred.

"Of course. Come on through," he answered, and the two men stepped out of the way.

"Professor," the younger Weasley greeted, and Severus nodded his reply as he followed Arthur out of room and into a sitting room.

"I'll go find Molly," Arthur said. "Would you like tea?"

"Yes," Severus answered. He doubted he'd get through the conversation without it. Arthur paused before leaving the room, watching him cautiously.

"Is everything alright?" he asked quietly.

Is everything alright? Severus asked himself. Potter was cursed, and Severus was stuck caring for him; Albus was angry with him – for good reason, he reminded himself; the Dark Lord would know very soon that he no longer had his spy, and that said spy had taken the Malfoys with him . . .

"No," he said shortly, in what he was sure he'd later consider a moment of weakness. "I'm not sure it can ever be alright." Arthur nodded.

"I will fetch Molly," he said quietly. A few minutes later, they were all there with tea, door firmly closed. The Weasleys seemed to be waiting for him to speak, but Severus, honestly, had no idea where to begin. Molly seemed to catch on.

"Was there anything in particular you needed to speak about, Severus?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, trying to think of the best way to ask them how to be a parent. Severus snorted into his tea, surprising even himself. How to be a parent, he thought bitterly. How to parent a child that is not mine, who has no respect for me, who never fails to find trouble. The two Weasleys looked at him with worry. No, he was not acting like himself.

"Yes," he repeated. "About Tristan . . ." he said.

"Oh, dear, is he alright?" Molly asked, sitting up in her chair a bit. Severus found he couldn't answer immediately.

"No," he said quietly. "He's not, but that's not directly what I wish to speak with you about." He tried to continue quickly, not wanting anymore interruptions before he managed to say it. "I find myself at a loss of what to . . . do with him."

Molly laughed a bit.

"What to do with him? Oh, dear. He's not something, Severus," she said, and Severus couldn't help the glare in her direction. "Oh, don't mind me," she said, still laughing a bit. "I do understand what you're asking, though. Is there something in particular he's giving you troubles with?"

"He doesn't respect privacy much at all," Severus answered truthfully, but realized he was going to have to fabricate some things to avoid giving away this was Harry Potter he was dealing with. "He only respects my authority when it suits him." He paused. "I'm used to dealing with students, but giving him detentions seems to do no good."

"He might still be dealing with his mother's death," Arthur said. "He did get placed with you rather abruptly, did he not?"

"Yes," Severus said. The three sat quietly for a few moments.

"What does he enjoy doing?" Molly finally asked, and Severus looked at her questioningly. "Sometimes the best way to get a child to behave is to reward good behavior as well as reprimanding the bad." She got a look on her face as she seemed to think of something. "How much does he know about you? And you about him? I know you've been keeping him from the war, but . . . perhaps, this deep in the war, it is simply putting a barrier between you two . . ." She shook her head. "None of my business, of course, but something to keep in mind when you talk to him. Now, what does he enjoy doing?"

Severus paused.

"He likes reading," Severus said. "Novels."

They sat quiet for another few moments.

"Is that it?" Arthur asked, and Severus had to admit, other than flying – which he couldn't mention – Severus didn't know. Even at the beginning, he left the boy to his own devices.

Which, he saw now, was not the best way to go about things.

"I don't know what else," he admitted, feeling slightly ashamed, although he couldn't quite pinpoint why. "I know about his reading because he found a few of my old novels this summer."

"Maybe that's where you can start," Arthur said. "Get to know him. Then, your relationship with Tristan will be better, and you will have a better idea of what might work to punish his misbehavior without losing his respect."

Severus took a sip of his tea. He would be spending enough time with Potter to learn about him, he knew. He doubted Potter would be receptive to any inquiries on his part, though.

"I may have lost any ounce of respect he might have had for me," Severus told them honestly. "I . . . brought him into a situation I should not have. Do you remember Bellatrix Lestrange?" he asked.

"How could we forget?" Molly said darkly.

"She is out of Azkaban, although I hadn't known it before that moment. She was jumpy, let out a curse and it hit Tristan."

"No," Arthur and Molly said together, and Severus nodded.

"Lucius recognized the curse and was able to . . . control it, but we don't have a way to stop it."

"Where is he now?" Arthur asked.

"With Poppy. She has sent me away for the night. He's going to need constant supervision in case . . ." Severus stopped that line of thought. "I thought I would talk to you, and then stop in Diagon Alley to pick him up a few things. Books, at least, although I don't know what else."

"Games," Molly said. "There's plenty that can be played with one or two people. You might find something you can bond over, if you find a game you both enjoy." Severus nodded. "But it might be best to wander through the shops. You may know more about him than what's coming to mind. Although, if you're going to the stops tonight, you should go soon. It's nearly seven . . ."

"Yes, of course," Severus said standing.

"And let us know if there is anything we could do to help. Bill's working at the Ministry, now, and I know he'd help, too. And if you need a rest, I'll keep an eye on him for you."

"Thank you, Molly," Severus said.

"Take care, Severus," Arthur. "Bill's held up tonight, was headed out when you called, but I'll send him to you tomorrow? Are you staying at Hogwarts?"

"Yes," Severus said. "That would be appreciated." he paused. "Have him call me, first. A situation with . . . an old friend has developed, and I'm unsure where we stand at the moment. If he can't get a hold of me, Albus can point him in the right direction."

"Of course!" Molly said, she looked to be near in tears. "He's back, then? Oh, I'd thought he'd show sooner with . . . with Harry, but we haven't been able to talk to him."

"Neither had I," Severus said. "I spoke with him for the first time last night," he continued, but Molly had stopped listening, crying, and Arthur was trying to calm her down.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Molly said after a few minutes. "I just . . . I just think of what Harry must have gone though and . . ."

"Molly, you should sit," Arthur said, then turning to Severus after she left. "We'll see you, Severus. And we are sorry for this. Losing Harry's been hard on all of us; he was such a sweet child. Had horrible luck when it came to finding trouble, of course, but I blame that on the Dursleys. They never cared for him, and I dare say that their neglect led to his failure to care for himself . . ." he continued, trailing off, shaking his head. "I hope his death was quick, but knowing you-know-who . . ."

Severus shook his head once, feeling a need to quell Arthur's fear of a drawn-out death. "It is possible that the Dark Lord simply wished him dead," he said quietly. "He had drawn it out in the past, and Potter had escaped." Arthur gave a nod. "Goodbye," he said, taking floo powder off the mantel and flooing directly to Diagon Alley, having a hard time thinking of Harry Potter as 'sweet'.

Harry found himself awake at five in the morning in the too-quiet Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey looked to be already awake, as there was light coming from her office, but he didn't want to do anything that would catch her attention. He was in any mood to deal with any adults at the moment.

Turning over, Harry started when he saw Snape in a chair next to the bed, scowling at the Daily Prophet. He looked up at Harry's movement, his expression changing to a neutral one. Harry glared back.

"Good morning, Tristan," Snape said slowly, as if he wasn't sure he should say it. Harry didn't bother answering back, afraid he would start a fight with Snape, and he really had enough of fighting. "If you are awake, we should go back to our rooms," he continued, but Harry didn't move. It felt wrong, with Snape ignoring him all that time, to have the man suddenly acting nice towards him.

It felt like a Howler, getting ready to explode, but Harry wasn't sure if that was himself or Snape.

"Are you alright, Tristan?" Snape asked, leaning in toward him. "Any worse, I should say?"

After a few moments, Harry shook his head. He still had that feeling of soreness, but he felt alright otherwise. He continued staring at Snape, though, and the professor watched him back.

"Am I staying with you, then?" Harry asked cautiously, trying to keep his voice even; it didn't work, and Snape glared at his aggravated tone. Snape didn't answer at first. Probably trying to not yell at me, Harry thought.

"Yes, I think that best." Snape brought up his hand and brushed a finger on the bed cover slowly. Absent-mindedly. The movement was odd, coming from Snape. "You do not have to worry about a repeat of the last few months." Snape pulled his hand down, and looked back at Harry. Harry hadn't realized he had looked away. "I am sorry," he continued. Harry thought the man had stopped himself from saying more.

Harry, also, wasn't sure if Snape was really sorry, but the effort made Harry feel a little better. A little less angry.

"Are you well enough to stand?" Snape asked, bringing Harry out of his musings.

"Yeah," he answered, putting the covers aside. At least in the dungeons he could escape to his room; he doubted Snape would mind that.

The walk to Snape's rooms was quicker than the walk to the infirmary, but it still took a lot out of him by the time they made it. Snape let him in, and Harry was headed to his room when the man put a hand on his shoulder. "There are a few things we need to discuss," Snape said, leading him, instead, to the couch. Harry sat hard, his anger building again. He couldn't even have time alone.

Snape sat down next to him instead of across from him, though, and Harry looked up questioningly.

"Am I dying?" Harry blurted without thinking. Looking away, he kicked his heals into the couch a few times, not expecting an response from Snape.

"That is a hard question to answer," Snape said after a minute. "Yes, in the sense that the curse that hit you is a fatal one. There is no counter-curse, but we have . . . stalled it, for the moment . . . it could still affect you." Harry looked at Snape, confused. "Think of a cage, but it can still reach out between the bars, catching you if you get too close," Snape explained. "We will work at finding a counter-curse, but in the mean time, we need to take precautions.

"You may stop breathing; one of the aspects of the curse is that on top of organ deterioration, it tends to suffocate the cursed. In response to the deterioration, we are healing that with potions. You will have some you take every day, and I will have others on hand to help anything sudden."

"Is that why I feel sore?" Harry asked. He could tell Snape was annoyed at his interruption, but Harry didn't care. He wanted answers, and it seemed Snape was willing to give them to him. As angry as he had been at the wizard, he felt better than he had with the other adults, who kept trying to tell him it would be okay.

"Perhaps," Snape said after a moment. When no further response was added, Harry kicked the couch again. "All the doors in our rooms have been removed for the time being," Snape continued slowly, and it took Harry a second to process that.

"All the doors?" Harry asked, eyeing the bathroom;

"All of the doors. And before you get angry, it is for your safety. What if you stopped breathing or your heart failed while in the bathroom, with the door closed and locked? The time it would take me to reach you could be too long to reverse it. In addition, a second bed has been added to my bedroom, where you will be sleeping. You may spend your time in your room while we are both awake if you wish for privacy, but I need to be able to reach you quickly. Understand?"

Harry stared at Snape. It wasn't that he didn't understand, but even last summer, Harry was able to spend time away from Snape. That was probably why they managed to get along as well as they did. Having to be with Snape all the time?

He wasn't sure either of them were going to make it out alive.

Snape continued after waiting a moment with no response. "If you have any questions, ask. I would rather know what is on your mind." Another pause. "While you were in the infirmary," he said slowly, "I . . . bought you a few things." Standing, Snape held out his hand to help Harry up. Suspicious, Harry took it, and Snape led him to his room.

It took a few moments to realize that his desk was fully covered; books, he saw, but he'd have to get closer to see what else. He glanced at Snape, even more suspicious now, but surprised enough he couldn't bring himself to feel angry.

"On the desk," Snape snapped, then seemed to control himself. "Some books – some wizard and some muggle – some games, and . . . an assortment of activities to keep you busy," he continued, sounding tense. "I do expect you to keep up with your studies, but that should keep you entertained otherwise." Snape finally looked at him. "There is also a new bag, on the chair. It is charmed to be bigger on the inside, so you may take more with you when we leave."

"We're staying at Hogwart's?" Harry asked, and Snape nodded. Looking over at the pile of things on the desk, Harry shook his head. Maybe Snape really is sorry, he thought. He looked back at Snape.

"Thank you," he said honestly. "I . . . er . . . thank you, really."