"We are leaving in 10 minutes, I want everyone down here in 5. Do you hear me?" Sirius bellowed from the bottom of the stairwell as Severus, Remus, and Dannie were relaxing in the living room.
"Dad I can't find my shoe anywhere!" a voice trailed down.
"Check your bags." Dannie yelled
"Thanks mom." Bria announced a few moments later.
Remus wrapped his arm around Dannie as she rested her head on his shoulder. "So Sev, are you glad to be going back?" he asked.
"I'm not quite sure. Back at work, yes. Away from this mess, yes. But..."
"Don't let him get to you. He probably just needed to calm down." Remus stated.
"No, it's worse than that. You didn't see the hatred in his eyes." Severus stated
"Sev, he's a kid. They all hate their parents at one time or another. You wouldn't believe how many times Bria had the same look towards me." Dannie said.
"It's beyond that and I really can't blame him."
"Watch out, here comes the stampede." Sirius announced as the thundering sounds from everyone's shoes came down the stairs and the kids all stopped infront of the room. Sirius then looked over the group. "Ok where is Ann and Matt?"
"They are saying goodbye." Jamie replied.
"Now? He's not leaving until tomorrow." Sirius then took a deep breath and bellowed "ANN MARIE YOU HAVE 3 SECONDS TO GET YOUR TAIL DOWN HERE! THREE!"
"DAD!"
"TWO!"
"Ok, ok, we're coming." She said as her and Matt started down the stairs.
"So does everyone have everything you came with?" Remus asked.
"Yes we do. Can we just go now?" Bria asked.
"You just want to get back so you and Potter can have your little snog fest." Draco spat.
"And like you can't wait to drag Ginny back behind the armor again when she gets back so just shut..."
"Gabriella, Draco! Both of you stop it now." Remus demanded.
"Yes sir." Draco replied
"Sorry dad."
"Don't sorry me, we are going to have a talk when we get home." Remus stated
Bria glared at Draco; "Thanks a-lot!"
"Anytime." Draco replied causing Remus to glare at the two of them again.
"Severus may I make a suggestion?" Dannie asked.
"Why not." He sighed.
"Next time Remus goes along with something like this that lasts more than a few days, just go ahead and have him committed."
"Wait a moment here. You were all for this and you weren't even out there dodging the kids curses so you had it easy."
"No love, I was in here keeping them from killing one another while the three of you all slept after your little war games."
"We could have easily switched places." Remus stated
"Oh, and what was I suppose to do? Go around biting all the kids on the ass? You know I can't do magic."
"Would you two stop it? You're as bad as the children." Severus spat as he started at the couple. "It's been a long week on all of us. Let's gust get back and rest up before the students arrive tomorrow."
"I couldn't agree more." Sirius continued. "Severus, you take the girls with this port key while I take the boys." As he tossed him a Frisbee.
"What about mom and dad?" Bria asked
"They are going to Floo back. You dad is going to lock up the house after we leave." Severus replied. "Come on, Albus isn't going to keep the wards down that much longer."
Remus and Dannie watched everyone leave and head up the hillside. "Ready to go home?" he asked.
She took a deep breath and sighed, "Most definitely." Remus then led her into the fireplace that held on tight to her as they Floo'd directly to Albus' office.
When they arrived a pacing headmaster greeted them as he held a screaming toddler. "Oh thank Merlin you are back. He's been screaming for two days and I'm about to loose my mind."
"Albus, I've never seen you like this. You deal with children all the time. What is wrong?" Remus asked.
"Yes, I deal with children, not with babies. Dannie my dear do you mind?" he replied as he held the baby towards her.
"Um, no not at all." She said as she took the very voiceterous child. "Do you have any supplies?"
"Yes, yes. Just at the tow of the stairs. Thank you." He said as he collapsed in his chair.
Remus smiled as he watched Dannie take the little one and head to where she was directed while softly talking to him the whole time as he whimpered trying to calm down. He then sat across the desk from the exhausted older man. "Albus, where did he come from? Why hasn't Minerva helped you?"
"She's been at her sister's since before it happened. She said she thought it was a bad idea to let him work in the lab by himself but he said he was working on a textbook assignment. I was glad to see him taking an interest and I knew his father would be too. Now his mother has been yelling at me all day for letting this happen. I thought it was an actual potion out of the potion book. The worse part is Dobby cleaned it all up before I even got there so there is no telling what he made."
"Albus, you're not making much sense. Did you say his mother's here? Why isn't she taking care of him? Where is this textbook the child was working out of?"
"I'm sorry Remus. I'm exhausted; I haven't been able to sleep in two days. Here is his book. A lot of what I've said will make sense when you see who's it is." Albus replied
Remus picked up the book and looked at the inside cover. He then looked at Albus and asked "This is a joke right?" as he left the book open to the page with the potion on the edge of the desk.
"If only my boy, if only."
"I don't know what to tell you. Poor Bria, I don't know how I'm going to tell her."
"Forget your daughter, how am I going to tell Severus?"
"Albus, it will come to you. It always does. I'll be here if you wish so I can help hold him back." Remus then glanced out the window. "Well looks like you had better think of something quick. They are coming up the walk right now."
"Might as well get it over and done with. Are you coming?"
"No I'm going to check on them. He's become awfully quiet." Remus said as he watched the headmaster leave. As soon as the door closed he opened up the top desk drawer and pulled out a small chocolate Santa wrapped in foil and took it up stairs. Once at the top he noticed Dannie singing as she danced and bounced the baby who was happily chewing on his fist. "Everything alright?"
"Sure, no problems. He's teething though." She replied as she sat in the closest chair then continued. "Who would abandon a baby here?"
"He wasn't abandoned, he's actually one of the students." Remus replied.
"One of the students? The only one here was...you don't mean it's..."
"Wem, Wem, Wem, Wem, Wem." Harry kept saying as Remus smiled and brushed the bangs off Harry's' forehead exposing the scar.
"What happened to him?" Dannie asked
"A potions accident. Albus has gone to bring Severus here so he can tell him."
"Well at least it's a potion. He will be able to return him to normal won't he?"
Remus didn't have a chance to answer when the door opened and Severus' voice trailed up the dome shaped room. He then handed Harry the shiny candy "I promised I'd keep Sev from killing him." He said as he then gave her a quick kiss and went back down the staircase.
Dannie looked at Harry who was peeling the foil wrapper off the candy and dropping small pieces onto the floor. "Well little one, I guess it's just us."
Harry's eyes lit up as he held out the candy and replied "Tacooo"
"Why did he give you this? He needs to learn that chocolate gives little ones the runs." And she took it out of the boy's hand and placed it onto the table. She then put Harry onto the floor as she bent down to pick up the mess he made. Harry glared at her then wobbled over to the table, stood on his toes, and rubbed his hand along the top of it until he finally found the candy. "Tacooo." He said again and bit off Santa's head.
"Albus, I don't understand. Why did you insist I come with you to your office and then you just sit there." Severus said as his voice trailed upward to the little ears.
"Da da da da da." Harry kept repeating as he wobbled on his toes towards the top of the stairs.
"Stop right there." Dannie ordered. Harry turned to her with brown drool on his chin. She then glanced at the table and back to him stating "I said no chocolate."
Harry threw the headless Santa down the stairs and replied "No tacooo."
Sirius noticed something hit the floor at the bottom of the stairs and walked over to see what it was. As he bent down to pick it up he instantly heard a squeal "MINE!" so he stopped.
"I'm sorry Severus I really don't know how to tell you this. He asked if he could work on one of the potions from his book." Albus continued as Sirius looked to where the noise came from. He soon saw a small brown bushy head of hair peek over the top step and then disappear.
Harry then sat on the floor and scooted his bottom to the edge of the top step and started butt bumping his way down. Dannie went to pick him up but Sirius smiled as he shook his head stating that it was all right.
"Albus, would you please stop fumbling around and tell me what happened. Was Harry injured? Where is he? You said you would keep an eye on him." Severus had a million more things running through his mind but nothing like what caught his attention when he saw what his friends were watching on the stairs.
Severus just stared as he noticed a small head bobbing up and down followed by a small voice saying "ity bity ity bity..." All the way down closely followed by Dannie. Once Harry reached the bottom of the stairs he crawled to the waiting candy, wrapped his fist around it, looked at Sirius and said "My tacooo."
"Albus?" Severus questioned
Harry then walked over to where Remus was sitting, stuck his arm in the air, palm up and open and said "Wem, Tacooo."
Remus leaned back to avoid the semi messy hand and replied "Yes buddy, chocolate."
"Who is that child and where is Harry?" Severus continued questioning as calmly as possible.
Harry then looked around the room, and started saying "Mum mum mum mum mum." as he walked behind Albus' chair towards the bookcase, lifting the messy hand into the air, and saying again "Wem, tacooo." While pointing towards Remus with the other hand. Harry then slowly lowered his hand and started whimpering as he plopped down onto the ground. As Albus buried his head in his hands waiting for the boy to start screaming and crying again Dannie pulled a tissue out of her pocket, walked over to the boy and bend down to try to clean the completely melted candy off the boys hand. Harry then sniffed loudly and squealed "My tacooo." as he pulled his hand away from her and tried to lick it clean not only making more of a mess but also spreading some across his face.
She then helped him stand up by taking his clean hand saying "How about if you go see your dad, little one."
Harry stopped sniffling and as he stood on his toes to peer over the desk his eyes lit up once again and noticed Severus sitting in the chair. He then wobbled his way around the obstacle chanting "Da da da da da".
Poor Severus was still in shock but had to ask. "You said he wanted to work on a potion. Which one was it?"
Harry paused as he looked at his dad then at his hand and wiped it across the paper on the edge of the desk before he climbed up onto his father's lap and faced him.
"You have to believe me Severus. He truly had me believing it was one out of your own textbooks." Albus stated.
Harry used his index finger from his clean hand to poke Severus in the chest to get his attention. When the man finally glanced at him Harry said, "Fix."
"Albus are you saying he was just experimenting? And you allowed this?"
Again Harry started poking him but this time Severus gently grabbed to small finger to get him to stop and Harry said again more demanding "Fix!"
"It wasn't a nameless potion. It was the one for his Animagus class. It's in the book there on the desk."
Severus supported Harry's back as he leaned over to glance at the now slimy smudged page. Harry was getting frustrated from his father ignoring him so he put his small hands on either side of the man's face forcing him to look at him while he stated "Fix now da."
He looked at the glaring green eyes and said "I will, just wait." He then turned his attention to Albus and asked, "Where is the remainder of what he made. I need to be able to see what went wrong."
"That is the worse part of this whole thing. The house-elf, Dobby, cleaned it up before I even got back."
"Are you telling me that not only did you let my son work unsupervised in the lab but you weren't even here at the school while he did this?" Severus said as calmly as possible but his voice was still getting louder.
Harry then shoved a brown finger into the man's mouth and said "Da tacooo."
Severus pulled the boy's finger out of his mouth and replied "No thank you Harry. I don't need chocolate." Remus and Sirius were starting to laugh at the site of Severus sitting there with chocolate on his slightly red from anger face and the messy child on his lap. "You two are really enjoying this aren't you?" he asked.
"As a matter of fact we are." Remus chuckled.
Dannie then handed Severus the tissue and pointed out the mess on his face as he grumbled a quiet "Thank you."
Just then the door flew open and a voice called out "Dad. I can't find Harry anywhere. You haven't seen him have you?"
Harry then slammed bot his feet into Severus' lap to jump up squealing "BWE!" Severus grunted while trying to get hold of the squiggling toddler whom held on tightly to his dad's shoulders as he continued to jump up and down yelling "Bwe Bwe Bwe Bwe."
Bria looked at the smiling baby when a red faced Severus whom finally got hold of the boy's waist and lifted him up and said, "Harry, no jumping on me. You can jump on Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus all you want but no jumping on dad. Do you understand?" Harry just replied with a giggle as he opened his mouth to chew on his hand again causing drool to drip onto Severus shirt.
"Um dad, this is some sort of prank right? That's not really Harry is it?" Bria asked
Severus felt Harry buckle up again so he lifted him slightly just as the boy threw his arms and legs out and again squealed "Bwe!"
"I'm sorry sweetheart. I will explain it to you later."
The girl's legs gave way as she collapsed onto the couch staring at the much younger version of her boyfriend. In seeing the reaction Bria had towards him, Harry then held his arms out towards the bookcase and said, "Mum?" Just as before there was no response. Severus immediately caught on and placed him back on his lap allowing the child to curl up in a ball and cry into his shirt while he rubbed his hand up and down the toddler's arm doing his best to try to comfort him.
After a few moments of Severus quietly ranting at the now sleeping headmaster that remained in the chair across from him, he felt Harry squirm as something warm hit his pant leg. Severus looked at the child and questioned "Harry?"
Harry held onto his stomach and looked up at his dad's face with snot dripping from his nose and tear stained eyes and replied "No mow tacooo."
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