Chapter 1
.
It was the welcoming feast and Tristan sat on his daddy's knee while he ate and watched the people who watched him. Then he got bored and shuffled off Harry's knee and began to walk to the other side of the table. People watched both father and son as the child approached Severus Snape - surely Harry wouldn't let his son near that git if he could help it? But, no, he was watching the boy walk over, a calm and contented expression on his face.
Professor McGonagall sat beside Severus and couldn't wait to see his reaction to Harry's child. She was slightly surprised when the child said, 'I was bored. N'I sit with you 'stead?"
She was even more surprised when Severus put out his arms and settled the child in his knee, and the following conversation had her gaping at the man.
"Why were you bored, Trist?"
"He wasn't doing anything, daddy!"
"Neither am I."
"Can you tell me a funny story about daddy when he was here?"
"I'm not sure daddy would like that," he said, glancing at Harry, who was smiling, "he was very silly in school, you see."
"Was he silly in your class, daddy?"
Severus tickled the child and smiled.
"No one is silly in my class, Tristan."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not nice when I'm teaching."
"Why? Daddy says he's gonna be nice to his classes."
Severus smirked at Harry across the table.
"I give daddy a week before he snaps."
The young child looked outraged.
"Daddy never snaps!"
Severus smiled a little.
"No, he leaves that to me to do."
By now, Harry had gotten up and come over, kneeling down at the chair.
"Only because he's so good at it, though!"
Tristan giggled and Severus shot Harry a death glare. Harry giggled too.
"Sorry, love. But you know it's true."
Severus harrumphed, faking an upset look, and Harry smiled, stood up and planted a kiss on his cheek before picking his son up from the other man's lap.
"Bedtime, Trist."
Tristan, being an average four-year-old, didn't like the sound of that and wiggled until Harry had to put him down in fear of dropping him.
The child ran back to his older daddy and wrapped his arms around a leg shrieking, "No! Want daddy to put me to bed!"
Harry sighed.
"But, Trist, daddy has to say hello to the new Slytherins."
"Want daddy!"
Harry saw the tears welling in the boy's eyes and gave Severus a helpless look. Severus sighed, scooped his son up and stood.
"Harry, go tell the Slytherins that I'll see them half an hour later than planned?"
Harry nodded and received a kiss on the cheek from Severus and a hug from Tristan, waving his son and partner off through the side door, a smile on his face.
Then he looked around and realised that the hall was silent, staring either at the now-empty doorway or him.
He gave them an annoyed 'what?' look and went back to his seat to eat the dessert he hadn't thought he was going to be able to enjoy.
Professor Sprout, who sat to the left of Harry, seemed to contemplate talking for a moment.
"He seems to be a handful."
Harry smiled, glad that she wasn't directly questioning his relationship with Severus.
"Only when he's tired. He just loves Severus putting him to bed because Severus puts on the funny accents when he reads to him. And he lets him splash in the bath."
Professor Sprout gave him a disbelieving glance and Harry laughed.
"Just don't tell the students - I wouldn't be forgiven."
Professor Sinistra from his right hand side decided to interject.
"Doesn't the fact that he calls you both daddy confuse you?"
Harry smiled and decided to answer the unasked question.
"Sometimes - when he comes into our room at night and asks for 'daddy' after a restless sleep, for example - we never know which he means, but sometimes neither does he. I would imagine it would confuse others more - when he's talking to me about his daddy, at least I know he's referring to Severus."
Professor Sinistra looked as if she was fed up being subtle.
"So, how long have you and Severus been an item?"
Harry had been dreading that question - to answer was to implicitly state that they had had a student-teacher affair, but to fluff over it was to imply it anyway. He settled for fluff.
"A good while now - it seems like forever. A bit of a surprise, I know."
"When did you adopt Tristan? And how? I thought gay adoptions were still illegal."
"Three years ago from a muggle orphanage. We'd been looking for a child with magical ability in one of those places to make sure that they understood what was happening to them for a while then, and Tristan was just… he shone. And magic is a wonderful thing, that's all I'm saying about the adoption."
"He's perfect for you - with the black hair and the green eyes. He looks like flesh and blood."
"That's not why we chose him, but yes, he does. It was pure good fortune - a bonus."
"Severus seems to have taken to being a father after all this time."
"I'm not sure exactly what you mean," Harry said in an icy tone, giving the woman a warning glance. It didn't work.
"Well, generally people around your age would be having children. Severus is quite a bit older - around my age. I couldn't contemplate having a young child around at my age."
Fed up with being Mr Nice Guy, Harry decided to use her statement about her own age against her.
"Yes, well, some people age much better than others."
He almost snickered at her affronted look.
"I'll just be going now. Wouldn't want Trist to go to bed without both his fathers saying goodnight to him. Good evening, ladies."
And he walked off, not noticing the fact that Sprout was in fact snickering at Sinistra. So much for the loyal Hufflepuff.
::TBC::
.
It was the welcoming feast and Tristan sat on his daddy's knee while he ate and watched the people who watched him. Then he got bored and shuffled off Harry's knee and began to walk to the other side of the table. People watched both father and son as the child approached Severus Snape - surely Harry wouldn't let his son near that git if he could help it? But, no, he was watching the boy walk over, a calm and contented expression on his face.
Professor McGonagall sat beside Severus and couldn't wait to see his reaction to Harry's child. She was slightly surprised when the child said, 'I was bored. N'I sit with you 'stead?"
She was even more surprised when Severus put out his arms and settled the child in his knee, and the following conversation had her gaping at the man.
"Why were you bored, Trist?"
"He wasn't doing anything, daddy!"
"Neither am I."
"Can you tell me a funny story about daddy when he was here?"
"I'm not sure daddy would like that," he said, glancing at Harry, who was smiling, "he was very silly in school, you see."
"Was he silly in your class, daddy?"
Severus tickled the child and smiled.
"No one is silly in my class, Tristan."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not nice when I'm teaching."
"Why? Daddy says he's gonna be nice to his classes."
Severus smirked at Harry across the table.
"I give daddy a week before he snaps."
The young child looked outraged.
"Daddy never snaps!"
Severus smiled a little.
"No, he leaves that to me to do."
By now, Harry had gotten up and come over, kneeling down at the chair.
"Only because he's so good at it, though!"
Tristan giggled and Severus shot Harry a death glare. Harry giggled too.
"Sorry, love. But you know it's true."
Severus harrumphed, faking an upset look, and Harry smiled, stood up and planted a kiss on his cheek before picking his son up from the other man's lap.
"Bedtime, Trist."
Tristan, being an average four-year-old, didn't like the sound of that and wiggled until Harry had to put him down in fear of dropping him.
The child ran back to his older daddy and wrapped his arms around a leg shrieking, "No! Want daddy to put me to bed!"
Harry sighed.
"But, Trist, daddy has to say hello to the new Slytherins."
"Want daddy!"
Harry saw the tears welling in the boy's eyes and gave Severus a helpless look. Severus sighed, scooped his son up and stood.
"Harry, go tell the Slytherins that I'll see them half an hour later than planned?"
Harry nodded and received a kiss on the cheek from Severus and a hug from Tristan, waving his son and partner off through the side door, a smile on his face.
Then he looked around and realised that the hall was silent, staring either at the now-empty doorway or him.
He gave them an annoyed 'what?' look and went back to his seat to eat the dessert he hadn't thought he was going to be able to enjoy.
Professor Sprout, who sat to the left of Harry, seemed to contemplate talking for a moment.
"He seems to be a handful."
Harry smiled, glad that she wasn't directly questioning his relationship with Severus.
"Only when he's tired. He just loves Severus putting him to bed because Severus puts on the funny accents when he reads to him. And he lets him splash in the bath."
Professor Sprout gave him a disbelieving glance and Harry laughed.
"Just don't tell the students - I wouldn't be forgiven."
Professor Sinistra from his right hand side decided to interject.
"Doesn't the fact that he calls you both daddy confuse you?"
Harry smiled and decided to answer the unasked question.
"Sometimes - when he comes into our room at night and asks for 'daddy' after a restless sleep, for example - we never know which he means, but sometimes neither does he. I would imagine it would confuse others more - when he's talking to me about his daddy, at least I know he's referring to Severus."
Professor Sinistra looked as if she was fed up being subtle.
"So, how long have you and Severus been an item?"
Harry had been dreading that question - to answer was to implicitly state that they had had a student-teacher affair, but to fluff over it was to imply it anyway. He settled for fluff.
"A good while now - it seems like forever. A bit of a surprise, I know."
"When did you adopt Tristan? And how? I thought gay adoptions were still illegal."
"Three years ago from a muggle orphanage. We'd been looking for a child with magical ability in one of those places to make sure that they understood what was happening to them for a while then, and Tristan was just… he shone. And magic is a wonderful thing, that's all I'm saying about the adoption."
"He's perfect for you - with the black hair and the green eyes. He looks like flesh and blood."
"That's not why we chose him, but yes, he does. It was pure good fortune - a bonus."
"Severus seems to have taken to being a father after all this time."
"I'm not sure exactly what you mean," Harry said in an icy tone, giving the woman a warning glance. It didn't work.
"Well, generally people around your age would be having children. Severus is quite a bit older - around my age. I couldn't contemplate having a young child around at my age."
Fed up with being Mr Nice Guy, Harry decided to use her statement about her own age against her.
"Yes, well, some people age much better than others."
He almost snickered at her affronted look.
"I'll just be going now. Wouldn't want Trist to go to bed without both his fathers saying goodnight to him. Good evening, ladies."
And he walked off, not noticing the fact that Sprout was in fact snickering at Sinistra. So much for the loyal Hufflepuff.
::TBC::