A/N: thanks for the reviews, guys :-) Appreciate it! now, on with the story.. Don't worry, it gets better later, this is just the groundwork, I suppose...
Severus sighed, collapsing into a chair. The boy was finally asleep in a bed, blankets swaddled around him like a protective shell. The boy had refused to allow Severus to touch him, and refused to meet his eye. Something wasn't right about the child, Severus thought with a frown as he peered into the boy's room from his seated posistion in his comfy chair. He recalled the elfin woman's statement that the boy was trouble. The boy seemed not to be trouble, only a troubled boy.
"What the hell am I doing?" Severus muttered to himself as he took out the parchment which held his guardianship rights to the boy. He stared at the blank spot where the boy's name should be. He had tried to ask the boy his name, but the boy had only remained silent and sullen, refusing to sit still or eat his meal. Though, he did seem drawn to his house elf, Snippy.
"What's your name, boy?" Severus whispered as he put down the parchment and stood in the doorway of the boy's room, watching the boy sleep peacefully. The boy couldn't be more than seven years old. His long black hair was fanned around his face, mussed in sleep. His small, scarred arms jerked convulsively in sleep, making odd patterns in the air.
The boy suddenly gasped, crying out and jerking his hands and fingers in odd patterns, making odd, whimpering noises that sounded almost like he was trying to cry out a name. Severus stood by, not knowing what to do for the boy. Slowly, as if nothing had happened, the boy's muscles relaxed, and the boy went slack, falling back on the bed, returning to his state of deep sleep.
He should find Poppy. Poppy would know what to do, Severus mused as he headed over to the fireplace to Floo Poppy. Instead, he found the insufferable know-it-All, Miss Granger, who had recently been hired as the castle's daycare witch. Very well, he couldn't hesistate in the case of his child.
"Miss Granger, I require your immediate presence, there is a situation with my boy." Severus remarked coldly, his eyes studying the deep brown of Miss Granger's as she nodded eagerly, stepping into the fireplace, into his rooms.
"Where's your son?" Hermione whispered, looking around as Severus guided her to the doorway.
"He cries out in his sleep, but refuses to speak to me. Why? He won't look me into the eye. He ignores everything I say." Severus remarked in an irritated tone. "He doesn't seem to be a troublemaker, only to be a troubled boy." Severus remarked as Hermione stood by his side, watching the boy's arms moving lanquidly in sleep.
"I've seen something like this before." Hermione said after a long pause. "I will need to do more research first. Could you tell me more about him, Professor? everything you know. Did they do an exam on him upon arrival?"
"Questions, Miss Granger.." Severus replied with a sigh as he sat down in his chair, with Hermione across from him, her eyes meeting his inquistively. "First of all, I know nothing about him. They did not do an exam upon his arrival, he refused to allow anyone near him. He refuses to speak, does not maintain eye contact, nor make any awkenoldgement to any of my questions."
"I see." Hermione said with a nod. "I think I do have an answer to your problem, but I will need to see him in the morning. What is his name?"
"I don't have one. He refused to give a name." Severus said with a frown. Hermione shook her head with a sigh.
"Very well. Fetch me when he wakes up." Hermione said with a gentle smile. "I will bring Holly along, maybe that would help."
"You got a brat?" Severus said, his eyes wide.
"No, I got a daughter. A very sweet girl, five years old. Her name is Holly Minerva." Hermione replied smoothly as she rose from her seat. "Holly and I will see you tomorrow morning. Good night, Professor." Hermione said softly, a smile on her lips. "You will make a good father, Severus." Hermione added as an afterthought as she stepped into the fire, Severus staring after her, taken aback at her parting words.
"I, a wonderful father? that will be the day." Severus snorted with a shake of his head, but smiled at Miss Granger's comment as he headed to bed, hoping that tomorrow would bring a name for the boy.
Severus sighed, collapsing into a chair. The boy was finally asleep in a bed, blankets swaddled around him like a protective shell. The boy had refused to allow Severus to touch him, and refused to meet his eye. Something wasn't right about the child, Severus thought with a frown as he peered into the boy's room from his seated posistion in his comfy chair. He recalled the elfin woman's statement that the boy was trouble. The boy seemed not to be trouble, only a troubled boy.
"What the hell am I doing?" Severus muttered to himself as he took out the parchment which held his guardianship rights to the boy. He stared at the blank spot where the boy's name should be. He had tried to ask the boy his name, but the boy had only remained silent and sullen, refusing to sit still or eat his meal. Though, he did seem drawn to his house elf, Snippy.
"What's your name, boy?" Severus whispered as he put down the parchment and stood in the doorway of the boy's room, watching the boy sleep peacefully. The boy couldn't be more than seven years old. His long black hair was fanned around his face, mussed in sleep. His small, scarred arms jerked convulsively in sleep, making odd patterns in the air.
The boy suddenly gasped, crying out and jerking his hands and fingers in odd patterns, making odd, whimpering noises that sounded almost like he was trying to cry out a name. Severus stood by, not knowing what to do for the boy. Slowly, as if nothing had happened, the boy's muscles relaxed, and the boy went slack, falling back on the bed, returning to his state of deep sleep.
He should find Poppy. Poppy would know what to do, Severus mused as he headed over to the fireplace to Floo Poppy. Instead, he found the insufferable know-it-All, Miss Granger, who had recently been hired as the castle's daycare witch. Very well, he couldn't hesistate in the case of his child.
"Miss Granger, I require your immediate presence, there is a situation with my boy." Severus remarked coldly, his eyes studying the deep brown of Miss Granger's as she nodded eagerly, stepping into the fireplace, into his rooms.
"Where's your son?" Hermione whispered, looking around as Severus guided her to the doorway.
"He cries out in his sleep, but refuses to speak to me. Why? He won't look me into the eye. He ignores everything I say." Severus remarked in an irritated tone. "He doesn't seem to be a troublemaker, only to be a troubled boy." Severus remarked as Hermione stood by his side, watching the boy's arms moving lanquidly in sleep.
"I've seen something like this before." Hermione said after a long pause. "I will need to do more research first. Could you tell me more about him, Professor? everything you know. Did they do an exam on him upon arrival?"
"Questions, Miss Granger.." Severus replied with a sigh as he sat down in his chair, with Hermione across from him, her eyes meeting his inquistively. "First of all, I know nothing about him. They did not do an exam upon his arrival, he refused to allow anyone near him. He refuses to speak, does not maintain eye contact, nor make any awkenoldgement to any of my questions."
"I see." Hermione said with a nod. "I think I do have an answer to your problem, but I will need to see him in the morning. What is his name?"
"I don't have one. He refused to give a name." Severus said with a frown. Hermione shook her head with a sigh.
"Very well. Fetch me when he wakes up." Hermione said with a gentle smile. "I will bring Holly along, maybe that would help."
"You got a brat?" Severus said, his eyes wide.
"No, I got a daughter. A very sweet girl, five years old. Her name is Holly Minerva." Hermione replied smoothly as she rose from her seat. "Holly and I will see you tomorrow morning. Good night, Professor." Hermione said softly, a smile on her lips. "You will make a good father, Severus." Hermione added as an afterthought as she stepped into the fire, Severus staring after her, taken aback at her parting words.
"I, a wonderful father? that will be the day." Severus snorted with a shake of his head, but smiled at Miss Granger's comment as he headed to bed, hoping that tomorrow would bring a name for the boy.