Childlike Innocence
Chapter 10: Old Situations
Remus slowly began to stir as his mind drifted into consciousness. He was warm, comfortable and really did not feel like getting up. His eyes slowly opened and looked down at the little sleeping face nestled against his chest. Severus was quite the little snuggler, attaching himself to Remus' side like a leach. He looked quite the picture of innocence, with his lips parted slightly and his long, dark eyelashes fanned out on his pale cheeks. Remus found himself wishing for a camera. As he shifted slightly, Severus began to stir.
"Hey kiddo, you awake?"
"No." Severus groaned, pulling the sheet over his head. Remus laughed and started tickling the reluctant waker.
"Stop…please stop." Severus gasped desperately between giggles, struggling to escape the tickling hands. When Remus finally stopped, Severus was struggling for breath.
"Awake now?" Remus asked with a smirk. Severus glared at him, which only made Remus smile wider. "Let's get you dressed then."
ooO0Ooo
Ten minutes later, they both emerged fully dressed. Remus started to pick Severus up, but the child resisted, "I wanna walk," and slipped his small hand into Remus' larger one. Holding onto Remus for support, Severus limped down the hall, across the landing, and with aggravating slowness, down one stair at a time. When they finally reached the bottom, Severus stopped and lifted his arms to be picked up. Remus rolled his eyes and gathered the boy up in his arms before sweeping into the kitchen.
Breakfast was a short but pleasant affair, the twins took turns trying to make Severus laugh (Remus put a stop to this when Severus started to choke on his food). Around noon, the rest of the Weasleys arrived.
Bill and Severus were seated at the kitchen table, the former perusing a newspaper and the latter occupied by a picture book. The twins were in their rooms doing God knows what, and Remus was out running a few errands. There was a faint knocking followed immediately by screeching from Mrs. Black's portrait. Bill stood and stretched, "That would be them," He told Severus, "Do you want to be carried or would you rather walk?"
"Walk." Severus replied as he shut his book and stood, slipping his tiny hand into the older boys as they headed to the door.
"Oh hello dear," Mrs. Weasley said as soon as the door opened. She gave Bill a kiss and bustled into the house, the rest of the Weasley Crew following in her wake. The last person to enter was Hermione, who had been staying at the burrow with the Weasleys. Despite the fact that Severus had been standing right next to Bill, nobody noticed him as they all headed toward the kitchen, leaving their luggage in the hall. Severus looked perplexed, but Bill just laughed.
"Don't worry, they can meet you in the kitchen."
ooO0Ooo
"William Austin Weasley!" Mrs. Weasley screeched when she saw Bill enter holding a small child, "That had better not be yours!" Severus' eyes widened fearfully and his small fingers clutched Bill's shirt so tightly that the seams strained.
"You didn't tell her?" Bill asked his dad, looking rather surprised.
"You knew about this!" Mrs. Weasley said rounding on he husband.
"Mum! He's not mine, I promise," Bill said loudly, "This is Severus Snape."
Mrs. Weasley gaped at the pair, speechless. Ginny, Ron's and Hermione's eyes, which had been wide enough with Mrs. Weasleys misassumption that Bill had fathered a child, now nearly fell out of their sockets.
"What!" Ron blurted out, "That's the greasy git?" The twins, who had come down to see what all the noise was, frowned slightly at Ron's comment. Ginny, who noticed that Severus looked like he might cry, elbowed Ron sharply in the ribs and told him to shove it.
"What happened?" Hermione asked, having recovered from the initial shock.
"Potions accident." Charlie muttered from his position in the corner.
"Professor Snape?" Hermione asked timidly. Severus frowned, looking very confused.
"His mind is also transformed Hermione, he won't remember you or anything about Hogwarts." Bill said gently.
"How old is he exactly?" Ginny asked, slowly approaching the pair.
Bill opened his mouth to reply when Severus answered, almost in a whisper, "4 ½."
"Wow, a real big boy then," Ginny said giving Severus a friendly smile. The remnants of fear and confusion left Severus' countenance as he responded with a smile of his own.
"Well then," Mrs. Weasley said, finally recovering as she began to flutter about the kitchen, pulling out pots and pans in preparation for lunch, "Fred, George, set the table. Ginny, you and Hermione go settle into your room. You too Ron," giving her youngest son a gentle push towards the door.
"How many places mum?" George asked as he began pulling plates out of a cupboard.
"Ten, I think…no eleven, the headmaster said that Professor Lupin would be here."
ooO0Ooo
"There!" Ginny exclaimed as she closed her now empty trunk and shoved it under the bed. Hermione, who had already finished unpacking, was sprawled on her stomach, deeply engrossed in a tomb entitled Magical Conjecture of Idiosyncratic Temperament. Ginny rolled her eyes and flopped down on her own bed, staring at the ceiling. Every few minutes, there was the sound of a page being flipped. Other than that, silence reined. It was neither awkward nor comfortable; it was merely silence…that was broken by a soft knock on the door. Without waiting for an invitation, Ron entered, shutting the door behind him.
"You look rather glum." Hermione observed as she shot a quick glance over him before returning her attention to her book.
"It's just…so…bloody hell! Weird isn't even the word." he said looking quite lost.
"So, are you going to keep being a git, or act your age?" Ginny drawled, still staring at the ceiling. Ron glared at her, to which her only response was to laugh.
"It's easier to think of him as two different people." Hermione said as she turned another page.
Ron nodded slightly, "I'll be civil, but I don't have to like him."
"What about Harry?" Ginny asked quietly. Both Ron and Hermione's face clouded over.
"I'd rather not think about it," Hermione said anxiously, Ron nodding his head in agreement.
Ginny let out an exasperated sigh, "He's coming here tonight! There is bound to be a dramatic confrontation. I've decided I'm not going to put up with Harry being an ass about it." Ron and Hermione shared an uneasy glance.
"I think we should be neutral and stay out of it." Hermione said. Ginny opened her mouth to reply when the twins appeared, telling them it was time for lunch.
ooO0Ooo
Lunch had gone unexpectedly well. The only occurrence worth mentioning was when Remus arrived slightly late, and was greeted by Severus with a big smile and a kiss on the cheek, causing Ron to spit out a mouthful of soup all over Ginny, and of course, she retaliated. One of the Twins yelled "Food Fight!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked at them to behave themselves, and that they should be setting a good example for little Severus.
ooO0Ooo
"Okay kiddo, behave. I'll be back in a bit." Remus said ruffling the small boy's hair.
"Can I please stay up until you get back?" Severus pleaded.
"It will be rather late…" Remus paused, taking in the downcast face of his young charge, "All right. But the minute I get back, it's bedtime." Severus brightened, nodding enthusiastically. Remus smiled and gave a small wave before leaving through the front door. Moody, Tonks, Charlie and Shacklebolt were waiting for him in the alley. Tonks handed him a broom and without a word, they all vanished.
They apparated in the middle of a street, identified by a nearby street sign as Magnolia Crescent. After looking around carefully to insure that they were alone, the five wizards made their way to #4 Private Drive. Much as before, they entered through the back door, which led to the kitchen. This time however, Harry did not come downstairs, but remained in his room, fast asleep. It was decided that Remus should be the one to go up and get him, since he was the least likely to wake everyone up.
Remus felt a wave of anger wash over him when he saw the places where locks used to be positioned on the door. Since the little chat they had had with the Dursleys, things seemed to have improved slightly, at least according to the weekly letters Harry had been sending to his friends.
The room was a complete mess, with books, crumpled parchment and dirty clothes everywhere. On the single bed, curled up in the fetal position lay Harry, fast asleep. The image reminded Remus of a time over 15 years ago…
(FLASHBACK)
It was Christmas Eve and you could smell it in the air. All the shops had displays with bells and holly and people seemed extremely cheerful, despite the threat of Voldemort looming on the horizon. Remus was headed towards Godric's Hollow for dinner when it started to snow. Remus loved the snow and had to fight the urge to spin in circles and try to catch a snowflake on his tongue. He was so caught up in his thoughts of snow that he nearly broke his neck slipping on a sheet of ice covering the Potter's front walk. Strong arms reached out and steadied him.
"Really Moony…I thought Peter was supposed to be the klutz." Sirius said, his eyes twinkling with merriment and mischief.
"Ha ha." Remus grumbled as the reached the front porch. Before either of them could knock, the front door swung open to reveal James and baby Harry. Sirius immediately snatched Harry from James's grasp and began waltzing down the hall, swinging the delighted baby in the air.
The dinner had been excellent. There was roasted ham and turkey, heaps of mashed potatoes and candied yams, buttered rolls, green beans, broccoli, scalloped potatoes and five different pies to choose from for dessert. When they were all so full that they could barely move they adjourned to the living room.
"Hey Lils! Why don't you bring in that eggnog Peter sent us." James called from his sprawled position on one of the wing-backed chairs in front of the fireplace. She appeared a few minutes later holding a pitcher and four glasses.
As she was about to fill the fourth glass, Remus put out a hand to stop her, "None for me please, it gives me indigestion." For about the first time in his life, Remus was glad that he could not eat eggs, as James ran for the bathroom to be sick. Sirius and Lily soon followed, leaving Remus and Harry alone in the room. Remus picked up Harry and carried him into the kitchen, intent on examining the carton of eggnog. It looked okay, and did not smell to far off, but the moment he looked at the expiration date he knew what was wrong. Typical careless Peter.
After poking his head into three different bathrooms to inform the occupants that he was going to the apothecary and would return shortly, he dressed himself and little Harry in warm clothing and headed out into the snow. Twenty minutes later, he was back with several doses of a potion to cure food poisoning. Sirius took his and promptly fell asleep on the couch. James and Lily stumbled off to their room and soon joined Sirius in dreamland, once again leaving Remus and Harry to themselves.
Harry fell asleep a few hours later and Remus carried him up to the nursery. After changing him into a sleeper, Remus tucked the sleeping child into the crib. The infant whimpered slightly before curling his tiny legs up to his chest and falling into a deeper sleep.
(END FLASHBACK)
Remus slowly approached the bed and gently shook the boy's shoulder, "Harry? Wake up Harry." He called softly.
The teenager's eyes blinked open sleepily, "Professor Lupin?" Harry mumbled thickly.
"Yes, it's me Harry. Are you ready to go?" Harry slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Here, let me get you packed." Remus said as he waved his wand, sending everything into Harry's trunk, except for the firebolt, a change of clothes and a cloak. After helping a very sleepy Harry change, Remus led the way back downstairs to the kitchen. Charlie handed Harry a steaming cup of coffee, which he accepted gratefully and downed in one go. After Moody's CONSTANT VIGILANCE speech, they all mounted their brooms and went soaring into the sky. About an hour later, they landed in an alley next to headquarters. Remus placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and guided him into the house. Here we go Remus thought as they crossed the threshold. He was slightly surprised that nobody was in the foyer to greet them. He started towards the kitchen but stopped when he heard Harry's gasp. The boy was standing stalk still just inside the door, his mouth hanging open. His wide-eyed gaze was fixed on Mrs. Black's portrait, or more accurately, what was left of it. A large hole had been cut out of the middle of the face and both the mouth and nose were missing! The eyes glared out at them as the arms and legs flailed in fury. Soon, the entire "fetch Harry" committee was standing open mouthed in the foyer. Remus once more turned and headed to the kitchen, the rest trailing behind him.
"Bet it was the twins." Charlie mumbled as the entered. As it turned out it was not the twins, who were currently sitting next to each other at the kitchen table, working on some paperwork. Mrs. Weasley was standing in front of the sink, finishing the last of the dinner dishes, and Severus was seated on a stool facing the corner.
"Harry, old chap!" One of the twins exclaimed upon catching sight of the sleepy teen. Mrs. Weasley quickly abandoned the dishes and hurried over to give Harry a smothering hug. Severus, tear streaks staining his cheeks, turned around to get a look at the new comer.
"What happened Molly?" Remus asked as he walked over to pick up Severus. She opened her mouth to answer when the twins burst in,
"T'was bloody brilliant!"
"Ashamed we didn't think of it ourselves!"
Remus set Severus on the counter so that he could look at him in the eye. "What did you do Severus?"
The little boy looked like he was going to cry again, but he managed to choke out, "I…I just sniff wanted to make the picture stop sa…saying nasty things and…and so I tried to w-wash her mouth out with soap."
"Ha! He dragged a chair from the dining room in front of the portrait, took a pair of kitchen sheers and cut out the mouth, then dropped it into the dishwater I had in the sink!" Mrs. Weasley snapped. Severus had started to cry again and Remus picked him up.
"Where is it now?" Charlie asked. With a smirk, Fred disappeared into the pantry and then reemerged carrying a cup filled with soapy water and a soggy chunk of canvas, which was gurgling away. Tonks let out a snort and Shacklebolt put a hand over his mouth to hide a smile.
Harry's body had gone rigid when he had heard the child's name. The kid looked an awful lot like Snape. "Is he related to Snape then?" Harry asked, striving to keep his voice calm. The room went so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
"Harry…he's not related to Professor Snape, He is Professor Snape." Remus said quietly, He rushed on before Harry could say anything, "There was a potions accident and he was de-aged to about 4 years in both body and mind…he won't remember you."
Harry stood there, white as a sheet, lips tightly compressed. Finally, he nodded stiffly, and claiming fatigue, swept out of the room in a very Snapish manner, and headed for bed.
"Well, that went well…" George murmured.
Remus sighed, and after bidding everyone goodnight, carried Severus to their room. After cleaning Severus face with a warm washcloth and getting them both dressed for bed, Remus seated himself in an armchair with the child on his lap.
"Severus, we need to talk about what happened while I was gone."
Severus nodded miserably.
"I realize you did what you did with good intentions, but you still destroyed something that wasn't yours."
Severus nodded his head to show that he understood.
"You will not be punished this time, and we can forget about it, but if this happens again, there will be consequences okay?"
"Okay," Severus whispered as he gave Remus a hug. Remus hugged him back, grinning over Severus' head. It had been rather funny.
(End Chapter)
