Minerva McGonagall watched with a slightly amused expression as her younger colleague busied himself with a small cauldron and several bottles of colored water. He occasionally stopped his experiments to scribble on a piece of parchment with one of the crayons the headmaster had gotten for him. He looked very serious and if it weren't for the childrens stuff, one might think the potions master was brewing something extremely important. Molly Weasley had sent back a note that she would be by that afternoon, and the headmaster had some duties to attend to. Having no classes, Minerva had agreed to watch Severus.

The morning had gone quite well. Due to the lack of babycots the size of a grown man, Dumbledore had decided to simply enlarge his own bed to fit both of them. They had both slept well and early the next morning, Harry had dropped by to deliver the crayons and other toys he had picked up for the headmaster in Hogsmeade. Severus had obviously been at a loss as to what to do with the toys, but after some demonstration from Harry – who, Minerva suspected, hadn't minded at all. He probably enjoyed this one chance to actually play with toys instead of having to watch his cousin – Severus tentatively touched the play potions set. He had ignored all other toys and had been quite busy with them until Minerva had called him over for a drink and biscuits. His tablemanners had regressed too, they had noticed at dinner the previous night. Minerva sighed happily at the memory.

Dinner had consisted of grilled chicken, mashed potatoes and french peas. Severus clearly had trouble holding his knife and fork, and finally they had just cut up his food and given him a spoon.

Albus, seeing her concern, shared the instructions Poppy had offered. "She said although his body is capable of the behaviour of an adult, his mind doesn't remember that. So his table manners, writing, all that, will have regressed back to childhood as well. Nothing we can do about that for now, except accept that he, although he doesn't look like it, really is a three year old."

Severus, meanwhile, having scooped up a huge spoonful of mashed potatoes and gravy, lost control of it and the sticky mass flew across the table, hitting Albus in the face. Momentarily stunned, both Albus and Minerva stared. Severus' reaction had been disturbing. He dove under the table, shaking, in foetal position with his hands covering his head. Albus quickly wiped off the food, and drew back his chair.

As he reached for Severus, the potions master had drawn back, crawling to the couch. "No, no please, no huwt, no bad spell, please, I be good."

Albus had finally been able to catch him and take him in his arms, sushing him until he calmed down.

Two frightened eyes looked at them from Albus' arms. "You mad?" he asked.

Minerva looked at them, Albus still with the remains of the mash and gravy on his cheek and beard, and lost it. She started giggling, sat down next to Severus on the floor and took him from Albus.

"Oh Severus, we know it was an accident, in fact, it was very funny," she laughed, rocking him. "We're not mad at you. Next time, don't put so much food on your spoon and move it to your mouth more slowly."

Albus began grinning now too. "It's been a while since I was in a foodfight, Severus. I'm so gonna tease you about this once you're an adult again…"

Severus didn't care at that point. He sighed, relieved these two people weren't mad at him, and put his thumb in his mouth, cuddling closer to Minerva. She looked embarrassed for a moment, then smiled and softly began singing to him. Albus disappeared into the bathroom to clean the remains of dinner off his face. When he returned Severus was fast asleep.

"Well it HAS been a rather unnerving day," he said, "not the least for him."

Showing the strength few knew he still possessed, he carried the sleeping man to the bedroom and transfigured his robes into sleep clothes. Then he took one of the napkins on the table and transfigured it into a stuffed lion. Severus held on tight to it, still sucking his thumb.

"There," Dumbledore said, "It would be a shame if I were the only one who had something to tease him about. I'm sure you will never make him forget this. Shall we borrow Colin Creeveys camera and take a picture?"

Minerva looked at him and grinned mischievously. She produced a camera from one of her robe pockets.

Dumbledore looked at her admiringly. "You know, Minerva, maybe YOU should have been Slytherin!"

Severus came over, still looking very serious. He drank his juice, without spilling and ate a biscuit.

"What are you brewing over there, sweetie?" Minerva asked, taking herself by surprise as the term of endearment rolled over her lips as if she had always called him that. She realised she must be getting used to the idea of him being three.

Two eyes solemnly looked at her. "Poshion," he said.

"Oh, that's nice," Minerva encouraged, "Who are you brewing it for, love?"

The face became tense. "Dawk Lowd" he whispered, frightened.

It took Minerva a while to decipher. Then it hit her. Dark Lord. But how? Surely the child hadn't been brewing for him when he was three? She decided to investigate a little further.

"Are you brewing it all by yourself, Severus? Such a smart little boy you are."

The dark head shook. "Muva (mother, Minerva translated) bwews poshion. Sev must help or bad spell or belt."

Minerva managed to keep the shock off her face. Drawing Severus next to her on the couch, she put an arm around him.

"Albus will be back soon, Severus," she said.

The potions masters face brightened. "Ablus! Ablus nice."

Minerva grinned. "Yes, he is. Very nice. Do you think you can brew a potion especially for Albus, Sevvy? I'm sure Albus would like it very much if you brew him a potion to keep the snarls out of his beard."

Jumping off the couch –Minerva wished she could keep the camera ready all the time – Severus set to work.

When Albus returned, she shared their little conversation with him.

Albus eyes darkened. "Severus, come here."

Innocently, Severus walked over, holding out a bottle. "Fo you Ablus," he said.

Albus smiled. "Thank you, my dear boy, that's so sweet of you." Severus beamed happily.

"Now," Albus said, "I need you to help me, can you do that?" Enthusiastic nodding. "I need to take off your robes and shirt and it would be much easier if you would help me with that."

Eager to please, the potions master began to wrestle himself out of his robes. Albus stripped the shirt up and off and turned him around so he could inspect his back. Minerva pressed a hand to her mouth as she saw the many scars of old lashes. Albus gently ran a hand over the bare back, doing his own bit of scanning.

"Some recent, but most old, from before he came to Hogwarts, I think. Poppy also found signs of him being put under the Cruciatus curse regularly since he was a toddler."

Minerva growled. "If those monsters weren't dead already, I'd kill them! No wonder he was always so…so…"

Albus helped Severus put his clothes back on. "There, child, you've helped me a lot. Go on and play some more if you like."

Severus trotted off happily. "Bwew more poshion fo Ablus," he said.

Dumbledore smiled at him before turning to Minerva. "You're right. Remember when he came to school, already up to his ears in dark magic? It seems he had very little choice in the matter. And I never noticed, never bothered to ask…"

Minerva shook her head. "None of us did. I regret many things we did then. If I could turn back time, I'd have kept those Marauders in line more, and I wouldn't have punished Severus so often."

Dumbledore sighed. "I remember once, when he had been in a fight with the Marauders…a fist fight, this time. All four of them looked rather…beaten up. So did Severus, though he didn't show it as much. Used to it, I suppose now. I sent Potter and his friends to Poppy and gave Severus a very harsh lecture. He sat with his head bowed the entire time, but I remember the look he gave me when he left. Not angry, as I had expected, just so very lost."

He sighed, a tear trickling down his face at the memory. S

uddenly he felt two arms around his neck and a voice in his ear said "Ablus not cwy, Sev make Ablus betta?"

Albus wrapped his arms firmly around the slender body, enjoying the closeness the man didn't allow as an adult. He kissed the dark head before resting his cheek on it. "Yes, my dear Sevvy, I feel all better now."

He smiled as he heard a yawn. "Time for lunch and a nap, is it?" he said.

Stubbornly, Severus shook his head, thrusting out his lower lip. "No nap," he said, rubbing his fists in his eyes. "Not sleepy."

Minerva laughed. "Oh yes, Sevvy, you're wide awake, I can see that. Anyway, you haven't had lunch yet. Would you like a sandwich and some fruit?"

Dumbledore looked appalled. "No lemon drops…?"

Minerva glared at him. "He is too small for them, he might not remember not to choke on them. Besides, it's bad for his teeth. He usually doesn't eat much, so what he eats should at least be healthy."

Severus took Minerva's hand. "Neva mad at Ablus?" he asked.

"No, darling, I'm not mad at Ablu...Albus. I just want you to be healthy and happy." She led Severus to the lunch table, followed by Albus who silently mouthed "Darling?" with a huge twinkle in his eyes.

After lunch Severus still stubbornly insisted he did not want to sleep. It was also very obvious he needed a nap. Finally, after several attempts to reason with him – (A/N: Reason? With a three year old? What are they thinking? I need to bring Molly Weasley to Hogwarts soon.) – Dumbledore simply picked him up, put him in the bed, and spat out "Duermis". Severus just had time to look insulted before the spell put him to sleep.

Two hours later Severus woke up, happy and ready for play. Albus had gone to a short meeting with Fudge and Minerva was babysitting again. Harry and Hermione had dropped a line, saying they would come by that evening to discuss what they had found so far. Minerva hoped they knew what they were doing. Then again, Hermione usually did. Severus had stopped playing.

"What is it, Sevvy?" she asked.

"No cat." he answered quietly. Well, that could be remedied, the witch thought grinning. And with that, she changed into her tabby other half.

Severus stared. "Cat!" he said.

The tabby walked towards him to jump on the desk, but suddenly Severus launched himself at her.

Albus and Molly Weasley flooed in just in time to see Severus brandishing scissors and the tabby cat clawing at him.

"SEVERUS!" Albus roared.

Minerva changed back to her human form, shaking and clutching her ear, which had been cut badly. "He…he asked for a cat, and when I changed, he attacked me with those scissors!" she shrieked.

"Minerva dear, you better go to the hospital wing. Poppy will have you fixed up in no time at all. Could you take her, Molly?" The witch nodded and took the shocked transfigurations professor by the arm.

When she came up again ten minutes later, having left Minerva in Poppy's capable hands, Severus was standing in a corner of the office, facing the wall. The first thing Molly noticed was that he wasn't sobbing, like most of her kids had done when put in time out. He was standing very rigid, hands behind his back. Molly couldn't help but grin at the sight though.

Albus motioned her to the couch, also grinning despite himself. "I know, it looks weird, but really, he is just a kid. I didn't know what else to do with him."

Molly looked thoughtful. "Albus, you told me he was forced to help his mother make potions from nearly infancy. Dark magic. His mother used the cruciatus and his father beat him if he refused. Didn't it occur to you that he has been forced to 'harvest' the more…repulsive ingredients? Like cats ears? It may be appalling to us, but I think Severus has been forced into doing it and is confused now. He probably doesn't understand that he did anything wrong. If a potion needs cats ears, you get cats ears, that's what he's been taught. He is not old enough yet to understand that the cat is Minerva and vice versa."

Dumbledore stroked his beard. "Then why is he standing there like that, like he doesn't feel guilty at all about hurting Minerva?"

Molly sighed. "Because he didn't realise until it was too late that Minerva was the cat. And my guess is, from what little I know about abused children, that his father forbade him to cry when he was punished. Stand up straight and take it. Not an uncommon approach. He is probably waiting for you to beat him. You will need to explain to him what he did, why it was wrong and what kind of behaviour you expect from him. How can he be expected to behave properly when he has been taught the exact opposite his entire life?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Severus," he called.

The body stiffened even more. "Come over here." The young wizard walked over reluctantly to stand in front of him.

Dumbledore pulled on his sleeve. "Come, child, sit down on the couch with me."

Settled between them, and obviously scared, Severus looked at the headmaster, who put an arm around his shoulders. "Child, we need to talk about what happened to Minerva, ok?"

Tears began to form. "Neva huwt. Neva mad."

Molly nodded to the headmaster encouragingly, who continued, "Yes, child, Minerva was hurt. See, Severus, it's not good to hurt anyone, not people and not animals. You wouldn't like it if someone hurt you, would you?"

Confusion. "Muva and Faver do. Faver huwt cats. Faver huwt Sev. Made Sev huwt animaws."

Dumbledore pulled him a bit closer. "I know, Severus, and it was very wrong of them to do that. It hurt, didn't it, when she used the bad spell?"

Even more confusion. "Muva must. Sev bad. Cat…cats…." Severus desperately tried to explain.

Molly took pity on him and took his face in her hands. "Your parents said that it doesn't matter if you hurt the cat, right, Severus?"

Relief. The dark head nodded. "And they told you they had to hurt you."

More relief and nodding "Cuz Sev is bad piece of fi…filsj."

Molly stroked a bit of black hair from the face. "No, honey, you are not bad. You are a very good, sweet boy. You don't have to hurt animals anymore."

Tears ran down the pale face. "Sev huwt Neva."

Dumbledore pulled him close. "Yes, you did. That's why you had to stand in the corner. You must not hurt Minerva or anyone else. Promise me you won't do it again?"

The confused look returned. "No bad spell? No belt?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, Severus, no bad spell, no belt, ever. It is wrong to do that to you. You are a very good child. You won't ever hurt anyone again, will you?"

The dark head shook. "Not huwt ennywan."

After another cuddle, he was released to go back to play. "Ablus?" he asked, "where is Neva?"

The headmaster smiled. "She's in the hospital wing, Severus, Nurse Pomfrey is making her ear better. Would you like some more tea, Molly?"

They had a very nice tea hour, Molly recalling amusing stories about her own children at that age. It wasn't till she got up to leave that they noticed something was missing. A kiddyfied potions master.

A search of the Headmasters rooms yielded nothing. Just when the headmaster was beginning to panic, Molly gasped and held up a drawing Severus had just made. Someone in a bed. "Albus. You don't think he has gone to visit Minerva, do you?" They began running to the hospital wing at the same time.

Minerva was sitting on a bed, a bandage to her ear. Poppy had assured her she would be fine in an hour or so and no one would be able to tell the ear had been mostly severed from her head at all. She was dozing a bit when she suddenly noticed someone shuffling at the door. Severus. Her face became stern.

"What are you doing here, young man?"

Severus came closer, face tearstained. "I sowwy Neva. Sev not huwt Neva agin."

Minerva looked at the door. "Where are Albus and Molly, Severus?"

More tears. "Up." He had run away alone to tell her he was sorry? The trembling figure and the tears melted her anger. She held out a hand.

"Come here, love, sit next to me." He climbed on the bed and buried his head against her shoulder.

"There, there love, it's alright. Did Albus explain to you what you did wrong?"

She took a handkerchief and cleaned the dirty face. "Sev no huwt ennywan. No huwt animaws. Faver and muva bad, not 'lowed to huwt Sev, not 'lowed to make Sev huwt ozzers."

About thirty seconds later, Minerva had more or less decoded the explanation and pulled Severus against her, wishing again his parents weren't dead so she could kill them.

When Albus and Molly stormed into the hospital wing, Minerva and Severus were sitting on the bed, eating icecream.

"Severus!" Albus said sternly, "You are in a lot of trouble, young man."

Happy, relaxed face disappeared and rigid mask was put back on.

Minerva took his hand. "He came to me to apologise for hurting me, Albus."

Albus did not let his stern expression fade. "He left my rooms on his own without telling us." Severus looked up, and in a timid voice said "Left note."

Albus was about to lecture him when Molly put a hand on his arm. "Severus? Is this the note you left?" she held up the drawing.

Severus nodded. "You are not allowed to leave my rooms alone." Albus was not relenting. Severus bit his lip. "Sowwy."

Minerva put an arm around him. "Albus, he came to apologise. There are adults who have trouble with that. How about we overlook the running away just this once?"

It was then that Albus noticed what the two were doing. "Minerva! You're feeding him icecream! I thought…" He was interrupted.

"Yes, I know, but I thought Sevvy was so brave in apologising that he deserved a treat."

Albus sat down and took a bite. "Hmmm….chocolate!"

He looked at Severus and opened his arms. "Come here, child, give me a hug."

Severus jumped into his arms and only quick thinking by Molly saved his bowl of icecream, and the bedding.

"I'm in for some icecream too," the headmaster said, conjuring two more bowls. He handed one to Molly and the four sat quietly enjoying the treat.

After being kicked out of the hospital wing for smearing chocolate icecream all over the ward, the four went up to the headmasters office where Severus was subjected to a thorough cleaning to get all the chocolate off his face and hands. He allowed it quietly, which surprised the headmaster. Minerva went to her rooms early.

Before leaving, Molly took him aside. "I hope you don't have much planned for the rest of the day, headmaster." He gave her a questioning glance.

"You have been quite angry with him today, several times," she said, "rightfully so, but he is very insecure at the best of times because of those horrid parents of his, and now he is especially vulnerable. Like you saw when you washed him up, he didn't so much as protest. He will need a lot of affirmation from you."

Dumbledore nodded. Severus was sitting quietly on the sofa with a childrens book. Molly gave him a quick kiss on the top of his head. "Bye, honey, I'll see you later."

Severus smiled at her. "Bye miss Wheezy." She grinned and flooed out.

Dumbledore sat down on the couch next to Severus, who looked up at him shyly. "Do you want me to read you the story, Severus?" A bright grin. Settling him comfortably against his shoulder, Dumbledore sat reading stories for a long time. Severus was just quietly leaning against him. "Come on, child, time for dinner and a bath, and then to bed."

The mention of bed brought no protest this time. After dinner a bath followed (yes, complete with ducks, of course) and then Severus allowed the headmaster to quietly tuck him into bed. He turned on his side and obediently closed his eyes. Dumbledore sat next to him and ran a hand over his back. Surprised, the black eyes opened again.

Albus smiled at him. "Do you know you are a very nice, sweet boy?" he said, causing the eyes to open even further, fixed on his face. The headmaster curled over the tired potions master and kissed his temple. His beard tickled the face and Severus giggled and squirmed a bit.

"Are you ticklish? Are you?" Albus experimentally ran a finger over the back and ribs. A fit of giggles and a wriggling potions master were the result.

After a while Albus just scooped him up and cuddled him close. Severus put his arms around Albus' neck and sighed deeply. "I love you, my Sevvy," Albus said before putting him back down and pulling up the covers again.

Just as he left the room, he heard a voice say "Love you too, Ablus."