A/N- Wow, more excellent reviews. I have responded, once more, at the end of the chapter. Enjoy, my pretties. Enjoy.
Severus regained control of his thoughts and actions, pushing Harry off him, scowling at the young man. "Potter!" He snapped, frantically looking from right to left, praying to all the deities he knew that nobody had witnessed that…that…invasion of his personal space. "What in Merlin's name did you think you were doing?" He demanded angrily. "First you complain about not wanting to deal with all the attention of being the bloody Boy Who Lived, and next you are creating a scene and…" He gestured hopelessly with his hands, before glaring once more, "If this is some attempt to ruin my reputation along side your own-"
"NO!" Harry exclaimed, "I….I….I…."
"For the love of all things holy, Potter, quit your childish stammering and give me a straight answer!"
Green eyes filled with tears, "I…I wasn't trying to ruin…I don't…You…That was…."
Severus narrowed his gaze further, "Potter," He warned, "I am in no mood-"
"I don't know what that was!" Harry finally broke, blushing fiercely, looking away. "I….Can we talk about this elsewhere?"
The potions master swallowed, not really wanting to discuss…that at all. In fact, all he wanted to do at that moment in time was ship Potter and his spawn straight off to Dumbledore. Let the old coot deal with the added trouble this Christmas.
The cry of an infant –Potter's infant to be exact- broke into his frustrated thoughts, and he looked down at her.
She was positioned in her carrier by Harry's side, squirming uncomfortably, her whimpers slowly escalating. Her father was shaking, clearly not about to make any attempt to pick her up and tend to her needs.
Severus let out a defeated sigh, "Fine." He hissed at the other man, although refusing to meet his gaze, choosing, instead, to head towards the upset baby. He picked the child up, frowning at the realisation that she required changing, and rather soon. He forced himself to look at the Gryffindor, "I suggest you head on to Gringotts and withdraw an ample amount for her necessities and whatever else you are planning on buying. I'll meet you up at the Leaky Cauldron in half an hour." With that said, Snape took the baby-carrier from the younger man and stalked off towards the pub, catching the attention of a few passers-by.
Sometime in the future he'd look back on this scenario and have a good chuckle. After all, it wasn't everyday one saw Severus Snape, Greasy Git Extraordinaire, marching through a crowded shopping district with a wailing baby in his arms. Of course, he wasn't in the future. In fact, he was currently living the humiliation, and to top it all off Harry Sodding Potter had…GAH! He couldn't even think it…He'd…kissed him.
The man's aristocratic nose crinkled in distaste.
Harry Potter had kissed him. And, although he would never ever admit it, he'd bloody well enjoyed it too. Which disturbed him thoroughly. Not only was he 20 years his junior, Harry was his student. His student with a baby. To get involved with Harry…it would make matters extremely complicated.
Not that they weren't already.
But it was wrong. That kiss had been wrong. This entire bloody situation was wrong.
And yet, it still happened.
Walking in through the back of the Leaky Cauldron, Severus made his way to the bar, trying to remain inconspicuous. 'Trying' being the operative word in that sentence. After all, he did have a screaming –and more than slightly malodorous- baby in his arms. Silencing the other clientele's questioning glances with his glare, he motioned the owner over.
"Professor Snape," Tom greeted him cheerfully, having already decided that in his job it was best to be on a 'don't ask, don't tell' basis with his customers, even if they were rather important figures in society, "What can I do for you today?"
Severus shifted Callisto uncomfortably as he answered, "I was wondering whether I could use one of the rooms for a few minutes to deal with this." He nodded his head in the baby's direction.
"Certainly, Sir." Tom replied, leading him towards the stairs, "This way, if you'll please." He showed Severus to a vacant room at the end of the hall, pausing to smile down at Potter's child, "She's a pretty one, if you don't mind me sayin'." He grinned.
Resisting the urge to tell the man that he did mind, the potions master merely nodded. "Quite." He gave Tom a tight smile, "Now, if you don't mind-"
The owner of the pub got the hint and excused himself, while Severus moved over to the bed, placing Callisto down carefully. His eyes swept the dingy room with scorn. He was almost certain that it was not hygienic enough to be changing a recently born infant in, but he had no other choice.
He lit the fireplace with a flick of his wand, muttering a few extra charms so that the room would warm faster, preventing the possibility of the baby catching a chill. Once he was satisfied that the room was warm enough, he removed the blanket, checking that it was still warm, dry and clean, and then undid Callisto's baby-suit.
Sighing, once he realised that she'd soiled herself through to it, Severus pulled out the spare clothes that he'd hastily shoved into his robes' pockets on their way out of the house, along with one of the nappies. In the baby carrier, he searched for the talcum powder he'd hidden at the bottom, before resizing it and turning back to Callisto.
He summoned a wet cloth from the bathroom and held his breath. This was not going to be fun, but it needed doing.
Ten minutes later saw Severus emerging from the room looking quite dishevelled. But at least Callisto was clean, changed, dry and warm once more. She was tucked neatly in her carrier, sound asleep; something that the potions master thanked the gods for as he strode purposefully down the stairs. Motioning Tom over again, he asked how much he owed for the use of the room. Tom merely shook his head with a smile.
"Nah, nothin'." He said, looking down at Callisto once more. "Only ten minutes. Not worth anythin'."
Muttering his thanks, Snape moved away from the innkeeper, choosing a seat at the back of the pub, in the shadows, avoiding the questioning glances from the other patrons. Not long after, Harry entered the Leaky Cauldron, immediately becoming bombarded by cheers, claps on the back and a flurry of questions. His eyes sought out the potions master, who merely nodded by way of greeting and affirmation. The young Gryffindor man bade his fans goodbye, before seating himself across from Snape, glancing at the baby, careful not to bring any further attention to the scenario.
"I trust you retrieved a suitable amount." Severus began, emotionless as ever.
Harry nodded, "I did."
The older man stood, "Good, then we'll be off." He cast an unimpressed glance around the establishment, "I doubt that this atmosphere is any good for your-" He caught Harry's pleading gaze and sighed, "- young Callisto here."
Another nod of acknowledgement from the younger man followed, before he too stood, coming almost shoulder to shoulder with the potions master. He was only a few inches shorter, but when Severus reared himself up in defeat or as an intimidation tactic, their height difference seemed like feet.
They left the pub, Severus in the lead, baby carrier still in his possession, Harry trailing behind almost miserably. His mind was still spinning. He'd kissed his professor. And not just any professor….SNAPE! Sure, the man wasn't nearly as horrible as he tried to project, but it was still…wrong.
Harry clenched his eyes shut when the voice in his head continued to taunt him about it 'feeling so right'.
It didn't. It couldn't. Even if he was incredibly attracted to the older man –which he wasn't, right?- the entire possibility of something happening between them, well, it was completely preposterous.
The worst part of this was that he'd been mending his broken friendship with the man, and then he went and made it all strange and unnatural again, all because of one bloody kiss! Talk about masochism at it's greatest! He seemed to live for punishment of all different kinds, seeing as everything he did brought him some form of pain.
"Potter!" The Slytherin that had taken up his thoughts for the past few minutes growled, right before he ran into the man's back.
Harry stumbled a couple of steps, blushing awkwardly. "Sorry…" He muttered, "I was just…thinking…"
Snape rolled his eyes, "You seem to be attempting that fairly often lately," He noted monotonously, although it was laced with obvious bite in relation to the last time Harry had spaced out. It had ended in the meeting of lips and…well…neither of them wanted to dwell on that just yet.
Or at all, in Severus' opinion.
"Yes, well, have to start some time, right?" The younger man replied, attempting to lighten the mood between them. His attempt proved futile.
"Quite." It was rapidly becoming Severus' escape route; that word. Whenever he wanted to avoid proper discussion, he simply slipped into his cruel, somewhat sarcastic resolve, and brushed everything off with that one syllable.
Harry frowned, recognising the tactic, but decided to play along with his potions professor for the next few hours. He'd obey and pay careful attention to whatever was said to him while they –or, rather, he- shopped, in order to avoid further argument. He didn't need any more attention in their direction anyway. Besides, it was best to keep Severus in a relatively good –or, at least, impartial- mood until they got back to the manor. Then they could sort through whatever issues were necessary.
And so it was that Harry Potter followed Severus Snape around Diagon Alley, and even into muggle London, shopping for a variety of baby goods and last minute Christmas presents.
-?-
Apparating back to the manor had been easier for the younger man, as his thoughts were too clouded with the realisation of parenting to be thinking about…what he had thought about on the trip to the shops.
Severus, though, found it most uncomfortable. His mind had been racing with the thoughts of what he and Potter had yet to discuss. What he had promised he'd discuss. His pockets were weighed down with their purchases –magically shrunken, yes, but still incredibly weighty in total- and in his arms he held the man that had caused this entire dilemma…and that man's baby.
How he had managed to focus properly on getting them home safely was beyond him.
However, seeing as he had managed, and not one of them suffered from any form of splinching, it didn't matter to him in the least.
"Right," The older man began, letting go of Potter the second their feet were on firm ground again, "First order of business is to establish a temporary position for your daughter's nursery equipment."
"And where will that be?" Harry tried to ignore the slight pang in his chest that he got at Severus' use of the word 'temporary'.
The potions master sighed, "Your own room? I should think that it'd be easier to have her as close to you as possible, for reasons of accessibility and the like. Common sense, really."
Harry nodded, "Yeah, that is pretty logical."
With a subtle roll of his eyes, Severus turned and led the way into his family home, up the grandiose spiralling staircase and down the hall to Harry's room. Once there, he removed all their purchases from his pockets, and placed them on the ground. Waving his wand over them, and muttering the correct charm, he watched as the toys, nappies, clothes, changing accessories and pre-assembled furniture sprang up. Next, he set about levitating everything into suitable positions in the room, before turning to Harry.
"Second task on our agenda, or rather your agenda, is feeding and changing your child, and putting her to rest in her crib while we discuss…" He searched for an appropriate word, while green eyes stared at him expectantly, "Everything." He finished, rather lamely, before sweeping out of the room in his usual dramatic style.
Harry stared after him, placing Callisto (still in her bassinet) on her new change-table, before he went searching for a pre-bottled formula. Magically warming it to the correct temperature, he reached for the baby, still rather clumsily, and held the nipple to her lips.
This time, surprisingly, the baby accepted it without a fuss.
-?-
"Look, I-" Harry started, an hour later, sitting in the living room of the manor, in a couch directly across from Snape.
"Potter-" The other man spoke at the same time, also feeling extremely uncomfortable.
They both sat and blinked at each other, in awkward silence.
It had been this way for at least half an hour so far.
"Oh bugger it," Severus finally broke the cycle, "This is ridiculous." He hissed, more to himself than to the Gryffindor seated opposite him, "I shouldn't have to feel awkward in my own home." That last comment was definitely for his own benefit. He locked eyes with Harry.
"We'll deal with the most…. imperative….topic first, shall we?" He suggested, not really caring for an answer. The teenager nodded, remaining silent. "Good."
"Look, Severus, this morning, when I kissed you-"
The Slytherin let out a snort of laughter, "I was rather thinking that the entire ordeal concerning your…condition until the other night was more significant than…the incident this morning."
Green eyes lowered as Harry blushed, "Sorry, I just…"
"No need to explain, Potter. We'll reach that issue when the time comes."
"Right, sorry."
"Quite." Severus sighed, not really wanting to discuss it at all. "Anyhow, I suggest we cover the details of your pregnancy and whatnot first."
Harry nodded again, "You know all the important parts…." He began, "I'm one of those cases. Didn't know it 'til it was too late, though. Draco got me up the duff. I didn't tell anyone. Nobody but you knows about Callisto. She's the rightful heir to Malfoy and Potter, although that'll cause yet another bloody scandal when it comes out…." He shrugged, "And, oh yeah, I have no idea what the hell I'm going to do with her at Hogwarts, nor do I know what I'm going to do with myself, let alone where I'm going to go after I graduate. I'm not parent material….Should I continue?"
Severus shook his head. "I feel we should contact Dumbledore-"
"NO!"
"Potter, I'm in no mood to argue with you right now."
"I can't…." A sigh, "The man won't care."
Aristocratic eyebrows shot up in surprise; something which didn't happen all that often. "I beg your pardon? Headmaster Dumbledore worships the ground you walk on, Potter. This is the type of information he will most definitely want to hear."
"Don't you get it? I'm no use for him now. I helped defeat Voldemort. I did what everyone expected me to. And now, well, he doesn't need me. Nobody bloody well needs me anymore." Harry snapped, trying to calm himself.
Snape rolled his eyes, "Melodramatics," He hissed, "Potter…." Perhaps he should soften a little; after all, the young man was still confused, and easily upset. "Harry…Is that really what you think? That the old fool will ignore your existence simply because he has no 'use' for you?" The Gryffindor refused to meet his eyes, and the silence gave him his answer. "You are sorely mistaken. You're akin to a favoured grandchild to the old coot. And he will need you, if not for that reason alone. As will Callisto. She is your daughter, and will love you no matter what. As you undoubtedly will love her."
"But-"
"There are no 'but's, Harry. And, as for the issue of what you are going to do with the child while at Hogwarts, I can assure you, there are a lot of staff members that will offer their assistance. Poke their noses where they don't belong and generally harass the living daylights out of you, until you surrender the child into their arms for hours of ogling, cooing and other such revolting displays."
Snape smirked as Harry snickered a little, "Oh, you laugh now." He deadpanned, "But I assure you, it wont be long until you are batting down the doors to my own personal chambers for a bit of silence and lack of sympathy."
The comment was ill timed, and led them back to awkward silence, "Severus," Harry finally ventured, "This morning…I'm not sure I want to apologise for that anymore."
The older wizard felt his jaw drop, and fought to close it. "I beg-"
"I mean, I think…okay, I know I'm attracted to you…" Again, the younger man's cheeks were burning, but he dared not look away. He forced himself to maintain eye contact. It was too late to go back now, anyhow. "And, yeah, I know the timing sucks, and it's wrong. I'm a student. I'm your student. I'm twenty years younger than you. You and my father hated each other at school when you were my age. I just had a baby to someone I didn't care for as anything further than a friend…Hell, the fact that I just had a baby is bad enough…" He stopped himself, and took a deep breath, "But, no matter how much I try to tell myself it's wrong, no matter how many times I remind myself that there is no chance between us…" He threw his hands into the air. "Damnit, Sev, every time I try to convince myself that you are an evil, old, greasy git….I just wind up wanting to kiss you again."
Harry finally finished his latest rant, heaving huge breaths, glad that everything was finally off his chest, while Severus remained in his seat, completely silent and unmoving.
Harry Potter was attracted to him.
The thought should repulse him.
It should make him want to slap some sense into the Gryffindor.
It should seem completely and utterly ludicrous.
But it didn't.
And, instead of being repulsed and angered, Severus was feeling much, MUCH worse.
He was actually feeling glad.
Oh, Sweet Merlin, he was internally admitting that he was attracted to Harry Potter.
The world was coming to an end.
Well, that, or he had officially gone insane.
A/N- Well, I updated. Thanks for all the feedback. And, to the person who asked, yes, nappies are the equivalent of diapers…it's just a more Australian (or, perhaps, British?) term.
And now, prepare for the rant scene!
A Horrified Latin: I am extremely (for that is how 'extremely' is spelt…There is no 'a' in it…) sorry about the 'o'/'a' thing…I actually discovered the name in an old (we're talking 1970s, so perhaps not that old…) baby-names book…UNDER girls names. I truly do understand how a simple spelling mistake could upset someone in that fashion, just as I (in most cases) am horrified with poor use of English grammar, punctuation and spelling, having come from a background where 'The Rules' of which have been stressed time and time again. (Hence my compulsion to edit your review and username, as, aside from any other detail, it is a name, after all, and should be treated as such, as I'm sure you'll agree, given the content of your review, and all…) Aside from that small detail, though, I do hope that you are enjoying the story, and that you continue to review…though, perhaps, as someone a little less horrified? (Insert Large Grin Here) Thanks for your feedback. It was quite useful. However, on a side note, with people these days naming their kids horrendous things like 'FluffyWuffyMoonPie', 'Hunny' (I actually know a couple who named and christened their daughter 'Hunny' AND the other 'Sunny'… Ridiculous, if you ask me! But still, it was their decision…and I have no right to criticise…) and 'Apple', I don't really think that a little twist like an 'o' really would effect anyone in this day and age. Especially in the wizarding world, where names are about as odd as they come. But, still, your review did send me on a Hermione-esque quest for knowledge…and I discovered a few things. The name still does appear under many baby-name sites (and in many new baby-names books) as a girl's name (with Greek –not Latin- origins) alongside 'Calista' (which, as you have already pointed out, is Latin, and thus the 'a' signifies her gender). In Greek mythology, however, Callisto was a nymph…a FEMALE nymph in fact…the MOTHER of Arcus, actually…So, really, it just goes to prove that a language barrier (and certain linguistic biases) can alter perceptions…Therefore, while I do apologise for my 'mistake', so to speak, forgive me for not altering the spelling…After all, in the world of fanfiction, what's a little 'o', really? Especially when other cultures, and the technicalities of their linguistics, are taken into consideration…
Oh, and by-the-by, I am of European descent, and I can stomach (note the appropriate spelling…one 'm', if you'll please) the ins-and-outs of other cultures…Hence, in doing so, I also take into consideration the evidence of similar names and rules (or lack there of) in other cultures to mine. I'd suggest you do the same…because, what may be appropriate in Latin (or Italian), may not be the same in Greek or English, as we have all discovered today. Thankyou.
Oh, and to the reviewer who asked for the specific reason for Callisto's name…She is the 'most beautiful one' to Harry…and, thus, I chose her name (which I am basing on Greek mythology) for its description.
(Attempting to catch her breath) Sorry…I tend to…ramble… (blushing)
I did truly enjoy the brief Latin lesson, though…
I love languages! However, I only know 3…well, 2, really, if you discount English…
Anyway, take care, and please review!