A/N: I have not abandoned this fic! Don't worry. I've just been busy. I'll be updating more frequently from now on.
The next morning, Harry walked an excited Severus to Charms class.
"Is it going to be fun, Harry? Am I allowed to do the same spells the other kids do?"
Harry shrugged. "I'm not sure, Sevvy, but Professor Flitwick will help you, I'm sure."
Severus stopped with a frightened look on his face. "He's the one who can change me back into an adult, isn't he?"
"Yes, he teaches Charms, that's why he could find the countercurse. But he won't change you back."
"How do you know that?" Severus demanded to know.
They had reached the classroom ten minutes early, Harry noticed. He stepped inside, taking Sevvy's hand.
"Professor Flitwick?" he asked.
"Ah, Harry," the small professor smiled, "here to bring my new student, are you?"
"Yes, sir. But I think we need to discuss a few things."
The Charms professor pulled up two chairs to his desk with a flick of his wand.
"Sit down, boys. What's the problem?"
Severus clung to Harry, eyeing the Professor's wand suspiciously.
"Are you going to change me back into an adult?" he blurted out.
Flitwick, stunned, took a few moments before being able to respond.
"Merlin, child, of course not," he squeeked indignantly, "do you honestly think I would cowardly hit you in the back with that spell? No, you made your choice, your father and brother agree with you, and that's all there's to it in my book. I would be very grateful, however, if you let me scan you regularly. After all, no one knows exactly what that curse you carry will do in the long term. Better safe than sorry, right, boys?"
Severus nodded slowly. The small man had never really hurt him, and he sounded honest.
"Are you ready for your first class?" the professor asked kindly, "I'm glad you came early. If you don't mind, I'd like to go over some spells with you so I can see what skill level you are at. Now, if I were to ask you to do a Cheering Charm…"
Reassured that his brother would be fine with the Charms teacher, Harry took his bag and left for his transfigurations class.
-Malfoy Manor-Narcissa Malfoy entered the bedroom where her husband had been staying ever since his unfortunate encounter with Harry Potter and the de-aged Severus Snape. Voldemort had been very upset about Lucius's failure to bring the boys to him.
Now, several weeks later, Lucius was well enough to sit up in bed and read, or send mild hexes at the unfortunate house-elf whose duty it was to look after him.
"Dear, Draco has sent a letter," Narcissa said, "and I believe you will find it interesting."
Lucius took the letter with a scowl, but his face brightened considerably when he read what his son had written.
"Narcissa, dear, you must contact your family. They must take this missive to the Dark Lord for me, as I cannot go myself."
Three days later, Draco Malfoy received a letter from his father with extensive instructions.
-Hogwarts-
Harry grinned as he saw Sevvy dance off to class. Professor Flitwick had assured him the boy was doing great – he seemed to have retained his adult magic – and he had moved him from the third year class to the fourth.
"A Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw class," the Charms professor said, "I thought it suited him much better than the Gryffindor/Slytherin third year class. Their reaction to him was less than pleasant, although I managed to keep them in check. I've already advised the Headmaster to let him take all his classes with Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs."
Harry himself had an enjoyable couple of days, Voldemort-free, homework free and reunited with his Seeker spot on the Quidditch team.
It was over Quidditch, however, that he and Dumbledore had their first disagreement with Sevvy.
"No."
The headmaster and Harry both shook their heads.
Severus pouted. "But Dad! It's not FAIR!"
"I happen to agree with Albus, Sevvy," Harry said, "I know it sucks for you, and of course you are mad over this, but it really is too dangerous for you to try out for a house team."
"But I'm a student now! I can play Quidditch! You and the twins all said I am good!"
Dumbledore silenced the boy with one look.
"Enough. It is final, Sevvy. You are not joining a Quidditch team. You would be playing with kids at least twice your age, and often more. We don't want to see you hurt."
"You are mean!" Sevvy shouted, "I can fly if I want!" He ran to his bedroom and slammed the door.
Dumbledore sighed. "Children…"
Harry grinned. "It's a good thing. He dares to be angry with us and act childishly without fear of being beaten or cursed. Consider it a compliment. The first weeks with me he hardly dared to breath for fear of punishment."
"My poor boy," Dumbledore said, and winced when they heard the distinct sounds of a small foot kicking the wood of a door.
"Maybe not such a poor boy," he corrected himself.
Shrugging, Harry continued to drink his tea. "It was a big disappointment for him, Albus. He loves to fly. Couldn't we set up something else? Plenty of the first year students have younger siblings…how about a Little League?"
For all their brains, Sevvy thought, Ravenclaws could be really dimwitted sometimes. He had snuck out of the castle that afternoon after managing to convince the Ravenclaw captain that he was allowed to try out.
Now he only needed to avoid his father and Harry, but considering the headmaster was occupied with his work and Harry was having a team meeting for the Gryffindor try-outs later, he had little to fear from them.
"Good," the Ravenclaw captain said, "I want all six of you to do a few laps first. After that, we'll release the bludgers to see what sort of beaters you'd make."
The laps were easy. Sevvy, small, light and with a decent broom, was easily the fastest. The bludgers however, were a different matter.
With the Weasley's and Harry, he had always practiced with bludgers that had cushioning charms, and were spelled to be lighter than regular bludgers. Now he found he wasn't quite strong enough to fend of REAL ones.
It was lucky, in a way, that his efforts brought him closer and closer to the ground. When finally a bludger hit his broom and he tumbled off, he was only about four feet off the ground. By some miracle, he hurt nothing more than his ankle and his pride.
But before he could even begin to pick himself up and inspect the damages, a rough hand grabbed him and hauled him upright. He looked into the gleaming eyes of the DADA professor.
"I thought Dumbledore and Harry forbade you from participating in the try-outs?" the werewolf sneered, "They said so over breakfast, at least. I'm sure they will find this…interesting."
For some reason the man sounded familiar. Severus winced as he put weight on his injured foot; there was definitely something wrong with his ankle!
The professor paid no heed as he dragged the small boy to the castle, ignoring the occasional whimper. In the hall they ran into Harry.
"Sevvy? What on earth…"
Not missing a step, Lupin stalked towards the stairs that led to Dumbledore's office. "He went to the Ravenclaw try-outs," he told Harry, "I just got him from the pitch."
"He WHAT?" Harry exclaimed, running after the pair.
Once inside the office, Lupin released the boy and looked at Dumbledore with what Sevvy could only describe as a triumphant smirk as he explained why they were there.
Dumbledore turned to the child.
"Is that true, Sevvy? Did you try out when I'd forbidden you?"
The child nodded sadly.
"Go to your room," the headmaster said, "you are grounded for today. And no flying for a month."
A whole month! A month without his broom! That was too much, surely?
Looking at the faces of his father and brother, Sevvy thought it best not to argue the matter. He dragged himself up and limped to his room.
Dumbledore immediately turned and rummaged through his potions cabinet.
"What are you doing?" Remus asked.
"Finding that cream for sprains and bruises," Dumbledore replied, "I don't know if you noticed, but he apparently sprained his ankle. I better go help him clean up and heal his injuries."
"I have to go to our own try-outs," Harry said, "See you later."
Recognizing a dismissal, Lupin left with Harry.
The young man turned towards him.
"We did forbade Sevvy to get on a team, and his punishment is more that just, but you were a bit too happy to turn him in to my liking," he surveyed the werewolf with narrowed eyes, "not to mention that you didn't stop to see if he was hurt when he clearly is. Would you have treated another first year the same?"
Lupin's eyes glowed. "He is not a first year. And apparently you and the headmaster were incapable of keeping the brat under control."
Harry sighed. A cloud appeared on the clear blue sky that had been the beginning of this year. A cloud shaped like Remus Lupin.
Heading outside, he went to see what fresh blood would be reinforcing their team soon.