AuthorNotes: Thanks to Crydwyn for the correction on 'Malnourished'.

Child of Mine
Chapter 2:
Welcome to Fatherhood

Snape's face was fixed in an almost panic as he all but fled down the castle halls, climbing the stairs swiftly as he held the baby protectively, which had been silent the entire time through this run.

Snape was almost afraid; in fact he wasn't so sure if he wasn't scared shitless. Nothing like this had ever happened before that he knew of, what if there was no cure? What if it was permanent and he never aged? What if he had to grow up normally and they would have to fight Voldermort without this boy's help? 'What ifs' flew through his mind constantly sending small stabs of fear into his stomach, each question wprse then the last. And what of Harry's scar? It was gone... What if it didn't come back? Was that a good sign? A bad omen? He didn't know... His mind went back to what happened in his class...

'Oh no,' he thought to himself.

"Harry!" Hermione cried out. "Oh God, what happened?! Professor-"

Snape bent down and gathered Harry carefully into his arms, taking the boy's school uniform with him to bundle the child up in. He turned to the class, and in an almost quiet voice he ordered; "You are all dismissed, NOW -- clean up your cauldrons... but Neville, do not touch yours, leave it here, it will be needed. That goes for the rest of you, do not tamper with it. I will personally expel the one who does," it was no idle threat. It was a warning.

With that he left, the baby cradled in his arms. But what he didn't know was what had happened after he left....

"Maybe I should just destroy the evidence," Neville whispered shaking like a leaf.

"You can't do that!" Hermione said shrilly. "If you do, Harry may never get back to normal again. You can't do that to Harry! He doesn't deserve that!"

"I know, I'm just so scared," he whimpered despondently.

"I don't see how that's such a bad thing." Malfoy walked up to them, disdain dripping from his voice. "In fact, that's the best idea Longbottom's ever come up with... knocking it over seems like the best plan," he grinned maliciously. Hermione pulled out her wand as she and Ron stood defensively in front of the cauldron on the table.

"I don't think so," she growled softly. The rest of the class stared, only the occasional shift bringing noise to the room.

"You don't have your wonderful Potter to help you right now, and I think we should keep it that way," Malfoy pulled out his own wand.

"Get out of here now!" Ron snapped at him

As Neville watched and listened to the commotion, his gaze drifted down to the cauldron, his thoughts finally forming. Something could happen to the potion because of Malfoy, and if he didn't do something, it could be lost.

Looking to the large jar that had been holding the Rose of the Night, he unscrewed the top, and wiping the inside swiftly with his robe, he put the jar into the black mess and filled it. He then quickly screwed the top back on, and ignoring the sticky sides that had been put into the cauldron, he stepped back, placing it within his own robes discreetly, the cauldron half empty now. He looked and found people had been ignoring him because Malfoy, Hermione, and Ron were yelling at each other, reaching the level of insults and threats. All of a sudden, Malfoy's face twisted into anger and he shouted a brief spell and threw it at Hermione, who was blasted back and into the table and with it, the cauldron spilled to the ground, hissing as it hit the stone floor, barely missing Hermione herself. The moment the spell had gone off, Ron had blasted Malfoy himself for doing such a thing, and a near war broke out when a voice sounded through the room.

"STOP THIS NOW!"

All in the room froze as Dumbledore's voice boomed suddenly. His mouth was turned down into a frown, "What are you children doing? Where's is Professor Snape?"

"He's gone to the infirmary," Lavender quivered. "A potion went horribly wrong- Harry was the one who drank it-" she broke into tears.

"What happened?" he asked sternly.

"He was turned into a baby," Hermione said, her voice laced with pain. "Professor Snape told us not to touch the cauldron because he would need it to find an antidote, but Malfoy was trying to destroy it-"

Malfoy was glaring hatefully at her, his wand was back in it's pocket, "I didn't touch it, she's the one who knocked it over."

"She wouldn't have if you hadn't attacked her you overgrown-" Ron was cut off by Dumbledore.

"That is enough. All of you are to leave now, and attend your next class lest you be late."

Surprisingly enough the room cleared out rapidly, save Hermione, Ron, and a shaking Neville. Hermione was bent over the spilled cauldron crying, "Oh no..." she started moaning again. "Harry's never going to get cured at this rate..." Dumbledore's hand rested on her shoulder and his comforting voice assured her; "Don't worry Hermione, at worse it will only delay the cure."

Neville finally spoke from his spot next to the work table, and pulled out the jar, "I rescued this Hermione.... I couldn't get more, I'm sorry...." he stood up and placed the jar with the black liquid on a table beside them, and her eyes lit up, "Oh Neville, you're a genius!" she cried out, hugging him suddenly and kissing both of his cheeks.

Neville turned bright red and muttered, "It was nothing," as Dumbledore smiled down to him.

"Ten points to Gryffindor, Neville, for quick thinking, and loyalty to help your friends." Neville, going even redder, looked down at the ground, and Dumbledore, taking a cloth from within his robes, wrapped it round the jar, and walked to the door, "You each best head to class, thank you for protecting this."

With that he left, towards Madam Pomfrey's medical wing, anxiety flickering in his eyes.

~*~

Poppy's day had been decidedly boring, but on the other hand, she supposed having no one in the medical wing was a good thing, albeit uneventful. As she went about fixing one of the bed sheets, that had no need to be straightened, the door opened and was flung shut, and Snape walked over to her, a black bundle in his arms.

"You have to check him Poppy, a potion went wrong and I had him drink it, but I didn't know it would do this," he held out the bundle and handed it to her. She was shocked to find a small baby within it, black bushy hair poked out, and bright green eyes looked to her. The moment the child seemed to realize it was no longer in Snape's arms, he burst into tears.

"There, there," she hushed. "Was this a student?" she asked incredulous.

"It's Harry Potter," he answered.

"It can't be, his scar is gone-" her hand gently went over Harry's forehead, as if to feel the reality, and felt nothing but smooth skin.

"Check if anything out of the normal is wrong, please," he asked. She looked to him with a raised eyebrow, but went to a waist-high tabletop and placed the crying baby on it.

"I'm not equipped to check a child thoroughly, I'm going to have to send for the proper tools to do so," she said with a frown.

As he sat down on the bed the door once again opened, but this time it was Dumbledore, in his blue robes with the bright white eight-pointed stars decorated all over it. In his arms he held a glass jar with black liquid.

"Albus-"

"I have heard that Harry is no longer as old as he used to be," he interrupted, "Had it not been for Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley, and Mr. Longbottom, you would not even have the potion to test. It seems Mr. Malfoy was content with Harry in such a state, and wished it to stay that way. Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley delayed him long enough for Mr. Longbottom to realize he should do something, and he was able to save this when no one was looking." He handed it to Severus who held it to his chest once he was given it, looking as if he was still in shock at the whole ordeal.

"Albus, I'll need at least an hour to fully check Mr. Potter, it would be best you discuss things with Severus outside of here, please. Come back later," she ordered calmly. He nodded and took Severus with him.

An hour, and five cups of tea later, Snape was more or less back to himself, if not a little more reserved. When they returned to the hospital wing, they were surprised to see a baby scale and many other new supplies out, the boxes still lying about. Poppy was at the moment, measuring and weighing the still screaming child.

"He never screamed while I was holding him," Severus muttered so low beneath his breath only Albus heard him.

"Good heavens, mighty healthy set of lungs he has," Albus commented with a straight face. Poppy looked up irritated, and it was not directed at them, but at the screaming child.

"I have yet to figure when he takes an actual breath," she said sourly. She picked Harry up and tried feeding him a bottle of milk that was on the countertop, but he refused and kept moving about as if in objection, a moment later a young man with blonde hair and gold eyes came out of her office with diapers. "Poppy maybe he need's a change-" he stopped and looked over to Dumbledore and Snape, who looked confused.

"Who is this?" Albus asked curiously.

"This is my friend, Michael, he is what muggles call, a pediatrician. He's the expert on babies, I went to my fire, and contacted him through that, and he apparated as close as he could to the school, and then flew the rest of the way by broom with the needed supplies, it was very kind of him," she said with a smile, as Michael blushed and shrugged.

"Anything to help," he said sheepishly.

Poppy who again tried once more to feed Harry, gave up, placed him down, and began changing his diaper into a fresh one and began speaking. "I tested him and he isn't changing so far, it seems he is in this form for now, I don't know when he will be changing back, or how, for now he is perfectly healthy and around ten or eleven months old, rather small for his age, but as I said, nothing's wrong," she spoke over the screams and Severus decided it was one of the most annoying things known to man, and wished nothing more then to plug his ears.

"So you may wish to find a place to keep him, Michael was good enough to even bring a rocking basinet, as well as a few more baby supplies," she went on. "I can't stand this," she said suddenly, but calmly. "I can't keep him quiet, I've tried everything, he is not sick-"

Dumbledore smiled and walked over to her, "Perhaps I could...?" he held out his arms and she handed Harry to him. She carefully placed him within Albus' arms, and he rocked him gently, and soothingly said, "Now, now Harry, you don't wish to drive us all mad do you?" Harry slowly began to stop crying, drawing in deep shuddering breaths, his red scrunched up face slowly turning to its proper color. "How 'bout you eat?" he took the bottle and gently pressed it to the corner of his mouth and in reply, Harry opened his small mouth and once the nipple was in his mouth he began to suck on it enthusiastically.

Severus nearly sighed in relief as silence filled the room and Poppy gaped unceremoniously.

"How on earth did you do that?!" she asked.

"Bravo, neither of us could get him to go silent," Michael commented. "I think my left eardrum busted some time ago, I'll be quite relieved when my hearing returns."

"That was quite irritating," Snape commented.

"Of course it was," Poppy replied. "A baby's scream is the most irritating sound to the human ear. It's supposed to be, because that's nature's way of letting a baby say, 'something's wrong'."

"Why couldn't nature have given babies a more SILENT way of doing so?" Snape asked dryly.

"Because then we would want, or have, babies all the time," Michael said with a grin.

"Well, it seems he's well in hand," Snape began. "I will just go to my dungeons now and get some work done before dinner." As he turned to leave, Dumbledore's voice stopped him.

"Severus, I don't think you quite understand what is going on here. It seems Harry does not wish to be taken care of by Poppy, and I myself have many things to take care of, and while Harry seems to like me, you DID comment he was quiet with you.... And you are the reason this happened to some extent. So, I'm sorry to inform you, but you shall have to take care of Harry."

Severus' mouth dropped, "You can't be serious! I'm too busy!"

"And you shall become even busier now Severus, he needs to be taken care of, and I absolutely refuse to leave him at his relative's house. To leave him with anyone else would be beyond reason as well. To keep Harry's condition as quiet as possibly is another factor. The students owls will have to be watched now as well, you realize. Despite even those measures, eventually this will be found out. It is imperative we find a way to reverse this potion. I trust you beyond any other potion master. It is you who will have to care for him, you will have help, he is now your responsibility."

"Why can we not send him back to his relatives? I can do tests without him! He'd only be pampered like he was in his childhood, the great Harry Potter once more being babied would make no difference, I'm sure," Severus sneered coldly.

Albus frowned, "Severus, by chance, before this occurred, did you notice the marks on Harry's back?"

"Marks?" he barked out, not sure where this was leading.

"Yes, marks. Last year, before school started, it seems the Weasley twins pulled a practical joke on his cousin and it highly upset the parents. Once fifth year for him had started, Harry came back -- during the second week he and Mr. Weasley were bathing and he saw marks on his backs, and even some scars. Mr. Weasley told me one breakfast when I was speaking with Minerva, and I had Harry go to be inspected by Poppy. Poppy saw them, and with the healing potions did her best to help him, but scars remained. Once questioned it was found that he had paid quite dearly for their little practical joke.

"Before that he spent his first eleven years in a cupboard, his family dislikes him more than you ever have, Severus. If you think Harry Potter was some spoiled boy Severus, I highly suggest you correct that notion. Harry Potter was deprived of any magical knowledge until he came to Hogwarts, and he was nothing but hurt and neglected before, and even after."

Severus' face was a mask of anger, but inside he HAD listened stupefied, disbelief warring with the knowledge that Albus never lied to him.

"I'm sorry you obviously were unaware of this fact, but that changes nothing, he was in your class, the potion you were having them learn went wrong, it was your responsibility to make sure things went right. But since it didn't, you have take responsibility for this." Albus told the younger man gently.

"I don't know how to take care of a child, much less a baby," Severus snarled.

"I suggest you learn within the next hour." Managing to keep a straight face, Albus went over to Severus and handed Harry to him, Severus automatically cradled Harry to his chest, but once he was directed to hold the bottle his face took on a lost look.

"I can't do this!" he finally cried out, almost pitifully.

"I'm sure Michael could procure a book or two to help you along," his Headmaster smiled lightly. "And I'm sure he'll be more then happy to help get the basinet to your room, as well as the needed supplies... I suggest you work on a cure. The faster you find a cure, the sooner he is out of your hands." Albus then left with a farewell to Poppy and Michael.

As Albus reached the door and opened it, he paused, and turned his head slightly to look over his shoulder, "Oh and Severus, welcome to fatherhood," he then shut the door behind him.

Severus stood there, horrified, flabbergasted, shocked, and then the reality of the situation hit like a tons of bricks. "You must be joking!"

~*~