Child of Mine
Chapter 3
Reality Hurts

Harry looked up as what he assumed to be his father, cried out, the emotions he was feeling from him... weren't nice, in fact, he was sure that daddy didn't want him at all... This was enough to bring Harry to tears.

"WAGGGHHHHHH!!!!!" his cry reached the loudness of Snape's, and the bottle fell from his mouth as he wailed.

Snape looked to the child and thought he might just break into tears, too. How could he be stuck with this… this... Child? This was wrong! Gritting his teeth he headed toward the door. "Send the needed things to my room," he snapped, and then left with a storm cloud over his head, Harry's screams echoing down the hall.

"Oh dear," murmured Michael. "That does not look like a happy couple. They're going to drive each other insane. Perhaps I should have mentioned to Severus about how babies have the unique ability of empathy. More so in wizarding children…"

"Nah," grinned Poppy. "I think Severus is getting what he deserves. But we're going to need a high chair so Harry can sit at the common room table during meals, and another one for Snape to use for his room or class."

~*~

Snape held his head high holding Harry in his arms, as the baby continued to scream, crying his little green eyes out. Ignoring the stares from the students, he continued walking, straight to his room, where he could curl up, and die. How could this happen, how could Albus DO this to him?! Climbing down the stairs he looked down to the screaming baby in his arms, they had dressed him in a green sleeper and a green hat was on his head.

"You're so small," he muttered. "You could at least be a little bit bigger, that way I wouldn't feel like I'm about to break you."

Going into his rooms he placed a blanket on the ground and grabbing his four pillows, he placed the pillows around in a square shape, and then laid Harry in the middle of it. He then began to change out of his robes; he needed a shower, a nice hot shower.

"Don't go anywhere, you're enough trouble as it," Severus ordered him never realizing how ridiculous his order was. Now completely stripped of his outer robes, he threw them into his hamper, and went to his bathroom, still dressed in his pants. He leaned over and turned on the bath faucet letting it fill the tub, trying his best to ignore Harry's cries. He sighed and stripped the rest of the way, turned off the faucet and blissfully sank into the hot water, letting his head sink beneath it for a moment. Sitting up once more, he rested against the back of the tub and grabbed the bar of soap and began washing himself languidly.

His muscles slowly relaxed and he grabbed his shampoo and scrubbed his hair ferociously, cleaning his hair thoroughly, he then rinsed and added the conditioner, scrubbed that in, rinsed once more, and then got out. Wrapping a towel around himself, he picked up his pants, shoes, and socks, and brought them into the main room where Harry was still screaming.

"Don't you ever shut up?!" he snapped.

To scream even louder was his only reply.

"Damn you," he muttered.

~*~

"I heard Harry Potter was transformed into a kid because of Snape."

"I heard it was a potion gone wrong-"

"I don't think it's true..."

The whispers and not so low comments went through the dinner hall and Ron and Hermione sighed.

"Figures this would happen to Harry," Ron muttered.

Just then a scream was heard plainly throughout the room as the professor entered, carrying a baby in his arms, keeping his face straight and his walk steady, he made his way to the main table. The student's voices died down as they turned to watch this. Hermione stared.

"Oh poor Harry!" she commented.

"Are you sure it's not the other way around?" George asked wide-eyed.

"He better not have hurt Harry! How could Dumbledore trust Snape to take care of Harry when he's that defenseless!?" Ron hissed out.

"He's trustworthy!" Hermione defended. "If not a bit.... moody and temperamental..."

As Snape neared his side of the table, he saw Remus grinning at him. Remus Lupin had come back to teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts, as there were no other trustworthy teachers to hand the job to. And although the ministry objected, Albus was taking steps above them. It was no longer safe to have untrustworthy teachers. Voldermort was going to rise to power, and that in itself was enough to send Albus on the defensive side.

As Snape sat down, he put Harry into the high chair, but the child just screamed on.

"Harry and you are getting along, I see," Remus smiled.

"I thought you said he never screamed with you," Albus commented. Snape's face went sour as he frowned and Albus chuckled, "Oh all right, touchy aren't we? STUDENTS!" Albus called out, "Undoubtedly you have heard the rumors, and I am here to confirm... yes, Harry Potter was accidentally transformed into a baby by a potion that went wrong. But I'm quite sure this won't be happening again," he added smoothly, showing a smile that plainly read he found it quite amusing. "At this time we would prefer the rumors to end where they are, however a difficult task that may be. Now I encourage you to eat this wonderful dinner, I am quite sure you have other things to speak of." He sat down and the students slowly, but surely, went back to talking somewhat normally. Snape looked down to his food and ate, practically ignoring Harry's screams.

"Good lord, Severus, do us a favor and shut him up," Hooch groused, from the other side of Albus, annoyed at all the unaccustomed screaming.

Albus chuckled and stood up, "I see you still haven't acquired the needed skills to quiet or comfort a child." Albus went over to Harry, reached down and picked up the shrieking child, who in a few short breaths went silent.

Many of the children (the students, that is) at that moment, realized there was something missing. In fact… It was the screaming. It was gone!

"FINALLY!" one of the Ravenclaw's shouted, who unfortunately, was one of the closer people to the main table. This call earned him a glare from Snape. A few moments later Albus smiled and handed Harry back to Severus. And then the screaming started. Full throttle, shaming the loudest and shrillest banshee...

"Oh God, please kill it," one of the Gryffindor's cried as he let his head fall to his hands, unfortunate also, to be near enough to hear the cries quite well. A moment later a bun smacked him directly atop of his head. Ron, having been the person who had thrown it, shouted, "That's Harry! You'd be unhappy too if you were- - In his place." He too, earned a glare from the Potions Master.

"Would you like a hand, Severus?" Remus asked curiously.

Snape frowned, "Just a tad, I'd like to eat."

"All right." Remus then began clapping his hands in a quiet round of applause, and stopped. As Snape stared, it then clicked in his mind what had just been pulled.

"You can be potionless this month, you know," he snarled, glaring murderously.

"I was just joking!" Remus defended. "Here!" he took Harry from Severus -- hugged Harry, and then placed him on his lap, and the Lord said, 'Let there be silence', and it was so.

"I. Hate. You." Severus bit out. He began to eat before Harry had a chance to stop him once more. "That proves the child has no accounting for taste," he added darkly.

Remus smirked, and began feeding the boy bits of bread, potatoes, mashed up squash. It was then Severus realized that Harry had teeth, not all of them, but still he had teeth. As Harry chewed, he would laugh and giggle at what Remus would say to him, and he even tried getting Minerva's attention by reaching for her robe.

"Goodness, what do you want Harry?" she said with a small smile.

His arms reached towards her as if to say, 'up', and she sighed, leaned over, and plucked him from Remus' arms, who then took the chance to eat, while he still could. Three minutes into holding him, Harry had her wrapped around his little finger, all the while giggling and smiling sweetly to her and Albus.

"You're just a little angel," she cooed at him. "Oh Albus, how could they have treated him so meanly? He's so sweet..." she hugged Harry, and he kissed her cheek (albeit a little sloppily) with a smile that would have done an angel proud.

Snape glared at the child all the while.

"You know, he could be very dangerous," Albus chuckled. "Within a month, I do believe he'll have every professor willing to fulfill his every whim."

"Maybe not EVERY professor..." Remus grinned as he gave a side glance to the scowling Snape, who was not thrilled in the least that everyone but HIM could make the child smile. And HE was the one who would have to deal with him.

Hagrid unable to bear watching Harry and not join in, stood and went over to visit him. Minerva scooted her chair back for Harry to see him, and Hagrid knelt down and smiled, "Ello 'Arry, I haven't seen you this small since you were near a year old..." Harry looked up to him wide-eyed and Hagrid continued, "If I 'ad known about them like I do now, I would never 'ave left you wit' those terrible people." He couldn't help it, but he started crying, though it was thankfully silent, and Harry seemed to almost comprehend what was wrong.

"Agrid..." the word was slurred, but came out of his mouth in a smooth manner, and he reached out, as if desperately wishing to be within his arms. Minerva allowed Hagrid to take him, shocked that Harry had spoken, as well as many of the other teachers. It was then that Harry hugged his little arms around Hagrid's chest as much as he could, which was not very far, and Hagrid started crying more, when Harry said, "Wuv."

"I'm so sorry," the giant whispered. "I promise that I'll take care of yeh, just like yer godfather, Albus, and Remus... we'll protect yeh with our lives, and more if we can." He cradled Harry to him and looked up to the teachers who were looking to him concerned, as he sniffed and cleared his throat, "I'm sorry," he started. "But ever since I... 'ad ter leave 'im... and after everything that's 'appened, seeing 'Arry like this... I just feel like it's a second chance, and I realized just how young he really is, how deprived of love he was..." he ran a hand down Harry's back gently and cradled him another moment.

Minerva looked as if she might cry, while Remus and Albus nodded silently, and after a moment Albus said, "Of course Hagrid."

~*~

By the end of dinner, Harry had fallen asleep, and when given to Snape, he didn't wake up, letting Snape walk down the halls in silence. He looked to this child that he had loathed for so long, and for some reason, couldn't find it within himself to hate him. Not after learning what he did about his so called family, not after watching Hagrid and seeing just how, he detested to admit it, sweet the boy was. Harry only radiated love.

How could something he hate, be good? This was the son of the man who he had detested, this was the boy who had defied him and annoyed him at every turn... Why couldn't he just simply hate the boy unhindered?

As he reached over, with an unconscious desire to keep Harry warm from the cold, he pulled his cloak around him to cover Harry. Little did he know that 'hate' can return rather fast when the sweet and innocent are awake and screaming...

~*~