Child of Mine
Chapter 8
Flashback
~*~
Severus was grateful once he was within the walls of his secure private rooms. It was quite cool and after a moments thought he waved his wand and made it so a fire was instantly ablaze in the fireplace. Sighing in relief and contentment, he gazed down at the drowsing child nestled snugly in his arms. Harry was dirty from his little escapade and Severus was in no better shape. Severus reached up to rub at a spot of dirt on the boy's face, smiling quietly.
"A bath seems to be in order," he murmured silkily to Harry, including himself in that assessment. Stepping within the bathroom he turned on the faucet to the tub, letting the sweet smelling liquid fill until it was four inches deep. Snape quickly and gently stripped Harry of his clothes, tossing them aside and settled a now awake Harry in the steaming bath. The boy seemed much more calm now that he was in familiar territory again, he gazed around himself at his bath toys and at his guardian and gave an angelic smile before reaching onto the edge of the tub for the toy broom.
Snape sat back a moment and watched Harry merrily splash the water, and with surprise realized, Harry looked bigger. Was that why Harry's speech was developing so quickly? Was he at that very moment aging back to his normal age? So this wasn't permanent and that meant if he kept growing quickly Severus would be rid of all the responsibilities soon enough.
But if that were the case, then why did he feel a pang of regret? It didn't matter, he had a responsibility to work on Harry's potion so Harry would not lose too many days of schooling...
"In!" Harry ordered with a splash when Severus mindlessly dumped the rest of his toys into the bath, finally bringing Severus out of his reverie.
"What?" Severus' brow knitted into a scowl, he was on his knee's arranging the items he would need to take care of Harry when the child spoke again.
"Daddy in bath!" the boy insisted, green eyes blazing with determination.
"After you take yours-" Severus explained shortly, leaning precariously over the tub to reach for the last of the baby supplies. Harry pouted and grabbed Severus' robe.
"Noo! Daddy in now!" He yanked hard on the front of the robe and Severus teetered, his balance already unstable. Arms flailing, he tried desperately to keep out of the water.
"Wha- WHOA!" And with a splash, Snape slipped into the water, clothes and all. "HARRY...." his voice was low as he growled out his charges name and turned an annoyed glare on the child.
Harry grinned impishly at the soaked professor who sighed in resignation, stood up and stripped himself, "Fine, Harry."
Severus filled the tub a bit more and clambered in behind his child... Err... THE child. Shaking his head, knowing he must really be losing his mind if he was thinking of Harry as his, Severus settled into the water and grabbed a wash cloth and soap and started scrubbing the child before him. "Happy now?" he groused.
Happy tilted his head completely back until the top of his head rested on the potions master's chest and stomach, and grinned happily, "Daddy clean Harry."
Sighing, Severus cracked a small smile and leaned down to kiss Harry on the forehead, "Of course," he replied quietly and with a touch of affection, "that's what I'm here for." He reached up with the wash cloth and started on Harry's face while he had the chance. The boy just sighed in contentment and closed his eyes, letting his daddy soothe all the remaining fear and loneliness away. Daddy would take care of him, nothing could hurt Harry as long as Daddy was here. He was safe.
~*~
After their bath, taking care of the mess, and dressing he and Harry in night clothes, both of them had fallen asleep in Severus' large bed. And like a protective mother, Severus had cradled Harry to his body, not moving an inch, instinctively making sure not to smother the child he was protecting. Harry snuggled close into the warm haven of his daddy's nightshirt and slept soundly.
When they awoke it was near dinner time and Severus dressed them both. "Before we go to dinner we need to drop by my class so that I can get Remus' potion." Snape muttered to the bouncing child who was trying to turn the bed into a trampoline.
"Moony?" Harry asked, stopping his bouncing to glance up at his daddy.
"Yes... 'Moony'," Severus pursed his lips and picking up Harry, left his room, securing the door behind them.
When Severus finally reached the great hall, he placed the cheerful child in Harry's now changed chair, which was a bit bigger to accommodate Harry's size, (how on earth had this happened?) he placed 'Moony's' cup at 'Moony's' seat, then sat himself down.
Harry was happily eating like everyone else, but the cup Daddy had given Moony was so much more interesting. He watched it like a hawk as 'Moony' picked it up, thanking his daddy for remembering it. Daddy nodded and mumbled, "You're welcome," in between bites of food.
Remus took a swig of his potion and shuddered. As usual it tasted incredibly horrible, but he would just have to deal with the fact. He looked up to Harry who was looking at him intently. "Yes, Harry?"
"Up!" he insisted with a charming, playful grin and pleading eyes as he lifted his arms up to Remus who smiled slightly back at the child.
"Harry, I'm eating," Remus explained gently, taking a bite of food.
"I want up...." Harry whined piteously.
"Pick him up, Remus. If he cries. You cry," Snape threatened as he continued cutting his steak. Albus laughed, politely turning it into a cough, and Remus sighed, and picked Harry up, placing him in his lap.
"There. Happy now, you little monster," Remus said sweetly to the child as he gently insulted him.
To his relief Harry left him be for a moment or two, leaving him to eat. However, when Harry tried standing up on Remus' leg, he was a bit distracted from his food. "What are you doing, Harry?" Remus asked curiously, putting his arm around the boy's back to keep him from falling.
"Sit on table, Moony."
Remus' gave Harry a confused glance and thought about it, there was nothing Harry could really do sitting on the table. There WAS plenty of room... "All right..." He gave in and sat Harry well away from the edge of the table and went back to eating while Harry sat on the table, behaving like a perfect angel.
With a little red tail swishing mischievously behind him.
He kept looking over to Moony's glass, then to his daddy who wasn't looking at him, then to Moony who was talking with that old woman he liked... and the old funny man was talking to Hagrid. With his chance in view he grabbed Moony's goblet to him and then lifted it to drink it.
Remus may have had the back of his head to Harry's mischievous trick, but Minerva was facing Harry, although not looking at him, her peripheral vision caught sight of Harry grabbing Remus' cup which had the wolf potion...
"HARRY!" she gasped out. Remus immediately turned to Harry and gasped at the same time Snape saw Harry drinking.
"NO, HARRY!" Remus said in a rush, taking the goblet from Harry, who looked quite scandalized.
"ICK!" Harry said with a look of disgust at the taste in his mouth. He tried to spit out the remaining bad taste, but it didn't help any.
The small commotion had caught the staff, and some of the students attention. Albus was torn between laughter and worry.
Remus looked worried, could the potion harm Harry? He turned to Snape who was holding a smirk, "Severus, will he be all right?"
"Of course you fool, your potion, while for you it is effective, to normal people is nothing more then a distasteful drink," then to Harry he added, "That serves you right Potter," he had switched back to his old way of referring to Harry, a reflex Remus assumed. "Next time you try sneaking your way into doing something you know you shouldn't, you should think twice." Harry looked at Snape and pouted, having been caught.
"What are you talking about?" Minerva questioned sternly.
Albus laughed slightly, "It's quite apparent to me. Harry saw Remus' drink and how strange it was, and became curious. Harry Potter always did seem to have a very bad weakness to giving into things due to curiosity. He wanted to get near to the object of his curiosity and had Remus pick him up, place him near it.... Well, I should have seen as much, had I paid attention. It is natural for children to drink from the cups they see the adults surrounding them drinking."
"You little cheat," Remus muttered to Harry who finally grinned happily. "You're hanging around Severus too much Harry, you're turning into a natural Slytherin." With that he placed Harry in the high chair and Severus gave Remus a look that read 'Ha - ha, oh so funny.'
~*~
A week later Severus had worked out why the potion had gone wrong, and had even begun the first few necessary steps into figuring out what might cure it. But getting farther was a joke considering he had to keep up with a very rambunctious Harry who seemed a year and maybe a few months old by now.
"Harry sit still! If we're going to go watch the quidditch game you're going to be dressed warmly!" Harry then stopped moving long enough for the baby jacket to be fit around him and closed, and his hat to be placed snugly on his head.
Severus finally sighed in relief and picked the little brat up, "You're more trouble then you're worth," he murmured as he ran his fingers through the boy's hair, and then grabbing the bag of snacks the house elves had prepared for he and Harry, and then, went to the field where the game was being held.
~*~
"And Ravenclaw beater sends the bludger flying towards Slytherin keeper- and Slytherin keeper dodges successfully!"
Harry was clapping happily, "VROOM VROOM!" he screeched while jumping up and down on his behind. (It's possible. Don't ask.)
Remus laughed slightly and looked back up to the game again. Albus and Minerva sat behind them as did many of the other staff members, Severus and Remus were in the front row because Harry was so short. The boy was thoroughly enjoying the game and not giving either man too much trouble, which both were thrilled about.
As Slytherin scored, the Slytherin students in the stands set up harmless green sparks as their voices raised in joy.
Harry froze as he watched the sparks fly high then lower, melding together--
"Get Harry out of here now, Lily! It will do no good if we all die!"
"James, I can't, please no-" the pretty lady ... his mother, hugged his father tightly, he knew this, even though he had never been there to see it. "I love you, James- more then anything-"
"I love you, too- now go!" his voice was urging her up the stairs, "Apparate as soon as you have Harry-"
She was up the stairs just as soon as their door was blasted.
She spun around in time to see her husband raise his wand at the cloaked figure, "EXPELLIARMIS!"
Surprisingly, Voldemort was actually blasted back a step, James already readying a new spell-
Without another thought she ran up the stairs-
Harry was crying, he was scared- shouts and screams- His bedroom light turned on and his mother was above him, "Oh God- I can't leave James- I can't-" she moaned slightly in fear, tears tracking down her lovely face. "I can't lose him- but I won't lose you too ,I swear Harry-" she picked Harry up and it was then she froze as her heart skipped a beat at the words that would destroy her world as she knew it- -
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
"JAMES!!!:" she screamed, "NO JAMES!!!" she fell to her knee's, unmoving. Her husband was undoubtedly dead- And there were footsteps coming up the stairs-
Frantically, she got to her feet and ran from the room and to the third floor to buy time. She had to clear her head to apparate, or she'd never get away with Harry.
The footsteps were quick and she was all but ready to duck into one of the spare bedrooms that they had been designing as Harry's new bedroom, as his other one had been very small. She stopped short when a cold voice spoke out.
"Give me the boy."
Harry looked up to his mother, the look of terror was plain as day on her face, she held Harry tightly and he whimpered, feeling his mothers fear radiate strongly from her.
"NO! Please! Kill me in his place but don't kill Harry!" she begged him, but Voldemort, was never merciful.
"Give me the boy, you'll join him soon enough," his voice was low and rumbling and she sobbed.
"NO!!!" she spun around to run through the door way-
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Lily screamed out in pain as the spell shot through her body, stealing her of her soul and her life, and she crumpled in the door way, Harry hit the ground within his mothers arms, she had landed on her side, even in death, making sure to protect her son. Harry could feel warmth rippling through her, but it was a bad tingling... She wasn't moving... He looked up as the cloaked figure looked down to him...
This man had killed...
His parents-
Voldemort pulled back his hood, he looked somewhat human still, dark hair framed his face, cold black eyes, and a cruel, thin nose and mouth. "Goodbye, Harry Potter." Harry's eyes went wide as the man pointed a stick at him, "Avada kedavra!"
Severus and the rest of the staff nearly jumped sky high as a cry; high, shrill, and filled with terror, tore through the air, the commotion from the game nowhere near his volume. Harry fell off his seat onto the floor of the bleachers rolling in pain and holding his head, "MOMMY!!! DADDY!!!" he then screamed again in a pain the others would never fathom. "NOOOO HEELLP!!"
Severus was instantly at Harry's side trying to hold the boy's body down, which was writhing in a torment the boy could not describe. Albus was climbing down to them and Remus was white, almost as white as Albus and Severus.
And then a flash of green light blinded them all.
~*~