I got a random burst of inspiration to write some more of this so I'm rolling with it

Selena was swallowed by the bed he had the elves bring into his room. Upon seeing the small sleepy child in his arms, the elves had been positively cooing. Most of them had not had the chance to dote on a toddler since they made Hogwarts their home. The novelty of it sent them into a frenzy and Severus was faced with a mountain of cushions, quilts and soft toys before he could even blink. Not entirely favourable for a child of three.

His lips tightened into a line as he swept the most offending items from the bed. A particularly garish pillow with a peacock sewn into the front glared at him from the corner he slung it into. It gave him what he could only assume was a 'huff' and strutted to the other side of the pillow so it no longer had to look at him.

Deplorable birds.

Eventually, there was enough room for him to deposit a sleeping Selena into the centre, though it still looked utterly ridiculous. Severus cast a barrier charm along the edge of the bed just in case she somehow managed to roll off the end and also so she couldn't wander off to Merlin knows where if she woke up before him.

He need not have worried, as sleep evaded him rather thoroughly. No matter how much he tried, the heavy presence of a child on the other side of the room was a weight he could not ignore. Every movement, every sound–even the soft sigh of her breath–forced his eyes back open. The simple fact of no longer being the sole occupant of his private space was enough to set him on edge.

He thought to leave the room, that some alone time with his thoughts would do him some good after the rollercoaster of an evening. (And yes he knew what a rollercoaster was, Lily had somehow convinced him to ride on one of those death machines when they were both twelve) Yet leaving the room brought him no relief, in fact not being able to see the child made him feel worse like there was a band tied around his chest tugging him back to where she slept peacefully.

Instead, he tried to busy himself reading and when that proved fruitless he even tried marking students' work, but his heart wasn't into it. The formidable red ink just didn't look as threatening when all he could muster was an 'incorrect' or a 'terrible'. None of his usual flair and gravitas, not when his eye was forever drawn back to that eyesore of a bed in the corner.

Raising a child was no easy feat, and one he was not equipped for in any way shape or form. How was he supposed to look after a child when teaching took up so much of his day? How was he supposed to provide for her when all he had was that pathetic little hovel he'd inherited from his scumbag of a father and what measly savings he had garnered from teaching?

It just wasn't enough. He wasn't enough. And that's before even getting to the emotional side of things. Severus was not exactly known for his nurturing tendencies. He could not provide the affection or attend to her emotional needs, he was certain of it. Any child left in his care would undoubtedly suffer at his hand.

Though, a version of him existed that could, and had, provided all of that. The proof of that gave the occasional high pitched snore and snuggled her dragon closer. Somewhere out there Severus Snape had been a father–a capable one. And wasn't that just a crazy concept. A burning feeling settled low in his stomach, a roiling extension of the jealousy that coursed through him. Like a living thing, it struck out, leaving scorch marks and singed flesh until he felt like a hollow husk.

How had a version of him achieved everything that he had ever dared to dream of? It just highlighted his own pathetic and dreary existence. Who knows, maybe he was the only version of himself that failed. The only useless, spineless excuse of a man, that got the one person he ever loved killed.

Before he could once again spiral down into that pit of despair and self-hatred, Selena muttered something that sounded like 'No, Mr Cheese' and rolled over. Such a strange and out of place comment cut through the storm of his thoughts like a guide rope and he latched on.

Even if that version of Severus had everything he ever wanted, it was gone now. That Severus had lost everything, including his own life. His final sacrifice had determined him the best person to look after the child and he was not going to take that lightly.

Thin beams of light streamed into the room from the magically conjured windows. One showed the rising sun glinting off the great lake–a flick of spray from a single tentacle breached the surface and splashed back down – and the other showed the long shadows stretching across the quidditch pitch. The quidditch mad miscreants at the school always wondered how he knew that they were sneaking out after hours. Of course, he never told them that he could literally see them, he liked to keep an air of mystery and foreboding around him at all times.

When he looked up at Selena for what felt like the millionth time, he was met with a bright-eyed stare and a large grin. She was leaning against the invisible barrier, face pressed up to it until her nose was squashed. A hand batted against the barrier but because it wasn't true glass it absorbed all sound. He managed to contain the shock of suddenly being observed–a feat only achieved through occlumency and many years of spying–and levelled her with a neutral look.

"Good Morning, Selena," he said.

"Mornin' Daddy,"

He didn't flinch at the word but it was a close thing, they would need to have a discussion about that sooner rather than later. Severus did not want her going around with the idea that he was the same person as her father. Not when he was bound to be a disappointing alternative.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, unsure of what else to say while those eyes burned into his.

"Yeeees, my belly all empty," she said, bed hair sticking out at odd angles.

That little smile again, so like his yet not at all. It tugged at something in his chest and he had to cough around it "Right, okay. Finny!"

A house-elf popped into existence and sent Selena into a fit of giggles. She fell backwards into her mountain of blankets, clapping her hands. The elf in question, already fully enamoured with the child, forgot entirely about Severus and turned to Selena.

"Oh hello, Little Mistress Selly. Do you be liken the quilt? Finny made it special. Does Little Mistress need anythin'? Finny can be gettin' anythin' you want"

The barrage of questions sailed right over her head and Selena simply waved at the creature. "Hello!"

After a pointed cough, the wayward house-elf finally remembered Severus' existence. Finny spun so fast that he became a blur and let out a horrified gasp.

"Finny be's sorry Master Snape. Finny not meanin' to ignores. Please forgive Finny."

Severus curled his lip, the only evidence of his annoyance he allowed to slip, "Yes, Finny you are forgiven. Now would you please get us some breakfast," he cast a glance at the small human currently pressing their tongue against the barrier and added "Something suitable for hungry infants."

"Of course, Finny will make the bestest breakfast for Little Mistress and Master Snape," Finny said, and popped away. The fact that he chose to say Severus' name last did not surprise him at all. The elf had clearly chosen its priority.

Hardly a moment passed before a table materialised in the middle of his bedroom. Another pop and it was covered in a dark blue table cloth, then cutlery, then a tea service before finally a ridiculous amount of food that covered nearly every inch. Severus resisted the need to sigh and sat down. Only to be reminded of the other occupant in the room.

"Daddy I stuck," she said, banging against the invisible wall.

"Oh, right," he said, internally kicking himself for forgetting. With a quick flick of his wand, he cancelled the spell. It didn't occur to him that small children probably needed help getting down from tall objects until he saw her foot slip against the mattress and the rest of her go along with it. Selena landed bottom first onto the carpeted floor with an 'oof' that sent Severus shooting up from his chair. His heart was in his throat as he rushed over to her, with thoughts of 'I've hurt her already' driving into him like spikes.

But Selena did not cry, instead, she held her hands in the air and declared "Am okay!"

Severus was not convinced and lifted her up, twisting her this way and that, to see if she had bruised. When all that yielded was Selena kicking her legs and laughing at him, he conceded that she was probably okay for now.

Crisis averted, he placed her into the chair that hadn't been thrown halfway across the room and went to retrieve the other. He straightened it up and sat down only to notice that the chair across from him was now empty.

How had he lost her already? He was too young to be this stressed.

"Selena, where…" he bent at the waist and found a pair of tiny legs dangling off the other chair. "What are you doing? You're going to hurt yourself!"

He could picture her falling and twisting an ankle. Or landing on her head and breaking her neck. How fragile were infants anyway? Could they die from that height? She reached the floor, only teetering a little before she straightened up and toddled over to him as if nothing had happened. Tiny hands found their way to his trouser leg and tugged with increasing demand.

"Up," she said, "I want to eat with daddy."

"What? Oh, uh…" Severus rushed to grab her as she tried to climb his legs herself. He spun her around and positioned her awkwardly on his lap, uncertain about what to do. But Selena seemed content and reached for a chocolate cake.

…wait, a chocolate cake?

"No," Severus said, grabbing the confection before she could shovel it into her mouth. "That is not a breakfast food."

What the hell was that blasted elf thinking? He asked for food suitable for a toddler not diabetes on a plate. Giving a child sugar was just asking for chaos and not something he wished to witness on zero hours of sleep. Severus banished the rest of the sweets before Selena could be tempted by anything else.

"No!" Selena's bottom lip stuck out and started wobbling. Then she turned to him with those big green eyes, shiny from unshed tears and he found it hard to look at her. It was a look he never wanted to see again.

"You can't have cake for breakfast, it's not good for you," he said in what he hoped was a stern enough voice "Here have some fruit."

"No," she said, shoving the apple away from her. It rolled across several plates and landed in a bowl of muesli.

His anger rose suddenly at the blatant display of misbehaviour. "We do not throw apples!" He contained himself enough to not raise his voice but he may have pulled a muscle or two in the process.

"Is yakky." was her only reply.

There's that word again. Severus closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, he was not cut out for this. Perhaps she was placed here as a punishment to him, to slowly drive him insane until he cracked completely. Though that thought didn't settle right with him and he felt guilty as soon as it passed through his mind.

With a heavy sigh, he filled the plate in front of them with a mixture of food. Pastries, toast, sausage, scrambled egg. He ladled a large amount of blueberry jam onto a slice of toast and held it out as an offering.

"How about you have some of my toast?"

Her eyes lit up "Daddy's toast?"

Severus swallowed thickly but still replied "yes."

Selena made a move for the toast with grabby hands and he relinquished the bread to her. For some ungodly reason, she then smashed the toast into her face middle first so that the jam smeared across her nose, cheek and stuck in her eyebrow. She was not hindered in the slightest by the mess and carried on eating, only worsening the spread of the thick, sticky jam.

Severus had to take several deep breaths down his nose to try and remain calm. He definitely did not have enough caffeine in his system to deal with this. Ignoring the mess, for now, he reached for the coffee urn. He had to awkwardly lean up and around Selena's head to get to it and pour himself a cup of the liquid gold. He downed the first cup, barely noticing the burning across his tongue and poured a second cup immediately afterwards.

By the time breakfast was nearly over he started to feel vaguely human again. But when he looked at the clock and realised that his first-class started in 30 minutes, he lost any good mood that he had gained. Second-year Slytherin and Gryffindors, a class filled to the brim with volatile dunderheads who think throwing potions ingredients across the room is the most fun pass time. He could already feel a sleep deprivation-induced murderous rage threaten to claw its way out of him. Today would not be a good day.

With a quick scourgify, the jam was removed from Selena's face and sleep shirt. Severus frowned at her clothes, all she had with her were the pyjamas she appeared in and he did not have anything for her to wear. Unsure what else to do, he shrunk down one of his own shirts and trousers. Never one for transfiguring clothing he did not attempt to change them into something else.

Wrestling her into them was another matter entirely, as her attempts to be helpful only hindered their progress. Her insistence on putting her own arms through the sleeves and pulling her own socks on, added an extra 10 minutes to the whole affair. Though he somehow completed the task (without swearing too, but it was a close call) She looked somewhat ridiculous, dressed like a miniature him, all she needed was a long black robe to complete the look.

She looks like me. No one could deny the resemblance, he realised when he looked at her. She's my daughter. The feelings associated with that thought were complicated. A whirlwind of conflicting emotions that made him feel lightheaded.

Severus led Selena into the living room and deposited her onto the rug. He then spent more time than he necessarily had, casting cushioning charms upon every surface.

"Limsey!" he called, seeing if asking for a different house elf would yield better results.

"Yes, Master Snape?" the elf appeared and immediately acknowledged him. Perhaps a sign that this interaction will go better than the other.

"I have to start my lessons in–oh Merlin, two minutes. Can I trust you to babysit Selena until the end of the school day?" While he was loath to leave her alone, especially with what he had already seen to be overindulging house elves, he could not see any other viable option. None of the other teachers even knew of his predicament and could hardly take time out of their already busy schedules to babysit. Most of them didn't like him enough for that anyway.

"Yes, Master Snape of course! It would be an honour for Limsey to look after little mistress!"

"No sweets," he said, resolutely. "Don't let her climb on anything. Don't let her get into anything and don't let her leave this room. Am I clear?"

"You be clear sir"

"Good, good," all he had left was hope but that was running very thin. He turned back to Selena "I've got to go now. I shall return at Lunch."

"No daddy don't go."

Her bottom lip started to wobble again and, without consciously making the decision, Severus found himself squatting down next to her.

"You'll be okay, Limsey will look after you," He said, patting her shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner but in reality was probably not. "I won't be long."

Her sad expression did not lighten but he had no choice but to leave her. He was already five minutes late to class and visions of the second year's firing of jinxes at one another in his absence plagued his mind. He had to leave her while she was still upset and the sniffle he heard as he closed the door reached into his heart and squeezed.

oOo

"I think Snape has finally lost it, you know."

"I heard he gave out 10 detentions today."

"I heard he took points from his own house!"

"He told Hinley off for breathing too loud. Breathing!"

The mutters followed him around the castle, blissfully stalling in his wake when a single glare sent most of the cretins scampering. But he still caught the tail end of most of their comments. Not that he particularly cared, he was too busy nursing the worst headache of his life and trying to combat levels of stress he had not felt since before the fall of the Dark Lord.

The combination of lack of sleep, worry for an infant child loose in his rooms and the general lack of common sense that children possessed was enough to send him half-mad.

One misbegotten Gryffindor saw fit to 'experiment' with his friend's potion by adding doxie wings instead of pixie, which resulted in a bubbling mass of molten potion lurching out of the cauldron and setting like concrete, taking the desk and his friend's wand with it. The resulting mixture did not respond to any cleaning spell, nor any of the dissolving solutions he had on hand, meaning both the desk and wand were lost. Mr Hough had been near inconsolable when he kicked everyone out of his classroom, but McGonagall would undoubtedly sort out a replacement so he cared not.

Then he could have sworn he heard crashes emanating from his private rooms but when he had darted out of the classroom–to the confusion of many children–and sped down the hall, he opened it to find nothing amiss. Only a babbling Selena in front of the hearth surrounded by a mountain of teddies and a rather terrified looking house-elf wringing her hands behind her back.

Nothing seemed out of place–except perhaps his cupboard looked a little eskew. But the house-elf all but pushed him out of the room declaring everything was fine and he should go back to his day.

He returned to the classroom dazed and agitated. In his chaotic state, he somehow miswrote the steps for the cure for boils potion. He forgot to add the instruction to take the cauldron off the heat before adding porcupine quills and every single cauldron in the classroom exploded. It was only through his emergency activation of the shield runes carved into every desk that there weren't any casualties. But he lost 20 cauldrons and all the runes were burnt out and would have to be reapplied.

His screams sent the first years running for the hills.

So, all in all, it was a very very bad day. When he stalked into his room all he wanted to do was drink himself into oblivion and pass out. He knew neither one of those was an option but a man could dream. However, upon opening the door he was confronted with the sight of Minerva McGonagall sitting in his chair, waving a toy lion in Selena's face and he wondered how much more he could take before he snapped.

"Is nothing a secret these days?" he said, storming into the room.

Not even a day and people already knew. Knowing his luck it would be plastered across the front page of the prophet by tomorrow. FORMER DEATH EATER FOUND WITH ABANDONED CHILD. Morganna, he was too tired for this.

"Oh I hardly count Severus, Albus tells me everything," she paused, ruminating on her words "Well perhaps not everything. He does like to play his cards close to his chest so to speak."

"Does everyone know?" he said, rubbing his temples, the headache was starting to pulsate.

"Gonnygo," Selena said, lifting her dragon high "Rarrr!"

"Rarr!" The lion emitted a realistic growl from its felt mouth before Minerva turned back to Severus "The heads of houses know that you are currently housing a small child that may or may not be yours. But only we three know the specifics of it. Albus thought it would be easier if some people knew about your little guest in case people saw her."

"Of course he did," he sighed. And of course, the old coot didn't think to ask him first.

"Daddy look, a lion," Selena pointed to the toy in Minerva's hands and it growled again.

Severus sunk into the sofa, the air rushed out of his lungs in a huff on impact and he levelled a glare at Minerva. "I've barely had her for five minutes and you are already trying to indoctrinate her into your lion's?"

Minerva remained unruffled under his withering glare and smiled at him "Oh don't be so dramatic Severus, it's just a toy.

"That's how it starts," he muttered under his breath. Then he got a good look at the child sitting next to him. "What in the name of magic is she wearing?"

The shrunken clothes had been replaced by some tartan monstrosity. Blue and yellow chequered squares from head to toe. It hurt his eyes just to look at it.

"Oh, she needed a pop of colour Severus. You can't dress kiddies in all black."

"I wore black as a child."

"Yes and look how cheery you turned out to be," she raised an eyebrow at him.

He glared back at her but could not muster his usual strength. Merlin, he was too tired for this. His head fell back against the sofa cushion and he felt his eyelids getting heavier with each blink. When it felt like his eyes would not reopen again, he felt a pointed prod from Minerva.

"I think you should get some sleep, Severus. I've transfigured her some pyjamas so you needn't worry about getting her ready for bed," said Minerva.

When Severus glanced down he saw bright red pyjamas covered in tiny lions, he couldn't even muster a pained groan at the sight. Instead, he thanked Minerva and sent her away.

He carried Selena to her ridiculous bed and slipped away to put his own pyjamas on. These ones were, of course, entirely black. Then he slid into his bed with all the grace of an elephant and expected to fall unconscious instantly. It was only after a small body wriggled its way into his arms that he remembered the barrier charm he was supposed to put up around Selena's bed.

With no energy to move her back, Severus placed an arm around her and promptly fell asleep.