Hide and seek
By crisundomiel aka Aslan's Chick
Ten years had passed since Voldemort had been destroyed and things had finally gotten back on tracks. Severus Snape, after helping destroying the horcruxes, was sentenced to 10 years at Azkhaban, which he had already served, and was now a free man again. He now had another 20 years of community service ahead of him but at least he was free.
He had secretly hated Voldemort since he had killed his mother, Eileen Prince, and he had plotted against him by destroying several horcruxes. He had Killed Dumbledore and he hated himself for it but he had no other choice, it was him or the Headmaster. If only he hadn't made that unbreakable vow.
Everyone now knew that he wasn't really working for the dark side and that he had helped bringing Voldemort down but he was still cast aside for he had also been the one that had killed Albus Dumbledore, and for that he had been sentenced to spend 10 years of his life in Azkaban. It had been tough for him but he was hard to bend and he kept on going. He knew that after that he would be free again.
If only he knew that he would never be totally free again. After his release he had returned to his home at "Spinner's End" where he had planed to live quietly for the rest of his life but his house had been destroyed and he had to move. Finding a place had been extremely difficult, because no one wanted to live near Judas, if you know what I mean. For the others he was nothing but a cold hearted death eater that had deceived and murdered the greatest wizard of all times.
The ministry had helped him finding a nice and quiet place to live in a small village called "Ottery St. Catchpole" and there he had been doing his community service ever since. As you all know that village was close to the Burrow where the Weasleys still lived and Snape had to see them all the time. His feeling towards Potter and his friends hadn't changed. He still hated them and the feeling was mutual. The Weasleys and Harry despised him and considered him a foul murderer and a traitor.
Snape now spent most of his time brewing potions on the back of his small house when he was not doing the community service. He was brewing a very complicated potion that day when a small owl flew through the window with a large envelope tied to one of her paws. He recognised the owl immediately and he knew that it was one of his community service assignments. However he was not expecting that one, and he took a few minutes to recover from the shock.
He was to attend a birthday party at the Burrow where he was to help out with the kids that were to attend the party. It was very unusual to have so many young wizards together and the ministry was worried with the magical chaos that could happen if things got out of control.
Snape knew most of the parents and the kids that were to attend that Party. Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood and their children, a five year old boy named James and a four year old girl named Lily. There was also Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley and their son Albus, an adorable redheaded aged four. Neville Longbottom and Susan Bones were also to attend as well as their four kids. Brian the eldest was six years old, Lynn was five, Debby was four and the youngest was Harry and he was two years old. Remus and Tonks had also been invited and they were bringing their two children, six year old Alastor and four year old Molly.
The rest of the Weasleys were also to attend, of course. There was Charlie and his wife Cho, and their adorable son, five year old Cedric. Bill and Fleur with their nine year old girl named Gabriel Ginevra. Fred and Angelina with their three year old twins, Angel and Winifred and of course George and Katie Bell and their four year old twins named Kevin and Georgina.
And of course the birthday kids and their parents, Ron Weasley and Miss know-it-all Granger and their twins, Sirius and Sabrina that were about to turn five.
Snape just couldn't believe that the Ministry of magic could possibly think that he was actually going to baby-sit all those snotty kids. He paid the minister a visit that same day but, he came home even more frustrated. He was forced to attend the birthday party or else he would be sent back to Azkaban.
It was Saturday morning and the sun was shining bright. Severus Snape was outside the burrow and he was starting to have second thoughts when Molly Weasley showed up at the front Door. She gave him a cold look and got back into the house. Snape hesitated for a moment before he followed her. The house was wonderfully decorated with colourful balloons and with clowns painted on the walls which made him feel even more depressed, he hated kids and all that was related with them.
"Here we are" she said and Severus was thunderstruck by how many kids had attended the party. They had them all reunited in the back yard, and the noise was so loud that he had barely heard her.
She waved at someone to join them and a few minutes later Dolores Umbridge was standing in front of him with a disgusted face that led him to think that she was as happy as he was for being there.
"As you both know, you were sent here to help us out with the children." Severus nodded and Delores grunted. "The parents will be back after the party is over so until then the kids are all yours. I'm sure you'll manage to entertain the children and still keep everything under control. I'll be inside. If you need anything just call me and I'll be out in a second. Good luck." And she turned around and walked back into the house.
Snape and Dolores exchanged meaningful looks. They were all alone with the children so it was up to them how they were going to deal with them. They decided that the best thing to do was to go separate ways, and so they did. Umbridge went to swings area and Snape stayed near the slide.
Everything was going well and he had started to think that it was going to be easier than he had imagined when suddenly he felt an excruciating pain on his right foot. Someone had just dropped a case full off rocks on his feet. He looked around looking for the little pesters who had assaulted him and he wasn't surprised to see Harry's, Ron's, Neville's and Malfoy's kids. They were rolling on the ground with laughter making fun of him and he was so infuriated that he grasped for his wand.
"You little… auch…" his wand fell to the ground after Winifred and Angel (fred's kids) almost bite his hand off. He went after them of course but the perpetrators were faster than Velociraptors and he lost them in the huge crowd. He went back after his wand but it was gone.
"Just wait until I put my hands on you." He screamed loudly but the other kids ignored him and kept playing.
He decided that he was going to make them pay and he went looking for them. They couldn't be far and they were just a bunch of snotty kids against the half blood Prince. He swept the east wing but they were nowhere in sight so he headed for the west side. He was approaching some bushes when he suddenly heard laughing. It was them, he was sure of it. He approached cautiously and stretched his hands.
"I got you!" He shouted but what he pulled out of the bushes was huge cactus. You can very well imagine how painful it was for him to get rid of all the spines. When he was over he was more than infuriated he was completely enraged. He went searching for Umbridge, he needed to use her wand for it was payback time but the Frog face was not there, she had vanished. He was sure that the Bloody kids had taken care of her. He had to calm down or he would end up just like her.
All he had to do was to go and call Molly. She would know what to do, after all it was her little monster grandsons and granddaughters. He headed for the house but before he could reach the door he heard someone cackling behind him. He turned on the spot and little James Potter was looking at him defiantly.
"My dad says you're a coward and I think he's right." Severus snapped.
"You little…" James sprinted in the fence's direction with Snape on his heels screaming "I'll get you for this Potter." James crawled under the fence and Snape jumped over it. He was almost catching Potter when he lost him in the trees.
"Wanna play hide and seek Potter?" he spat but there was no answer. "Where's your Loony mother? Chasing Snorkacks?"
He heard small noises coming from a tree nearby and followed them. He spotted little James trying desperately to climb a tree.
"Here you are Potter. Can't climb the tree? Poor Potter. Let me give you a hand." He was a few steps away from the boy when a huge branch hit him on the face. Albus Weasley Malfoy and Alastor Lupin where rolling in the ground with laugher and he realised that he was surrounded by the whole, Weasley/Potter/Malfoy/Lupin/Longbottom gang.
His nose was bleeding but he healed it with a non-verbal spell. The kids seemed to be surprised by it and he felt that it was a good time to strike. He grabbed Potter by an arm and he twisted it. James screamed in pain but before Snape could even blink Lily, that had managed to climb the tree, jumped on him making him fall backwards. It was time for the big charge. The kids jumped on him and gave him the "full treatment".
A few hours later he was found hanging over a tree without his pants, he was wearing pink boxers with small hearts on them. He had some of his hair missing and his arms were filled with spines. His face was swallow and scratched and when he was cut loose he started drooling. He said his name was Peter Pan and that he had to find the lost boys.
After that small incident he was sent to St. Mungus where he stayed several months but he never fully recovered. Every time he saw a kid on the street he would start shouting something about the Apocalypse and the end of days and he would lock himself in his house for several weeks.
As for Umbridge she was found a week later wondering on the streets. She couldn't remember her name and that she was a witch. She was sent to St. Mungus where she made a special friend. Lockhart and Umbridge fell in love and they lived happily ever after.
The end
