Harry had watched the exchange between Headmaster and kiddified Potions Master quietly. He was amazed the Potions Master didn't seem to be angry with him, but he might just be waiting until he was re-aged to unleash his full anger.

He retreated a bit further into the room when Dumbledore held Snape and gave him a semi-stern telling-off. Snape seemed a bit emotional, and Harry figured that if anyone acted so much like a loving father to him, he'd be a bit emotional too.

"Don't be jealous, Harry," he muttered to himself, "Dumbledore is Snape's father. Not yours. Doesn't want to be yours, or he wouldn't have left you with the Dursleys. Be happy for Snape. Apparently he didn't have a very happy childhood either, he could do with some loving care."

When he heard the baby's response to Dumbledore's lecture, he coughed a little. Just to clear up his airways. He slowly retreated from the rooms when Dumbledore put Severus to bed.

Outside, he bumped into the still distraught Board member.

"Is…is everything alright?" the man asked shakily.

"Yes, Sir, everything turned out alright in the end, don't worry," Harry soothed, "But I'm afraid your fellow Board members are still waiting…"

"No, they went home when they found out that there was nothing to discuss. It seems Mr Malfoy had arranged for them to be here. Oh! I must press charges against Mr Malfoy…"

"Fat lot of good that'll do," the boy muttered.

"I know," the man replied seriously, "but that he gets away with things so often doesn't mean we should just let him. I feel horrible – that poor child…"

"If you press charges, sir…could you…you know…not let the fact that I got to stay here during break…"

The man waved his hand. "That'll be fine. The headmaster gave you permission, but if necessary, I'll give a written statement that I gave permission as well. I think the Board should be less inclined to interfere with details and focus on the major points more…anyway. I need to go home and rest. Perhaps a brief stop at St.Mungo's to make sure every trace of that hideous spell is gone…"

"You do that," Harry said, "goodnight, sir."

He wandered to the kitchen for a bit of dinner, and then went up to Gryffindor Tower,where he spent most of the evening staring glumly into the fire.

sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

The next morning, he trudged dutifully up to Dumbledore's rooms again, to find the child-Snape still sleeping and Dumbledore eating a quiet breakfast.

"Hello, Harry," the old man greeted him, eyes twinkling, "I missed you at dinner yesterday."

Harry blushed deeply. "I thought – well, Professor Snape needed you, and it was really kinda personal…"

Dumbledore smiled a bit. "I wouldn't worry too much, Harry. He didn't want you to leave yesterday, that's a good sign. But, it does explain a lot, doesn't it? Insisting on me changing and bathing him…"

The boy shuddered. "It must have been horrible for him, sir, to be so helpless. It's horrible when you try to tell people something and no one understands you."

Severus, who had woken up by Harry's entrance, listened quietly to the boy. Harry understood more about his troubles than he would have thought, was more sensitive than he had ever thought a Gryffindor capable of. The boy's last sentence, however, seemed more about the child than about Severus.

Dumbledore didn't appear to hear that. "Yes, he probably felt frustrated. I'm not entirely sure how he will react to you, but you should stay anyway. I'll get him from his bed now and take care of him, if you would see to breakfast?"

Severus soon looked up to see Albus bending over the crib, holding out his hands to him.

"Good morning, my boy. Are you ready for a bath and breakfast?"

Well. He had to hand it to Albus – he always had treated him like a child, was still treating him like a child and would undoubtedly still treat him like a child when he was unkiddified.

Nevertheless, he reached up. Dumbledore took him on his arm, walked into the bathroom and ran him a bath while he undressed him. After settling him in the bath, he handed the child a washcloth.

"Would you like to wash yourself?" the Headmaster asked kindly. Severus sent him a grateful look as he clumsily started to clean himself up.

Dumbledore left for a minute to get some clothes. Severus decided to lean back and enjoy his bath in private. However, he started to slid under quickly. He tried to grab the sides of the bath, but he couldn't manage with his chubby arms. He cried for help desperately before going under, kicking his legs.

Harry heard the noise first and rushed to the bathroom, the Headmaster hot on his heels. Wasting no time, he quickly lifted the child from the bath and put him on the dressing table, on his side. He then patted the small back firmly, bringing up the water. Severus coughed, shaken and tired from his struggle.

Grabbing a towel, Harry wrapped him and held him face down on his arm, his head resting against Harry's elbow. The last water expelled, Severus began to shiver. Harry turned him over and cradled him in his arms

"It's alright now, you're fine," he soothed, "Shhhh, we're here, you're safe."

He continued the quiet litany until Severus lay calmly in his arms, his eyes closed and his breathing strong and deep again.

Then Harry turned to the pale Headmaster. "Here," a bit embarrassed he handed the small Potions Master over and fled to the office.

Dumbledore held Severus close, still too shocked to speak. Finally, after a long while of cuddling – the younger wizard too upset to protest, the headmaster stroked the dark, damp hair and sighed.

"I'm so sorry, my child," his voice tight with remorse, "I should have remembered that your body is still that of an infant. You could have…Oh, Severus…" again he held the tiny body tightly.

He felt awful. His nose was full of water, he had been terrified. The expert, skinny arms that had lifted him out and helped him at first were replaced with Albus's strong arms, and he allowed himself to be hugged. It felt nice and oddly comforting after the past days where Albus had to take care of him. But the tight squeeze the old man gave him then was too much. Honestly. What WAS the old man thinking?!?

"Albus, let go of me, you're squashing me. I'm fine, let me go now," he complained, satisfied that between the babbling, at least "Aby – go" was understandable.

Dumbledore chuckled at the disgruntled baby. A protesting Severus meant he would be fine.

"I'm sorry, my boy, but you gave us such a scare, I'm just going to have to cuddle you a bit now that I'm still able to do that."

And he proceeded to do just that. Severus nearly cried in frustration. But soon he calmed, relaxing a bit, and eventually he found himself snuggling into the old wizard. He closed his eyes. Albus wouldn't let him hear the end of this once he was aged back, no doubt. But for now, he just wanted to be held.

The Headmaster slowly lifted him.

"Filius will come after breakfast, Severus. I'll keep you wrapped in a bathtowel for now – clothes would just rip if you grew up while wearing them."

He held the child on his arm and walked into the room where Harry had set out breakfast. The boy too looked a bit shaken. Severus gave him a small nod in recognition.

Dumbledore didn't seem inclined to let him go, and settled him on his lap to feed him his porridge.

"Albus, your coddling rivals even Molly Weasley," Snape protested, but the gurgling was interrupted by a spoonful of porridge being put into his mouth.

"I am never eating porridge again as long as I live," he grumbled, "I can't wait until tonight when I can at least eat a nice juicy steak."

A knock on the door heralded the arrival of the Charms Professor. Severus had to admit it – it was entirely different to look UP to the man, literally, for a change. Despite his disdain for the man's overly cheerful disposition, he respected Flitwick deeply. In his duels with him, even though they were merely friendly exchanges, the man lost his cheerful, childlike behavior instantly and became a deathly opponant.

He also had one of the sharpest minds in the country and would undoubtedly have found a way around the complications of the spell that Lucius failed to calculate into his casting. Filius Flitwick was a Ravenclaw for a reason.

"Ah, Albus, Severus…young Harry," the man nodded, "I have good news. I can perform the countercurse."

The lecture of the previous day fresh in his mind, he looked up to Dumbledore pleadingly.

"Child," Dumbledore gently chastised him.

Harry suddenly called for Dobby. The reason completely escaped him, but when Harry asked the elf to bring his clothes up to the office, he silently thanked the boy's thoughtfulness.

"Alright, Severus, sit as still as you can. Close your eyes, and Occlude. This will probably hurt, I'm sorry," the Charms Professor sounded genuinly distressed at the thought of causing him pain.

He obeyed, leaning into Dumbledore, feeling the man's heartbeat, a soothing cadance that helped him put his shields back on.

A whispered incantation, and suddenly his entire body exploded. There was no other way to describe it. It exploded back into his adult self.

Albus still held him against his chest and he slowly opened his eyes, trying to get used to his body yet again.

Well, his body was fine. Except that it was sitting on Dumbledore's lap with a bathtowel covering some strategic areas but otherwise quite naked.

He nodded shortly to Filius. "Thank you."

Oh, the joys of being able to speak and be understood! But, before those joys, came the joys of being able to dress himself and not having to wear diapers. He hoped.

Quickly grabbing the robes, he retreated to the bedroom to put them on. When he returned, Filius had already left, and Harry was about to.

"Mr Potter," ooooh, how he loved having his silky voice back.

"Mr Potter," he nearly purred, "I expect you in my office after lunch."

"Yes, sir," the boy was clearly miserable.

With the young Gryffindor gone, he turned to his mentor.

"Thank you, Albus, for everything," he offered hesitatingly, assuming he'd be dismissed now.

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "I see I will need to repeat that lecture a few more times. I care for you, Severus, grown up or infant. It's just that you were so much easier to cuddle as a baby. Unless, of course, you would permit me…"

The look on his face was downright hopeful. Severus sneered.

"Albus!"

"Yes, yes, I know," the Headmaster waved, "no touching you."

Severus swallowed briefly. "Well – I guess…one could get used to such things. In moderation. If you- I mean... If you were inclined to do so."

The ancient wizard pulled him in a hug laughing in delight before turning him around towards the bedroom and giving him a slight push.

"You are laying down for an hour or so. Re-aging is a tiring process, and with the scare you got this morning, you need a bit of rest before you chew out young Mr Potter."

"Not going to do much chewing," Severus yawned as he climbed into the bed, "thanks, Albus."

"Don't mention it, my boy," the Headmaster, infuriating as ever, tucked the blankets around him and fussed endlessly over him.

He allowed it. Albus was right – re-aging WAS a tiring process. He never noticed his thumb moving up to his mouth as he curled on his side and drifted off into sleep.