Author's Note:

Thank you SO SO much to all of my amazing readers who have stuck by me through this fic. Your words of encouragement have meant SO much to me.

I'm not going to lie, this chapter is an emotional one. I sobbed writing it, so you may want to brace yourself and have some tissues ready, lol.

Over the next few days, Snape did everything he could to make the most out of his time with Little Harry. They went to the playground or the park every day when the weather was nice and every evening he spent nearly an hour reading and giving bedtime cuddles before he put the boy to sleep.

Once Harry was in bed, Snape would go down to the lab with Master Barclay. Each day, he knew they were getting closer to finalizing the potions and his time with Little Harry would soon come to an end. He tried not to let it affect him, but he had grown so attached to the little boy, it was hard not to feel emotional.

Now that most of the components were complete, Snape had joined Master Barclay for an early breakfast so they could discuss setting up the experiments for the re-aging. Snape was still very adamant he would not give anything to Harry he hadn't thoroughly tested. There was absolutely no room for error.

"I think we should do it as slowly as possible, re-aging can be quite painful as the bones grow," Master Barclay said.

"Should we re-age him in stages?" Snape asked. "I want him to suffer as little as possible."

"I agree. I think we can just use some of the black knot-nettles to slow down the rate of re-aging. It might be excessively confusing to him psychologically and emotionally if we pause the process and he begins building memories at various ages in between. We still have no idea how he will process his memories from the last week."

"Mmm," Snape said as he took a sip of tea. He set his cup down and ran his thumb slowly over his bottom lip in concentration. "I wonder if we could sedate him. Perhaps let him re-age slowly overnight while he's in a deep state of sleep. I don't want him traumatized by the whole process. This way he goes to sleep as a 5 year-old and when he wakes up, he's back to his 12 year-old mind and body. It might be the least disruptive mentally and physically."

Barclay nodded as he dabbed at his goatee with a napkin. "That's quite a good idea, Severus. I don't know how the dreamless sleep components will interact with the potions we've created, but we can run some tests with it."

"I was thinking of something that could give a deeper level of sedation. More like Draught of the Living Dead. Or a suitable variation that would be safe for a child his size."

Snape knew they had to do this, but it still gutted him to think about it. He really did wish he could keep Harry like this and give him a completely new childhood, but he recognized that would never be fair to the old Harry.

"Let's experiment with both. I'll see if I can get the timing to slow down first with the knot-nettles, and then we'll set up some of the animal trials to go overnight with sedation."

"Very good," Snape said, nodding as he brought the teacup to his lips. He took a long slow sip before he continued. "I will be glad to help you set everything up tonight after I get Harry to bed."

Barclay stood up with his plate in hand, giving Snape a few pats on the side of his arm as he walked toward the sink.

"Please, just leave your dishes, Master Barclay. I'll take care of them after I feed Harry. Why don't you go ahead to the lab, I know you've got a lot to do today."

"Thank you, Severus. I hope you boys have a good day"

Snape gave a measured half-smile. "I'm sure we will. I'll pop down when he's taking a nap, to see if there's anything you need help with."

"I'll be fine, just enjoy your time with Harry." Barclay paused to give him a small squeeze on the shoulder as he passed by.

Snape sat for several minutes sipping his tea in solitude, lost in deep thoughts and emotions he wasn't ready to deal with. When he finally went in to wake Harry, he stood for several minutes over his bed just watching him sleep, trying to record every moment in his memories.

The boy had insisted on wearing that ridiculous white sleeper to bed every single night so he could look like Max from his favorite book. As usual he had kicked off all of the blankets during the night when he got warm, and now he was curled up on his right side with his cheeks slightly flushed and his hair sticking in a million directions, the hood with the ears crumpled to his back.

Rather than waking him up straight away, Snape laid down next to him on the mattress and pulled the boy against his chest. He gave him a kiss on the top of his head before he spoke softly, "Time to get up, Harry."

Harry opened his eyes just long enough to crawl on top of Snape so they could have their morning cuddle. Snape usually let him lie there for a few minutes while he stroked his hair and told him all about what he had planned for the day. It had become their new morning ritual.

"Good morning, daddy," Harry said as he rubbed his eyes.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Uh-huh."

Snape patted him softly on his hip. "Let's get you dressed and have some breakfast. Then we can head to the park."

Harry sat up and Snape picked him up under his arms, setting him down gently as he walked over to the wardrobe, Harry following close behind.

"I want to wear my dinosaur shirt," Harry complained as Snape pulled out one of the other t-shirts from his wardrobe.

"You've worn it for three of the last four days. It needs a break. Wear this." Snape resized a blue striped shirt and kneeled down as he unzipped his sleeper and attempted to corral Harry into the offending garment, holding the arm holes open with one hand while he wrapped one arm around the boy's waist as he pulled him toward him.

Harry stepped out of his pajamas, but then scowled and moved away, shaking his head in defiance and refusing to help Snape by holding his arms tightly to his side. "Nooo, I want my dinosaur shirt!"

Snape let the shirt drop to the floor as he pulled Harry closer with both hands, forcing him to look at his face while he raised an eyebrow. "Don't even think of throwing a tantrum. Now stop your whining right now and put on your shirt. I will wash the dinosaur t-shirt properly and you can wear it tomorrow." He exhaled loudly and hoped that would be sufficient, he had no desire to start the day with tantrums, time-outs and tears.

"Why can't you clean it with magic?" Harry whined, pouting slightly but being careful not to overdo it. Snape hadn't punished him since the first day, but he knew whining and tantrums were the fastest way to push the man over the edge.

"I've cleaned it with magic three times already. It needs a proper wash. Besides, I don't want those busybodies at the park reporting me to Child Services when they see you come in wearing the same clothes every single day. They'll think I'm neglecting you. Now that's enough." Snape let go of the boy's arms as he reached down to pick up the blue shirt.

Knowing that continuing to whine would only get him a smack or a time-out, Harry decided to try his charm, which had worked surprisingly well for him over the last few days. He made his eyes big and wide, and put his arms around Snape's neck. "Please can I wear my dinosaur shirt? Please, daddy?"

Snape was not going to give in, he'd indulged the boy quite a lot over the past week, but he didn't want him thinking he could get his way every time, so he hardened his voice and tightened his lips. "Don't you dare try to manipulate me, Harry. I said "No," and I mean it, and I'm not going to argue with you. Now that's enough, put on this shirt."

Recognizing that the battle was lost, Harry stuck out his bottom lip in a small act of rebellion while he lifted his arms through the shirt. He couldn't help but to moan slightly as he did so. "But it's my favorite shirt."

Pulling the shirt over his head, Snape gave it a hard tug until his head popped out. "I know, Harry. And I promise you, I'll wash it and you can wear it again tomorrow. Although maybe I'll change the color just to mix things up."

Snape helped him into a pair of navy shorts before running his fingers through the boy's unruly mop in a useless effort to try to control it. Harry looked up at him with sad eyes and his mouth in a well-practiced pout.

"Quit pouting. Fix your face." Snape tapped him on the chin and gave him a strong look before standing up and putting a hand behind his head to guide him to the kitchen.

"But I like green. It's my favorite color. And it's your favorite color too. Cuz I'm just like you." Harry beamed up at Snape as he climbed up onto his kitchen chair.

"Indeed."

"Can we have a picnic for lunch, daddy?" Harry asked, kneeling on his chair while Snape prepared his breakfast.

Snape set a plastic bowl of porridge in front of the boy and tapped him firmly on the hip. "Sit down properly. You know better."

Harry readjusted himself while he stared at Snape. "Can we?"

"I think that can be arranged. But we'll pack food from home this time." Snape sat down beside Harry and sipped his tea while Harry chatted animatedly in between bites of porridge.

They spent a lovely morning at the playground, but just after their picnic lunch, Snape came breathless through the floo carrying a sobbing Harry Potter on his hip. The little boy had sprinted down the pavement after a puppy when his legs gave out and he took a hard fall, scraping both knees, his hands, and his chin. It was a nasty spill and Snape was sure it was the boy's nerve damage that had done him in.

When he first saw Harry run off, Snape had followed after him hoping to catch him and scold him harshly for running off, but before he could get his hands on him, Harry face-planted right in front of him. Harry wailed in pain, and without a word, Snape scooped him up and rushed him home as quickly as possible.

"You're alright, Harry. I'm going to make it all better," he said, desperately trying to soothe the crying child as he carried him immediately down to the potions lab.

Master Barclay was startled to hear the commotion of the hysterical little boy and Snape's hurried footsteps clamoring down the stairs. He looked up from his cauldron to see Snape holding a crying Harry with blood dripping down his knees and a nasty looking scrape on his face. He tutted gently. "Oh dear, did someone have a little fall?"

Snape sat Harry on the lab bench while he collected his potions and first-aid supplies. The little boy was quite a pathetic site as he sat there bloody and dirty choking on his loud sobs.

"Yes, someone was very naughty and took off running after a puppy and then had a tumble on the pavement outside of your house." Snape's tone was gentle, but the mild scold made Harry erupt into even louder wails.

Snape ignored the dramatics and calmly dabbed at Harry's knees with diluted peroxide to clean the skin and excess blood.

"Owwww! That hurts!" Harry complained loudly.

"Nonsense, I'm just cleaning it, this peroxide is very gentle. Take some deep breaths, Harry and try to calm down. You're going to be alright."

Next Snape gently rubbed on a bright red potion that was one of his own creations. Containing both essence of dittany and murtlap, he had brewed it with an ingenious mix of leaves from the Andes and cloves to give it a very effective numbing effect. As a result, it burned considerably less than the commercially available skin healing potions, and within twenty seconds, Harry's knees were completely healed.

"Hold out your hands, Harry."

Snape took the boy's tiny hands in his as he repeated the cycle of cleaning, drying, and then adding a healing potion, and once again the scrapes healed up perfectly without a single yelp or complaint.

Even Harry was amazed and his loud sobs subsided, replaced instead by dramatic sniffles and the occasional deep, stuttering breath. "But my face still hurts."

"Give me a minute, I'm getting there." Snape took the boy's face lightly in his hand and lifted his chin up, quickly recognizing that there was quite a bit of bruising and swelling in addition to the scrape. "Open your mouth, Harry."

Harry diligently opened his mouth as Snape hovered above it with a bright light on the end of his wand to make sure he hadn't bitten through his tongue or the inside of his lip when he fell. Thankfully, it was all clear. He extinguished his wand with a silent Nox and set it aside as he got to work.

Once again, he cleaned the wound gently with cotton wool and peroxide and then proceeded to add the skin healing potion as well as a dab of bruise paste. And just like that, Harry was completely healed.

Snape left the boy sitting on the counter while he tossed the soiled gauze and cotton balls into the bin and wet a clean flannel in the sink. He dabbed slowly at Harry's swollen and tear-stained face with cool water. "You're all better now. Blow."

Harry blew his nose into the cloth before Snape folded it, wiped one more time at his nose and then banished it to the laundry with a flick of his wrist.

Once the boy's injuries had been dealt with, Snape bent down and grabbed his now healed chin to make sure Harry was looking him in the eye. He gave him a very stern expression but kept his voice low and calm, not wanting to start a new flood of tears.

"Now then. I'm very sorry you got hurt, Harry, but this is exactly why you do not run down the pavement. You certainly don't ever let go of my hand to go running off, especially when we are walking next to the street. That is extremely dangerous and I am very angry with you for that."

"I'm sorry, daddy," Harry said, his lip wobbling and his eyes brimming with tears.

"I ought to give you a very sound spanking for doing something so reckless, you could have been really hurt. There are lots of cars on that street, Harry. One wrong step and you could have been killed. You do not ever, ever let go of my hand in public, not ever." He emphasized those words as he tapped on the boy's knee with a single index finger.

Harry was crying softly now and reaching his hands out. "I'm sorry, please don't spank me."

Snape narrowed his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "I think you've suffered enough today, so I just hope you've learned your lesson. But if you ever, ever do that again, I promise you Harry, I will give you a spanking you'll never forget. Am I understood?"

The little boy nodded his head before whispering "Yes, daddy."

"Good." Snape gave Harry a terse single nod before he released his face and picked him up off the bench, holding him close while he walked over to Master Barclay.

Master Barclay looked at the sad little boy and tousled his hair gently. "Are you feeling better now, Harry?"

Harry nodded into Snape's shoulder, feeling too embarrassed to lift his head up and respond properly. He didn't like it when Snape told him off in front of the older man.

"I think I'll take him upstairs for a nap, he's had quite an eventful afternoon," Snape said, as he gently patted the little boy's back. "I'll be back after I get him settled."

Barclay nodded. "Take your time, Severus, it's been a hard day for a little boy. He needs you."

Harry pressed his cheek onto Snape's shoulder, and although his eyes were still open and he was very much awake, he could feel himself drifting to the rhythm of the solid back pats.

Snape carried Harry to his bedroom, but rather than put him down and leave, he held the boy close as he climbed onto the bed. He knew he was being absurd, but the re-aging potions were basically finished now and his time with Little Harry was coming to an end. It made him completely reluctant to leave him.

So instead he stretched his legs out on top of the quilts and leaned back on some pillows, Harry clutched to his chest, drifting away as he rubbed his hand up and down the little boy's back.

What is wrong with you, you idiot? You knew this was only temporary. He has to go back, so why are you being so God-damned sentimental? You're a fool. A stupid, sentimental fool for believing this means anything. He probably won't even remember it.

Snape hated himself for feeling so vulnerable. Yes, he knew Harry had to go back to his real age and time, but it was conflicting and painful nonetheless. He loved his Little Harry, and for the first time in his life it had been so easy to show his feelings. But more than that, he had felt useful and valuable. Somebody needed him. Somebody without any ulterior motives needed him. And more than that, Harry loved him.

Little Harry had been so free with his love and affection that Snape never doubted for a moment how the boy felt about him. Snape didn't have to do anything and Harry would climb onto his lap or give him a cuddle and say "I love you, daddy." The love was so pure.

He cradled Harry tightly to his body and rocked him gently back and forth with his eyes closed. "I love you, Harry. I love you so very much," he whispered.

He hated himself for it the second the words left his mouth. He hated it, and at the same time he knew it was true. And he desperately wanted Harry to feel it. He wanted the little boy to know without a doubt that he was so very, very, deeply loved in a way he never was before. He hoped and prayed Harry would remember it after he re-aged, but even if he didn't, Snape tried to convince himself that it still mattered. That Harry would somehow still carry that knowledge of love within him.

Even after Harry fell asleep, Snape refused to put him down, and he spent the next hour lying there quietly, listening to the boy breathe against his chest and savoring every single moment.

The next few days seemed to go by in a flash, and soon, despite Snape's insistence that he test and re-test all of the potions, he could no longer hold off anymore.

"Everything is ready, Severus, I think we should give it to him tonight," Master Barclay said casually as he poured two glasses of wine in the kitchen. Harry was coloring happily in the parlor.

"Perhaps we should just run one more set of tests. On the mice. To be sure."

Barclay put a hand on Snape's shoulder. "We have run a dozen perfect experiments. We have checked and re-checked the calculations. It's time."

Snape put both of his hands on the counter and let his head fall forward. He exhaled slowly, working hard to push his emotions down deep. "Just one more day?"

The two stood in silence for a few minutes before Barclay spoke up again, his voice soft and kind. "I know this is difficult for you, Severus. But we don't know the long-term effects of this de-aging on Harry. Not to mention, the stability of the potions we've brewed. Everything is ready and it's time to do it. It's the right thing to do. For Harry."

"I know," Snape whispered, nodding his head and swallowing the emotions rising up from deep in his chest.

"Harry isn't going anywhere, Severus. You'll still have him, he'll just be a bit taller."

"And cheekier," Snape added, allowing himself to smile slightly. He had missed the cheeky banter.

Barclay clapped him on the back. "Come along, let's enjoy a glass of wine before dinner." They each picked up a glass and strolled into the parlor.

As soon as they walked in, Harry jumped up with a picture in his hand. "Look! I made this for you."

Snape sat down in his armchair and dragged Harry up onto his lap, picture in hand. "Very good, Harry."

"It's you and me and Master Barclay. Over here is me and you at the park and you're pushing me on the swings. And I'm smiling really big because I'm so happy. And then over here is Master Barclay and you making potions and I'm sitting here watching you. I wanted to write on it but I didn't know how."

"You did a wonderful job, Harry. I love it." He pressed his lips onto the top of the boy's head.

Master Barclay called over from the sofa. "Come here, Harry. I will help you write on it."

Harry scrambled off Snape's lap and brought the picture over to Master Barclay.

"Pick out a crayon."

"Green!" Harry exclaimed, grabbing his green crayon off the coffee table.

Master Barclay got down from the couch and sat beside him on the floor in front of the coffee the table. "Alright Harry, what do you want to say?"

"To Daddy right here." Harry tapped the top of the page, gripping the green crayon in his right hand. "And then 'I love you forever Love Harry'"

On a separate sheet of paper, Master Barclay wrote it out in big letters. "Alright, you copy the letters, can you do that or do you want me to help you?"

"I can do it!" Harry sat diligently and tried to copy each letter as Master Barclay had written it. Some of the letters came out slanting downward and a few of them faced backwards, nonetheless, Harry was extremely pleased with himself.

"Excellent job, Harry!" Master Barclay said, giving him a few loving pats on the back before he groaned slightly as he pushed himself up from the floor.

When he was done, Harry brought the picture back to Snape. "Look! I did it- I wrote on it!"

"It's brilliant. Shall we put this up on the refrigerator, then? That way we can see it every day." Snape took the drawing in his hand and stood up, Harry trailing behind him to the kitchen, beaming as he stuck it to the fridge with a small magnet of a Welsh flag.

That night, as he got Harry ready for bed, he explained that he was going to give him the special potions to help him grow. They had discussed it briefly and casually over the last few days, Snape wanting to prepare him but not make a big deal out of it.

Snape tried to keep their bedtime routine just the same. He let him wear his Wild Thing sleeper even though he knew he'd have to change him out of it as soon as he went to sleep. He read him his favorite stories and then gave him endless cuddles. Finally, he knew he couldn't put it off any longer. He took a deep breath before he spoke.

"It's time to take the potions now, Harry."

Harry snuggled up next to him. "Daddy, I'm scared."

Snape held him close and reassured him. "There's nothing to be afraid of, Harry. I'm going to be right here with you the whole time. I promise. You're just going to go to sleep and when you wake up, I'll be here, and you'll just be a little bit bigger."

"Will it hurt?"

"Of course not, you won't feel or remember any of it." Snape hoped that was true. They had mixed in a very strong sedative but he knew the regrowing of bones, especially, could be excruciating. He had a strong pain reliever in his pocket just in case.

"Are you ready then?"

"Will you hold me?" Harry looked at him with pleading eyes.

Snape lifted Harry onto his lap and pulled him back into his chest as he leaned against the bedframe. He sat for a moment and ran his fingers through the boy's hair before kissing the top of his head and then lingering for a moment with his cheek pressed against Harry's dark locks.

Harry clutched his dragon in one arm, and his plastic flying carpet in the other, melting into Snape and taking comfort in the strong arms wrapped tightly around him.

Snape took a deep breath in and then reached for the small vials of potions. One by one, he uncorked the glass vials and brought them to Harry's lips.

The first one contained the nerve regeneration potion. The second contained the re-aging potion that had been carefully coupled with the first one to ensure he was aged precisely back to where he started. The third was a sedative and mild pain reliever.

If they tasted terrible, Harry didn't complain, he swallowed them diligently as Snape tilted them into his mouth. At the end he gave him a small sip of hot chocolate to wash the taste away.

"Very good job, Harry."

Harry leaned into him. "I'm feeling sleepy but I don't want you to leave me."

"I promise, I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay right here with you all night."

"I love you, daddy."

"I love you, Harry."

Within a minute, Harry was breathing deeply and Snape knew this was it. He held him for half an hour before he lifted the boy up and set him back down on the bed. Carefully he removed his white sleeper, smiling at the ears and the tail. He folded it up and set it on the end of the bed.

He re-dressed Harry in one of his old night shirts, which he had shrunk slightly. He was swimming in it, but Snape figured that way Harry wouldn't be restricted by his clothing as he grew. Carefully he took the pink magic carpet toy from Harry's hand and laid it on top of the sleeper.

While Harry slept, Snape conjured a wooden box and slowly collected Little Harry's things from around the room. It was a quiet meditation, a ritual to say good-bye to his little boy. He took a moment with each item as he placed it in the box. The light-up shoes he'd begged for, that gave him so much joy. The dinosaur t-shirt he'd insisted on wearing almost every single day. His Wild Thing pajamas. His books. That blasted wind-up magic carpet from the kids meal. The sticker he'd been given at the museum. Their Aladdin cinema ticket. The Burger King crown. His crayons and coloring books, and all of the little drawings he'd done.

Snape took a moment and flipped through his stack of drawings. When he got to the dancing purple snowman he couldn't help it, he choked out a small sob. It opened the floodgates, and he sat on the edge of Harry's bed, clutching his dinosaur t-shirt in his hands, letting himself weep silently into the box filled with beautiful memories. He pulled out a copy of the photobooth strip and looked down at the pictures of him and Harry laughing and making silly faces. He kissed it and placed it in the box before finally closing the lid.

With his wand, he engraved the top of the box: "Harry Potter: Age 5" and sealed it with magic before shrinking it down and putting it into his pocket. He wiped the tears from his face and stretched out on the bed next to Harry, running his fingers through the sleeping boy's hair so he'd know he wasn't alone.

He thought he would stay up all night and watch Harry grow, but the changes were so gradual, he soon fell asleep, emotionally drained and more exhausted than he realized.

When the sun streamed in through the window the next morning, Snape woke with a start and immediately glanced over at the now 12-year-old Harry laying next to him. They'd done it. He ran his wand over the boy and did a quick diagnostic spell. Everything seemed in order. He wouldn't know if the nerve potion had worked until he woke up, but the re-aging had gone flawlessly.

Snape exhaled with a sigh of relief. He laid there for another hour until Harry finally stirred. He rubbed his eyes before opening them and looking up at Snape.

"Did you miss me?" he said with a cheeky smile before looking down at the ugly gray nightshirt and giving a scowl. "What in the heck am I wearing?"

Author's End Note

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! OMG- this was SO hard to write, it broke my heart! Poor Snape! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know what you thought- do you think Snape is going to be OK? Is Harry going to be in trouble or has Snape softened into a pile of mush over his time with Little Harry.

Your comments mean a lot so PLEASE let me know what you think!