Chapter 6: A New Nest

Author's note: It's been a long time since a Hatchings chapter! I hope you enjoy, and hopefully not as long on the next one- I've been doing a lot of original work lately and not fanfic!

"Don't lean too far," Severus warned as Robin peered over the side of the boat to gaze into the depths of the lake. "You don't want to fall in, after all."

"But there's something in there!" the over-excited little boy insisted. "I can see it moving!"

Severus wrapped an arm around Robin, pulling him back into the boat. "There's a giant squid that lives down there," he informed his son. "You don't want to be his breakfast."

Robin looked up, his dark eyes wide. "He'd… eat me?"

"Perhaps," Severus said solemnly."Perhaps he wouldn't. But I don't think we should throw you in to find out." Robin nodded, his eyes still imitating saucers. On the far shore, Severus could see the hulking figure of Hagrid waiting by the waterline. The half-giant had taken the news of Severus' offspring very well, he'd been rather excited and possibly a little teary with joy at the prospect of a small child visiting. Severus hadn't had the courage to suggest that, large as Hagrid was, he might frighten a four-year-old. He just hoped that Robin didn't find it all too intimidating. So far, he hadn't seemed to notice Hagrid: he was gazing at the castle above them. He hadn't even commented on the fact that the boat moved without anyone to row and no motor, but then, Robin had never been on a boat before. Robin had never been much of anywhere before. He might not realise that boats usually had to have some method of propulsion. Perhaps, Severus mused, magic might be easier for him to swallow than expected.

Robin broke into Severus' thoughts. "It's so big…" he breathed.

"It is," Severus agreed.

"Will I get big here?" Robin asked. Severus was about to confirm that, yes, Robin would grow up here, but not just yet, when the little boy continued. "Big like that man?"

Severus choked back a sudden burst of laughter. Robin was pointing right at Hagrid. "You won't get that big," he assured the boy. "That's Hagrid, and he's very, very big."

"He's bigger than you," Robin noted as the boat nudged against the shore.

"Yes, he is bigger than me," Severus agreed. He stood and carefully lifted Robin onto his hip to climb over the bow of the boat. The little boy clung to him like a heavy limpet, winding his arms around Severus' neck. "Good morning, Hagrid," he said. "My thanks for the boat."

"Not a bother, Pr'ffesor," Hagrid said gruffly. "This the little man?"

Hagrid was hanging back, but his beady eyes were fixed on Severus' armful. He was clearly desperate to get to know the child. Severus set Robin down on the pebbled shore of the lake. "Would you like to say hello, Robin?" he suggested.

Robin took a step back closer to his father's legs. "Hello," he said quietly, his head down as he studied the stones at his feet.

Hagrid smiled, his ruddy lips showing through his sizeable beard. He dropped down to one knee and fished in the pocket of his greatcoat. "Eh, lad, there's no need to be frightened. Here, I brought you a wee something. A present, like." he held out his hand, cupped loosely around something. If it was a rock cake, Severus would have to find a way to remove it before Robin chipped his teeth. Hagrid didn't seem to have much grasp of cooking times.

A little fearfully, Robin approached Hagrid. He gasped as Hagrid opened his hand, and Severus leaned over to see what it was. He sighed. "Oh!" Robin squeaked. "What… what is it?"

"It's a puffskein. Yer Dad said you were interested in them, like," Hagrid explained. Robin reached out to pet the little fluffball with a careful finger.

"It's for me?" he asked quietly.

Severus interjected then. "Only for today. You'll have to give it back at the end of the day- it needs to go back to its family."

Robin looked heartbroken. "Aww, now, Pr'ffesor…" Hagrid wheedled.

"Magical pets do not belong in a muggle home," Severus said firmly.

Hagrid smiled wanly. "Well then," he whispered conspiratorially to Robin, "I'll just have to keep 'im, and you can see 'im whenever you visit, alright?"

"Alright," Robin agreed with a little smile.

Hagrid nodded. "Aye. Now, here, I think maybe he'd like a ride on your shoulder." He carefully decanted the little creature onto Robin's left shoulder. Robin reached up to pet it even as it curled its little paws into his t-shirt. It began to hum. "See there," Hagrid encouraged. "He likes you! Shall we go and meet the rest of them?"

Severus cleared his throat. "We need to find some breakfast first, Hagrid," he intoned. "Perhaps I could bring Robin down to see you this afternoon?"

"Aye," Hagrid said. "I'll look forward to it." He held out his giant paw to Robin. "I'll see you later. See if I can't fetch out a niffler for you, and maybe there'll be unicorns near the edge of the forest." He waited a second. "Well, lad, won't you shake my hand?"

Carefully, Robin put his little hand against Hagrid's fingers, dwarfing it entirely. Very gently, Hagrid gripped the tiny hand between thumb and fingers, and shook slightly. He smiled and rose, looking like a mountain growing from the ground before the four-year old. "Come, Robin, you must be hungry," Severus said. He led his son away, puffskein still perched on Robin's shoulder

"Daddy," Robin said as they walked away, "I think that man might be a giant!"

Well, at least the child noticed that much. "I think you might be right," Severus agreed. "Now how about you see where I live, and then we shall have some breakfast?"

It was hard work to get to his quarters: Robin seemed to have found his confidence and wanted to explore every nook and cranny of the castle. He tugged on Severus' hand like a puppy tugging at a leash, trying to climb behind suits of armour, dart off into side corridors and peer around corners.

It was hard to confine him for long enough to feed him before he demanded to see everything. Severus took him up to the Astronomy tower and into the Great Hall to look at the enchanted ceiling, and then they visited the greenhouses, where Robin happily grubbed up some gillyflowers for his mother.

A picnic by the lake followed, laid on by the house elves. Robin ran up and down the shores between sandwiches and tiny fairy cakes and swigs of milk- he'd quickly declared pumpkin juice 'yucky'. Severus found that he was actually enjoying just watching the little figure dart about: he hadn't thought that he could have experienced joy just because of Robin's excitement. He even found himself smiling: unheard of on Hogwarts grounds!

"Ah,so this is the young lad."

Severus quietly took in a deep breath before turning to face Dumbledore. "Headmaster."

Robin was running towards them, then spotted the unfamiliar figure. He darted behind Severus, clutching his father's trousers in his little hands. Dumbledore crouched, his purple robes puddling around him. "Well, hello, young man," Dumbledore said with a smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"He's nervous around strangers," Severus said sharply.

Dumbledore smiled. "Ah, but I think I know how we might tempt you out." From his robes, he produced a tin. "Would you like a sweetie?"

Severus clenched his hands into tight fists hidden behind his back as the lemon sherbets made their appearance. "I'm afraid Robin has just had his lunch," he intoned smoothly. "He's had quite enough sugar from the house elves." At the same time, he felt that pressure on his mind that meant someone was trying to gain access to his thoughts. He stared impassively at the headmaster even as he very obviously blocked every attempt at intrusion, and the headmaster made no outward appearance of his own legilimentic activities. It was a strange game of back-and-forth they played, one in which neither would admit their participation.

Albus gave a sickly sweet smile. "Well then, another time," he said.

When Albus was a good distance away, Robin tugged at Severus's trousers again. "Up?" he asked hopefully.

With a grunt, Severus lifted Robin onto his hip. "You're far too big for this," he told his son.

Robin didn't really seem to care as he clung to Severus. "Who was that man?" he asked.

"That was the headmaster. He's in charge of everything here."

"He's in charge of you?"

"Yes, Robin. He's in charge of me too," Severus sighed. He wished it wasn't true.

"I like Hagrid better."

"Then let's go to see Hagrid."

Robin rolled about on the floor of Hagrid's hut with Hagrid's dog, a gigantic St Bernard named Flossie that seemed to be drenching Robin in drool. Severus partook of a bucket-sized cup of tea and secreted pieces of his rock cake away into his pockets to be disposed of at a later date.

He was mildly startled by a cat leaping in through Hagrid's open front window, landing neatly on the table in front of him. "Alright, Pr'ffesor," Hagrid greeted, as if this was a perfectly normal occurrence. "Will you have a bit 'o tea, like?"

The cat gave him a withering stare, and Severus finally, belatedly, realised that it was no ordinary cat, but Minerva. She leapt down off the table and stalked over to the oversized bundle of fur and child on the rug. "Kitty!" Robin crowed delightedly. She reached out one tabby paw to tap Flossie on the nose, and the St. Bernard wiggled into the corner with a whine. She promptly began twining herself around Robin even as he made a grab for her tail.

"Robin, no!" Severus yelped. "No, don't touch, that's…"

Minerva turned her feline face to him, drew back her lips and hissed. "Kitty?" Robin demanded, sounding a bit hurt that the cat would make such a noise.

She climbed into his little lap, curled herself up, and began to purr.

Severus sat back down, staring.

Hagrid was chuckling quietly to himself. "I s'pose she'd just like to meet your lad, Pr'ffesor," he offered.

"It would seem so," Severus replied.

It neared the hour when Severus had promised he would take Robin back to Annie. He dreaded the return: dreaded finding her still in her bed, or worse, gone, but he had to keep his promise. Minerva followed them back up the castle, keeping Robin company after the heartbreak of saying goodbye to his new puffskein, but stalked off towards the Great Hall rather than follow them back down to the dungeons. Severus had cordially invited her to partake in Robin's evening meal, but Minerva must not have liked the prospect of fish fingers.

Fed and watered, it was a sleepy little boy that clung to Severus as he was carried down to the edge of the grounds for the apparition trip home. "Can I come back tomorrow, Daddy?" he asked.

"Soon," Severus countered, not wanting to commit to anything at all until he knew what state Annie was in. It might be sooner than tomorrow. He didn't want to make any promises and upset the child.

Robin wiggled to be let down as soon as they were back in Annie's garden. Severus put him down, entreaties to let Severus go first falling on deaf ears as he shot off towards the house, yelling for Annie. Severus took off after him at a trot, really hoping that Robin wouldn't stumble into any unpleasant sights.

He sighed in relief. Robin chattered a mile a minute at Annie, who stood in the middle of the freshly cleaned kitchen. She glared at Severus. "Good evening, Annie," he greeted.

"...and Mummy, Mummy, there was a huge dog, and it licked me! And there was a cat, and the dog was scared of the cat, Mummy…"

"Goodnight, Severus," Annie said frostily.

"Are you feeling better?" he enquired.

"Yes, thank you. I can take it from here. Goodnight, Severus."

He nodded. She was up, and she'd cleaned the house. He sidled past her to check her pill packets: it looked as if she'd taken them. "I'll be back tomorrow afternoon," he said then dropped to his knee. "Robin, I'm going now. I'll see you tomorrow."

Robin stopped his babble for long enough to throw his arms around Severus' neck. "Thank you, Daddy!" he lisped.

"Bathtime, Robin," Annie cut in, already reaching out to herd Robin upstairs.

Severus watched the house for an hour, sitting beneath a disillusionment spell on the bench on the other side of the road, afraid that Annie would leave with Robin. He saw her come downstairs alone, Robin presumably in bed, and settle herself in the living room. She turned on the television.

Mollified for now, he apparated away from a nearby alleyway.

He returned to Hogwarts to find a tabby cat sitting by the door to his chambers. She looked up at him and blinked. He raised an eyebrow as he opened the door. "After you, kitty," he murmured sarcastically, letting her stalk in before him. As he closed the door, she gracefully transformed back into straight-backed Minerva. He watched her with a quirk of the lips that might almost have been a smile. "And what was all that?" he asked.

"I thought the child may prefer to meet an animal than another person," she said stiffly. "He has grown since I saw him last."

"I believe children tend to do that," Severus agreed. "I wasn't even aware you were back from your holidays."

"I returned this morning," she explained. "Albus mentioned that you had brought Robin. I rather wanted to see how he was getting on. How is the situation with his mother these days?"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "It may take a while. I think you might need a drink," he said. "What will you have?"