Babysitting Teddy Lupin

Severus Snape was enjoying a quiet breakfast in his quarters Saturday morning. Since the school year had started on a Monday this year, he had the perfect excuse for not spending any time with his future wife. He'd had all week to get over the shock of finding himself engaged to his secret crush from years ago. Yes, he had loved Lily Evans but she hadn't been the only one he'd had feelings for. She'd just been the one who had noticed him in return.

He had known it wasn't a great way to start a relationship by being sorted into rival houses, let alone the fact that she was also in a house with at least one more boy who had strong feelings for her. He thought that James Potter liking her had contributed just a slight more to the bullying he'd suffered all the school. After all, what better way to show a girl you like her than fighting constantly with the other boy who likes her.

Andromeda had been a couple of years older than him and, as such, hadn't really taken any interest in the first year. She had already gotten involved with Ted Tonks and was trying to figure out a way to keep her family from finding out about him. She didn't even have the slightest interest until his third year when Lucius took him under his wing and brought him into their circle. Seeing how good the boy was in potions, she hoped he would break out of the increasingly dark atmosphere and make something of himself. Instead he'd followed Lucius right into the Dark Lord's service. She only hoped he knew what he was doing, what he was giving up.

Suddenly he heard a pecking sound at his door. Opening it, there was an owl. He delivered his letter, accepted a treat and left again. Whoever had written the letter obviously wasn't worried about getting a return letter. He opened the letter. It was from Andromeda. She and Narcissa were in Hogsmeade and needed his help. It was such an unusual request that he hurriedly finished his breakfast and set out for Hogsmeade. She had sent the letter from the Three Broomstick. As he entered, he could see them at a table, along with Teddy.

"Andromeda, what's the problem?" he got straight to the point.

"Narcissa and I are going shopping for my wedding dress and wardrobe. I need you to babysit Teddy Lupin for me."

Severus stared at her, open mouthed. "Babysit? Me babysit Teddy? Are you crazy, woman?! I know nothing about babies! Shouldn't you contact Potter?! It is his godson, after all!"

"Potter isn't the one I'll be marrying, Sev. You are and, as you said, you know nothing about babies, much less Teddy. I don't intend to be the sole caregiver of our children, mister! We'll be living in the same house and you need to know how to take care of him as well. So, you can babysit while I'm shopping. If you have any trouble with him, by all means, get Harry to help you." Narcissa hid a smile as her sister got sassy with her fiancé.

She laughed out loud at the panicked look from the normally expressionless Potions Master. Andromeda stood, kissed Teddy on the cheek, told him to be a good boy and put him into the teacher's arms. She hugged Severus, told him she'd be back in a couple of hours and put Teddy's supply bag over his right shoulder. Then she and Narcissa walked out, leaving behind a shell-shocked Severus Snape with a laughing Teddy Lupin in his arms.

He looked down at the little boy, whose hair was already changing to a straight inky black to match his own. "I think we need to go visit Potter, don't you?" the little boy giggled in delight. "Hawwy, Hawwy!"

Shape grimaced at the thought but set out back to the castle. By the time he got there, he'd transfigured the supply bag into a backpack and was riding Teddy on his shoulders, the child clinging to his hair. Instead of searching for Harry as he'd intended to do, he decided to just go with his instincts.

He took the child to his quarters and transfigured some books into toys for him. He had a push car, a stuffed snake and some building blocks. Severus sat down, intending to grade papers but was distracted watching the boy play. Pretty soon he had transfigured more books into building blocks and was sitting in the floor, he and Teddy stacking them and Teddy knocking them over as he cackled out loud.

Soon it was lunchtime and Teddy began whining for something to eat. They headed upstairs to the Great Hall. He hadn't thought to let anyone know he was occupied, so everyone was shocked when the Potions Master walked in, holding the toddler on his shoulders.

"Um, Professor Snape?" Harry asked, uncertainty in his voice.

"Teddy, would you like to sit with Harry or come to the big table with me?" he asked the child. Teddy stretched out to Harry. "Hawwy, Hawwy!"

"Would you care if he sits with you, Mr. Potter?" Snape looked at him. "I'm caring for him while his grandmother is shopping."

"No, sir, not at all. I don't mind at all." Harry stood and accepted the little boy. Teddy's hair changed from long and straight to messy and standing up, though still black. Ginny reached over and kissed his cheek.

Then he crawled into Hermione's lap and looked at Mikey curiously. Mikey stared back, just as curious about him. Teddy pulled himself up on Hermione's legs and reached out to Scabior. He grabbed the little boy as he leaned towards him. Teddy's hair went dark brown with a red streak in it. His eyes turned baby blue and, in an instant, he was a miniature Scabior. Hermione's fiancé sat him on the table in front of him and offered him a bite of a muffin. Teddy happily accepted it. They sat there and ate the muffin, then swiped Hermione's muffin while she talked to Harry. She turned around for a bite, in time to see Mikey stuff the last bite into his mouth and look at her innocently. She scowled playfully at him as Teddy laughed.

Up at the Head Table, Professors Snape and Scabior were watching the two. "He's going to be a natural dad, just like you, Mike."

"Not so sure I was a natural. I think I was just so desperate to hold him, by the time they decided I wasn't going to drop him, that I made myself hold him exactly the way they did. That way, they wouldn't yank him away from me." Mike replied.

"I was astounded that she was actually willing to even trust me to care for him. But I brought him back and we've been playing with building blocks all morning. I thought about dumping him on Potter but then I realized she was right. We are going to be married. We'll probably have at least one child and it wouldn't be fair to expect her to do everything for the child, plus caring for Teddy as well."

As soon as breakfast was over, he went to collect the child. Teddy Lupin held his arms up to him and went back onto his shoulders. They went back downstairs and resumed playing with the blocks. Soon, Teddy was yawning and crawled into Snape's arms where he fell fast asleep. He sat down on the couch, holding the boy carefully and leaned back. He settled against the arm of the couch, laid Teddy against his right shoulder, wrapped his arms around him and fell asleep as well.

Andromeda and Narcissa walked up to the castle along with the few eighth years who had decided to risk a visit to Hogsmeade. They were discussing what they would find here: Whether Sev had actually kept Teddy or whether he had pawned him off onto Harry. Andromeda hoped he had kept the boy with him as she really wanted him and Teddy to get along.

They reached the doors of the castle and walked in, just as Harry, Ginny and the others were exiting the Great Hall.

"Harry, have you seen Severus? He was babysitting Teddy for me while I went shopping." Said Andromeda, addressing the teen.

"He brought Teddy up to lunch, let him sit with us and then took him back to his quarters, I would assume." Replied Harry.

"Did they look like they were getting along?" she was curious.

"He came in with Teddy on his shoulders and looking just like him. You know Teddy doesn't change for just anyone, so that was a pretty good sign, I thought." Harry shrugged.

"Thank you, Harry. See you over the holidays." She hugged the wizard and stepped back. The esters went to the dungeon and knocked on the door of the Potions Master's private quarters. The door opened and they walked in. The last thing they expected to see was Snape on the floor, helping Teddy Lupin stack building blocks.

"Gamma, Gamma!" Teddy shouted excitedly at the sight of his grandmother. He scrambled to his feet and toddled over as fast as he could. "Wook, wook! Tack bwocks high!" he pointed at the tall stack of blocks.

"Oh my, what a huge stack of blocks that is!" Andromeda was pleased to see that Sev had actually seemed to play with the child.

"Thank you, Sev." She said as he stood up. He stretched out his arms, then walked over. "He was a delight. We've been building all day. Remind me for his birthday to buy the biggest bin of building blocks I can find. We might have a construction engineer on our hands." He stroked the boy's hair. Teddy laughed and caught his hand.

"It occurs to me that we haven't had a formal date yet. My fault, I'm afraid. Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night? We might be able to see if Pot,,,Harry would babysit for us."

Andromeda knew how hard it was for him remember that Harry was not his father, James. It hadn't slipped her notice that he almost called him by his surname instead of his given name. With the animosity between them, it would be a good long time before they were comfortable around each other. But he was trying, that was all she needed, for now.

"I would love to have dinner with you. Harry has already told me, any time I need a babysitter, just to let him know."