Chapter 6: With Broken Spells Come Consequences
Severus spent all afternoon his lab, knowing that his family was watching over the only child he truly cared about. He had almost killed himself at one point with the thought of how cruel he had been to Harry during their school years, but Tom had prevented it. The only thing that had truly kept the man going was the reminder that Harry could have been alive.
He was determined, more than ever, to take care of the child as his own. Harry would never go hungry, he'd never suffer, and he'd never have to worry about a huge fate falling solely on his head. The child would get to be a child, and Severus would be there for every step of the way.
Gazing at the bubbling green liquid, the potion's master carefully tilted the liquid into a kiddie cup. He couldn't let Harry spill a single drop of the Frange et Maledictionem. No one had risked the potion in centuries, but the professor was clearly one of the best. He wouldn't fail. Not Harry.
Spelling away the leftover ingredient into their places, and making sure that the area was clean, he fit the top of the cup on smoothly. Waiting until the drink had slightly cooled, he made his way to his room.
Severus had been insistent that the child be put in their room, someone would keep an eye on Harry at all times. He didn't want something to happen to the boy through his accidental magic, especially since it seemed so strong.
Stepping into the silent room, he noticed that Draco and Hermione weren't present. Raising a brow at his husband who sat on the edge of the bed with a book, hand stroking through the raven hair of the sleeping child beside him.
"They're in the kitchen. Hermione's making Draco help her with dinner." He explained quietly. They were quite comfortable in their home, and he did not have to show his darker side to the small family. Tom Riddle had definitively regained his humanity.
With a nod, Severus held up the cup, silently glad that it was just the two of them. "It won't taste great, but I don't want to risk spelling it into his stomach," he explained quietly. "This has to be done like when it was created, the old fashion way."
Moving forward Severus took a seat opposite of Tom, gazing down at his little boy. He was grateful that Harry had been de-aged, but he wasn't sure if the potion would make the child grow older to his normal state.
He selfishly hoped not.
Reaching forward, he gently took a hold of the little boy's shoulder and shook him lightly. The little boy woke slowly, his eyes had been practically crusted shut when he'd fallen asleep in tears. He'd woken a few times throughout the afternoon, but each time Tom, Hermione, or Draco had been on hand.
"Harry, I have some hot chocolate for you. Would you like some?" Severus asked the little one gently. He was glad to see that the child instantly nodded, not refusing the help he received from Tom to sit up. The child wiped at his eyes, waiting for Severus to place the cup in his hand.
"It's a sippy cup. You have to take some medicine first and then you get the chocolate, okay?" Severus spoke softly, hoping not to spook the boy.
He was glad when Harry didn't argue, instead taking a sip of the potion and wrinkling his nose. Tom, however, urged him to continue so he could get the hot chocolate as a treat.
Still somewhat asleep, the little boy didn't argue as he did exactly as he was asked. When they were sure he'd taken every last sip, Tom took the cup and placed it on the bed stand. Harry frowned, suddenly started to cough drastically like he'd got something caught in his throat.
Severus was ready to whisk him to when the child started to turn red. However, he noticed something.
The green eyes that had been a bit unfocused started to focus. The pupils that didn't quite stare at anything began to move, looking at the details. Severus had to withhold a cry of joy as he watched the potion work before his eyes.
"I can… Sev'us I can see!" The little boy cried, blinking several times. They had low lights in the room, prepared for the potion to work so that Harry wouldn't get hurt from his first sight in ages.
"Can you see me Harry?" Severus asked gently, watching as the child turned to him.
Harry's eyes focused on him, his face lit bright in joy. But then something happened, instead of answering his father the child started to cough again. His little body started to shake like he was having a seizure.
"Tom, we need to take him-" Before he could finish his sentence, an explosion set throughout the room. Both Tom and Severus were blown away from the bed and to the wall.
Over the ringing in their eyes, they could hear the screams from Hermione and Draco, whom had come running at the loud sound. The child was screaming, his body seizing in tremors. The magic had lifted Harry from the bed so that he was hovering.
Severus had already stood, trying desperately to claw his way through the field of magic that kept him from reaching the little boy. The potion had worked, but as was the rumor, it came with a consequence.
What felt like hours, but must have only been minutes, passed before the magic simply cut out. It felt as if everything had been sucked out of the room, the silence deafening. Severus was the first to move, his feet carrying him quickly to the bed where his little boy had been suffering.
His eyes widened as he realized what had happened. The potion had worked, and Harry had truly regained his sight. However, it had also worked on the spell that Dumbledore had cast. Instead of growing older, it seemed that the child had de-aged once again. He looked no older than two. His chubby cheeks angelic against long black lashes. A rosy pink colored his face, black hair now softly curled against his tiny head.
"Harry…" Severus gasped, hands reaching down to lift the child from the bed. It was obvious that the magic had drained him, the child completely passed out from the transformation once again.
"He's… he's practically a baby," Draco noted.
Severus frowned, realizing that they'd have to do a lot of things differently now. They'd need more clothing, a new bed, and toys. He also realized something else; that the child was now truly his son.
Hugging Harry to his chest, he couldn't hide the warmth that had come into his chest at having an opportunity he hadn't even thought about. They couldn't have risked making Harry younger in fear of how much the magic would hurt his body. But now, now that the potion had done something so inexplicable, he would take it as a gift.
"He's my little boy," Severus all but murmured.
He glanced up at Tom's shocked face, feeling more joy than he thought he could. "He's our little boy! We can raised him as our own, no influence from that crazy old man!"
Tom took a moment to register what he had seen, and then couldn't help but get excited. It meant that Dumbledore wouldn't have anything to fight with. He'd have a hard time manipulating a child that had no idea who he was.
"Harry Riddle Snape. We can change his name, make it official so that he doesn't even recognize someone else as his parents." His eyes were glittering, only more so when Severus shook his head.
"Harry Snape Riddle. I want people to hear his name and understand that he is not to be messed with. I want people to know he belongs to the dark lord." He was proud to call Tom Riddle his husband, and he would make sure that Harry would call the older man his father.
"Are you sure?" He asked gently, shocked.
"Absolutely," was Severus' instant reply.
He leaned in, kissing Tom on the lips when the dark lord grinned. "Harry, he's our son." He wrapped an arm around Severus, finding everything to be amazing.
"Draco," Severus turned towards his godson who had been quiet. "He's officially family. You're to be like an older brother to him, do you understand?"
The blond smirked, looking completely at ease. "As if that wouldn't happen." He rolled his eyes and grabbed Hermione, who was openly staring at the little child. "Let's finish making supper. We'll leave these two to take care of Harry."
Watching as the couple left the room, Severus turned his attention back to the child in his arms. With a wave of his free hand, the room quickly rearranged itself into what it had looked like before the explosion. The magic had been dire, it was no surprise the child was tired.
He moved forward, gently placing the now two-year old on the bed. He was glad to see Harry curl up into the covers, his little thumb going into his mouth.
Severus took a seat on the bed, mimicking the position they had been in earlier. He watched as Tom did the same, both glancing down at the practical baby on the bed.
"Our son," he murmured softly.