A/N: In case you haven't noticed, I've changed the settings on this story to Severus Snape and Harry Potter. Severus and Lily seems misleading now because of the direction the story is going in ;)
Lily's Son
A year later on the 23rd of December, Severus strode purposefully to Number 4 Privet Drive and rang the doorbell. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited. Finally, the door was opened by a fat, walrus-like man whom Severus had gotten to know as Vernon Dursley.
"Oh, it's you, is it? I'll have Petunia bring the boy," he muttered.
He left the door half open as he walked in so that the sounds of crying reached Severus's ears outside in the cold. Probably their bratty son, Severus thought, curling his lips. Potter's cousin had to be the most spoilt, unmanageable, terrible child he knew. Perhaps even more so than Lucius's son, Draco.
The door swung open and Petunia led the small boy out to him. "Here," she said handing him a bag of Harry's things, "We'll be back on the 27th." With that she slammed the door, but Severus remained unperturbed, used to the crass manner of the Dursleys.
"Sev!" the boy cried, latching his arms around Severus's legs. Severus lifted Harry up walked the short distance to Mrs. Figg's house, from where they flooed to Prince Manor.
Later that evening, as Severus watched Harry play with a stuffed dragon toy, he remembered the past year with Lily's boy.
He had cleared it all with Dumbledore who had agreed to allow Harry to stay with Severus on the weekends at Prince Manor, provided that Number 4, Privet Drive remained Harry's home. Dumbledore himself had showed up on Saturday to place additional wards upon the property.
At the Dursley residence, the child was dumped into his arms unceremoniously the moment he rang the bell in the morning. Severus practically had to force himself through the door to give Petunia the diary he had charmed so that if she wrote in it, the words would appear in an identical diary of his own. Petunia had seems disgusted but had agreed.
Once they'd flooed to Prince Manor, Severus was a loss as to what to do with Harry. He certainly couldn't dump him on the houselves; they were much too old to take care of an exuberant one year old, though Harry seemed rather quiet today.
Feeling uncomfortable, Severus put Harry down on the floor of the living room and sat on the sofa in front of him.
"Okay," Severus said to the child, "Why don't you play around, or do whatever it is you children do." With that he settled himself with the Fourth Year Ravenclaws' homework, the only house's homework which was not complete torture for him to grade.
The large grandfather clock ticked regularly but the child kept sitting there. Severus didn't mind as long as he was being quiet. After a while the silence got unnerving. Finally with an impatient sigh Severus slammed the homework down, causing the boy to start. "Stop staring at me with those monstrous eyes of yours, boy, and do something!" he snapped.
The boy's eyes began to water. "Oh for goodness sake!" Severus grumbled as he stood up and picked the boy up. The boy stopped crying immediately. "Manipulative brat. You could easily be in Slytherin." He froze at what he had said. James Potter's son in Slytherin? That would be a laugh. Harry looked exactly as Severus would have imagined James to look like at this age. The resemblance was unnerving.
"Perhaps we can find something for you to do," Severus told the boy as he began walking to the upper floor. Maybe there were some things children could play with around here. If not, he would definitely have to get some toys for Harry. After all, he couldn't be expected to entertain the boy all day.
During their walk, Harry looked around interestedly at the moving portraits and large staircases. He pointed delightedly at a wizard who smiled and winked at him in a portrait. Severus noticed and told him, "That was my great Uncle Julius Prince. He left England years ago to move to Italy. No one heard from his since."
"Greetings to you too, Severus," Uncle Julius called out jovially. Severus rolled his eyes.
After that, Harry seemed to think it a fun game and began pointing to portraits and large doors and flying candlesticks, and each time Severus related the history of the portrait, what was behind the door, or the spell that caused the candle to float. Harry's eyes widened when he was told a new bit of information, though Severus was quite sure he didn't understand a word.
The rest of the morning went by fast continuing this little game, and although Severus would not admit to it, he quite enjoyed it.
Harry ate very little at lunchtime. He had had Tinky find out the routine of a one year child from the Malfoy's house elf, Dobby, and Tinky assured him that one year olds with small teeth could eat normal food but after a bite or two, the boy completely stopped. Severus raised his eyebrows but decided not to worry too much. He would probably eat more at his own home.
"Master Severus," Tinky said nervously, "I is believing that young master will need a nap now."
"Very well, Tinky," he sighed. How was he ever going to put the child to sleep? Harry had been far more manageable than he had expected. He was quiet and he did not spontaneously burst into tears. Severus had a sudden brainwave and sitting Harry down on the crib he had transfigured for him, he began to read him the Potions Weekly journal in his silky voice. Harry's eyed began to droop and before long, he was asleep.
He slept for a good two hours before Severus's monitoring charm alerted him that the boy was awake. Tinky fed Harry a banana and Severus managed to find a quill and a piece of parchment to entertain Harry with.
In the evening, Harry began to crawl towards him. He reached Severus's legs and pulled at his robes, obviously wanting to be picked up.
"Don't get too attached to me, Potter. I'm only dealing with you because I have to," Severus grumbled, but picked him up anyway and placed him on his knee. The child smiled (cheeky brat) and began to touch the buttons on his robes one by one. Severus leaned his head back against the sofa, exhausted and relieved that all had gone well.
The next time he went to Diagon Alley, he purchased a toy dragon and some other trinkets for the boy to play with next time.
It was all Dumbledore's fault that Harry had started calling him Sev. He had preferred the much more proper "Professor Snape". But Dumbledore had smiled indulgently and said that "Professor Snape" was quite a mouthful for a one year old boy. Was it Severus's fault that the boy could not pronounce it? He did not know what had happened but Dumbledore had stopped by for an afternoon a couple of weeks in a row and by the end of it, Harry was at first calling him "Sev'us" which he had then shortened to Sev. The nerve of the boy! Whatever Severus did, he could not get Harry to call him "Professor Snape" after that.
Severus had noticed an abnormal number of bruises on Harry's skin every time he collected him. At first he thought that children were always betting bumped, bruised and scraped from someplace or the other but the blue bruises were only on his arms. Severus didn't know what to make of it until he witnessed firsthand the behavior of one Dudley Dursley.
Petunia had looked hassled one morning and had actually let him in the house. Well actually she had left the door open and he had let himself in. The boys were at breakfast, sitting side-by-side in high chairs and eating oatmeal. The boy menace was pinching his cousin on the arms while Harry made not a sound, quietly continuing to eat his breakfast. Severus was outraged and immediately told Petunia to put Harry's chair away from Dudley's. That led to a shouting match between them which Severus won the moment he pulled out his wand.
He smirked as he led Harry out and later put some bruise paste on his arms so that the bruises completely disappeared. He was still not comfortable about the Dursleys's treatment of Harry; he had noticed that Harry was always quiet at first before slowly getting more comfortable once he had spent a few hours at Prince Manor. However his hands were tied as far as the Dursleys went. If there were any other problems, he'd have to deal with them as they came.
As hard as Severus had tried, he had gotten attached to Harry. Harry needed him as no one had needed him before and he, loath as he was to admit it, needed Harry. He smiled as he thought of Christmas Day with Harry. He hoped Harry liked the present he had gotten him; a toy broomstick.