Don't Own
Please R&R
Enjoy!
…
Severus stood impatiently on the top step outside of 12 Grimmauld Place, glaring at the black wooden door as he waited for an answer.
He had knocked on the door and received no response yet. He knew with his luck Potter had probably already moved on, and that his next move would have to be to seek out Ms. Granger, though he hoped he could figure out a way to avoid that.
He raised his fist again and pounded on the door more harshly than he had before.
As he waited he wondered whether there was another way find Dobby. He didn't know much about house elf magic as he had never owned one before, but he wondered if he could possibly ask one of the Hogwarts' elves to locate Dobby for him.
Just as that thought entered his mind he heard a click from the other side of the door.
Severus stood straighter; his shoulders stiff as he got ready to stare down a weak, possibly frail Potter. The boy better have a damn good reason for keeping him waiting so long.
After a few tense seconds the door swung open and Severus found himself staring down at a tried looking Dobby, rather than an ill Potter.
The elf's eyes widened "Professor Snape Sir!" he squeaked.
Severus sneered "Surely you're not surprised to see me?" He didn't give the elf a chance to respond, he stepped forward into the house without invitation and the door thudded close behind him.
"I'm here to inquire about Potter. I'm guessing he is still ill, or has he incredibly found the cure to whatever ails him in the short amount of time we have last talked?"
Dobby stood silently for a moment and Severus' eyes gleamed dangerously "Or is it perhaps he is no longer in need of treatment for another reason…" Severus trailed off, thinking of the flashing coin.
"Master Harry is still ill Sir" Dobby stated.
"Indeed?" Severus inquired "And why may I ask did you not return to give me the information? If Potter is still ill then surely he still needs attention. I would have thought that getting him seen to would have been your top priority."
Dobby's eyes seemed to glisten regretfully as he squeaked "Dobby couldn't return Sir, Dobby had no time to."
Severus arched a brow at his answer before stating "Now are you going to tell me what is wrong with Potter or not?"
Dobby began to wring his hands together as he had done the night before. "Master Harry has been very tired and he barely leaves his bed. He's very upset Sir, Dobby thought Master Harry would be happy once the time came but he's not."
Severus stared at the elf blankly. The symptoms Dobby had described led Severus to believe Potter was suffering from depression but the rest of Dobby's words were confusing. What did the elf mean by 'when the time came'?
He was about to ask Dobby but the elf continued quickly, he wasn't even looking at the Professor anymore, but glancing backwards down the hall.
"Master Harry was not happy like Dobby had thought he would be. He shoved Dobby away. Master Harry wouldn't look at him, or even hold him."
This had Severus even more confused "Hold on Dobby," he said before the elf could continue "why would Potter hold you in the first place?"
Dobby shook his head furiously "Not Dobby Sir."
"Then who?" Severus asked bewildered, this whole situation wasn't making any sense to him.
Dobby looked up at Severus and then said "This way Professor Snape Sir."
Severus followed him reluctantly, he didn't know what other person Dobby had been talking about and he had no wish to follow the elf blindly, but he was here now and he was determined to get to the bottom of this situation. He gripped his wand tightly and followed Dobby down the hall.
They reached a door at the end of the hall. One Severus didn't remember ever going into, even after all the times he had spent in the old house for Order meetings.
Dobby very gently pushed the door open and led Severus into the room.
Severus was shocked at what he found.
In the middle of the room there was a large, sturdy looking, mahogany crib and inside of it lay a very tiny baby.
The baby, who had short wisps of black hair atop its head, was asleep wearing a small blue jumper that led Severus to believe it was a boy.
Now everything that Dobby had said was fitting into place and Severus found himself shocked beyond belief.
"It's Potter's?" Severus asked and Dobby nodded.
The baby was very small. Severus hadn't met many babies in his lifetime but he knew for certain that this child was abnormally small.
"How old?" Severus asked.
"Dobby is being delivering Young Master one month ago" Dobby said.
"One month…" Severus repeated before another thought struck him. He turned to Dobby "Did you just say that you delivered him?"
Dobby nodded.
"You mean he's never seen a Medi-Witch or Healer?" Severus asked outraged.
"Master Harry refused to leave the house" Dobby said. "Dobby had to do something. Dobby couldn't let Master Harry and Young Master die. Dobby has never done it before but Dobby's ancestors have, it's in Dobby's blood. Dobby did his best!"
Severus clenched his fists. How dare Potter be so selfish to not seek medical attention? Dobby looked terrified, as if wondering whether he had done something wrong.
Severus guessed everything had gone alright seeing as how the child was at the moment sleeping peacefully in the crib, but still! Severus was sure the child would need medical attention, especially being so small. He should have already been checked over.
Severus was going to kill Potter. How dare he be so irresponsible? How dare he leave his child to be solely taken care of by a house elf?
Severus looked down at the crib again "Who is his other father?" he asked.
"Dobby does not know," Dobby said "Dobby never asked."
"He's never been round to the house?" Severus asked.
"Nobody has ever been round Sir" Dobby said.
Severus shook his head "What's his name?" he asked gesturing to the baby.
Dobby stared at the crib "Young Master, Sir, has not yet been given a name."
Severus almost gaped at the elf "He's a month old and he hasn't been given a name yet?" he raged, though he was conscious enough to keep his voice down so that he didn't wake the baby.
Severus stormed out of the room with Dobby following quickly behind him.
When they were outside the door Severus turned to Dobby and glared, he said in his deathliest voice "Where is that poor excuse for a human being?"
"Please Professor!" Dobby squealed, seeing the murderous glint in his eyes. "Master Harry hasn't been himself. Dobby knows Master Harry would never normally act like this. He needs help!"
Severus just continued to glare "Where is he?"
"Promise you will not hurt Master Harry!" Dobby said.
"I promise I'll leave him in good enough condition to have the courts handle him when they process him for the neglect charges I'm going to settle him with!" Severus said icily.
Dobby's eyes widened "No no no, you can't do that to Master Harry!" he shrieked "Master Harry isn't well, you will see, you will understand!"
Potter had better be almost dead. He had better be immobilized. He had better have some fucking amazing reason to have ignored his child for so long or else Severus was going to make sure he paid.
"Bring me to him," Severus said and his tone left no room for argument.
Dobby nodded "He's upstairs, in his room."
"Show me the way" Severus stated and Dobby did.
…
Severus' nostrils flared when he opened the door to Potter's bedroom and stepped inside. The room looked disgusting, clothes lay everywhere and the floor was cluttered with items. An uneaten plate of food sat on the dresser and the room smelled damp.
Severus looked back at Dobby who looked ashamed because of the mess. Though Severus didn't blame him, taking care of a baby was hard work, elves weren't meant to take on that kind of responsibility.
Severus turned his gaze to the bed where a sizable lump lay amongst the covers. Potter had his back towards them.
Severus could tell by Potter's breathing that he wasn't asleep and moved to the other side of the bed so that they would be face to face. Severus glared down at him and noticed that his eyes were closed.
"Potter!" Severus barked.
They boy didn't jump or flinch like Severus had expected him to; in fact he barely gave any sign that he had even heard the Professor.
Snape huffed and reached down to shake the boy by his shoulder "Potter, don't you dare ignore me!"
Potter's eyes opened slowly and he stared blankly ahead of him. Severus got closer to him and noticed for the first time that Potter had dark circles under his eyes and Severus could see tear stains running down his cheeks. His skin was also shallow and pale. Severus looked very closely into Potter's eyes and saw that there was barely a flicker of life in his dull green eyes.
This wasn't the Potter that Severus remembered. Dobby had been right, the boy needed help.
Severus straightened and held back a sigh; he began walking out of the room, making sure to step around Potter's dirty piles of clothes.
"Dobby," he said to the elf once he was at the door "come with me."
Dobby nodded and followed.
Severus walked back down the steps and then made his way to the study, before turning to Dobby.
"Potter is beyond my help," he stated "he needs a professional, and his son needs to be checked out by a Medi-Witch as well. I'm going to call a friend, she's very trustworthy. Would you be okay with that?"
Dobby looked worried but he nodded slowly.
"Good," Severus said and then he turned to the fireplace and threw some floo powder in. Getting down on his knees he called out "Hogwarts infirmary!" and placed his head into the fireplace.
Severus looked out at Madame Promfrey's office, he knew since it was summer that there was a chance she would be elsewhere in the castle, if not in the castle at all, but he knew her office was a good start.
Therefore he was relieved when he saw her sitting at her desk, pouring over a large tome.
"Poppy?" he called out.
She looked up sharply and stared at the fireplace "Severus?" she asked "Is everything okay?"
"Unfortunately no," Severus said "I have a bit of a problem, do you think it would be possible for you to come through and bring some supplies?"
Promfrey was on her feet in seconds "Of course Severus," she said "I'll be right over."
Severus gave a slight nod and then pulled his head from the fireplace. He stood up with a slight cracking of his joints and stepped back from the fireplace, so that Promfrey would have room to come through.
After a few minutes there was a swirl of flames and Promfrey stepped through, medical bag in hand. She looked around and took in her surroundings "Is this…" she began.
"The old headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix?" he supplied "Yes."
"What are we doing here?" Promfrey asked.
Severus turned to look at Dobby who was standing quietly behind him "Dobby here sought me out because he had concerns about his new Master, Mr. Potter. He asked me to come at once and I am afraid Potter is beyond my help."
"Oh dear," Promfrey said worriedly "Do you have any idea what is wrong with him?"
"I believe he is depressed" Severus said.
Promfrey shook her head sadly.
"There's something else" Severus said.
Promfrey looked at him questioningly.
"If you'll come with me?" Severus said leading her out of the study, he explained to her everything he knew as they walked to Potter's son's room, Dobby following them quietly.
Promfrey gasped when she saw the tiny baby, she was having trouble believing it. How had she not known that Potter had been pregnant while in school? She decided not to dwell on it at the moment though; Potter's son needed her attention now.
Promfrey walked to the crib and looked down at the sleeping babe. She took out her wand and cast some simple diagnostic spells on the baby, ones that were safe for infants.
She didn't want to wake the poor thing up, however the tingle of the magic had him staring to stir. He opened his mouth and began to ball, arching his back as his hands flew out.
Promfrey reached out and gently picked him up "Hush now," she said softly and she rocked him gently in her arms. He continued to cry, his face scrunching up as tears slid down his red cheeks. Promfrey just continued her soothing rocking and began to caress the baby's chest.
Finally the tears subsided and the cries became muffled whimpers. Severus stepped closer to Promfrey to watch over her shoulder.
Promfrey walked over to the changing table and placed the baby on it. With a softly muttered spell a light appeared at the tip of her wand and she used it to check the baby's eyes and ears. Then she put away her wand and began softly rotating the baby's hips and pelvic muscles. The baby fidgeted but didn't start crying again.
Promfrey used her hand to gently stretch out the baby's legs to make sure they could bend and flex properly. Then she did the same type of tests on his torso.
She used a gentle finger to stroke the baby's cheek and he turned his head to her. Severus who was still watching closely was surprised to see brilliant blue eyes looking up at him rather than the vibrant green he had been expecting.
Promfrey smiled "That's good; he's passed all of my tests. He's underweight but I think that mostly to do with the fact that he was born premature, about a month early according to my spells."
Promfrey then removed the baby's jumper and her eyes scanned his skin. It was pink and blotchy in some areas, and Severus noticed he had a painful looking rash that ran along his legs and lower stomach.
"What is that?" he asked.
"A magic rash," she said.
"Sorry?" he asked, he had no idea what that was.
"It's a rash babies get when magic, that hasn't been cleared as safe for infants, is used on them. A babies skin is really sensitive Severus," Promfrey explained "nothing but the simplest spells should be used on them and even those shouldn't be relied on. If Potter hasn't been up to taking care of his son then that means that Dobby has been the only one taking care of him. He's being using his magic; it would be the only way he knew how."
They both heard a thump from behind them and turned to look. Dobby had grabbed a lamp from the table and began hitting himself with it over and over again. "Bad Dobby!" he was muttering as tears ran down his cheeks.
Severus walked over to him quickly and took the lamp from the elf "Dobby," he said grabbing the elf's shoulder but Dobby wasn't listening, he was trying to pull away from Severus so he could find something to punish himself with.
"Dobby has let Master Harry down!" the elf sobbed "Dobby has hurt Young Master! Dobby must punish himself!"
Severus held on firmly to the squirming elf "This is not your fault Dobby," he said sternly "you had no idea your magic was hurting Mr. Potter's son. You have done more good then damage Dobby…"
Dobby looked up then, his eyes full of hope.
"You took care of Potter's son when no one else was around to do so. You kept him alive and you took care of him the best you could. You have saved him" Severus said.
"Really?" Dobby asked.
"Yes," Severus said "so you don't have to punish yourself."
Dobby nodded, looking slightly relieved.
Severus pulled away and walked back to Promfrey.
"I believe he will be fine Severus," Promfrey said, she was again holding the baby "He just needs to be fed well so that he can gain a bit of weight, and no more magic can be used on him."
Severus felt almost relieved by Promfrey words but pushed the feeling away.
Promfrey laid the infant in the crib and turned to Dobby "Will you please keep an eye on the Young Master Dobby?" she asked "Severus and I are going to check on Mr. Potter, come and get us if the baby begins to cry or fuss."
Dobby nodded and straightened "Dobby promises to do a good job watching over Young Master, Dobby won't hurt him again."
"Thank you Dobby" Promfrey said, then she and Severus made their way upstairs.
Promfrey looked over Potter and did some spells on the unmoving lump while Severus just watched on.
She looked rather resigned when she walked back over to him "Mr. Potter has Postpartum Depression," she said sadly "he'll need a Mind Healer and it could take him more than a few months to get better."
"He'll need someone other than Dobby to watch over him, as well as take care of the baby. Potter won't be up to that any time soon. Postpartum Depression is very rare in witches and wizards but there are enough documented cases to know that he will barely be able to look at his son, let alone take care of him just yet."
"Who do you suggest we find to look after him?" Severus asked.
"One of his friends perhaps," Promfrey said "We could hire a nurse or someone with a medical background to do it but we would have to be careful about who we choose, I'm sure Potter doesn't want this leaked to the Press."
"He'll probably feel more comfortable with someone he knows," Severus said "one of the Weasleys or Ms. Granger possibly?"
"No!"
Both Severus and Promfrey turned to look at Potter; he was sitting up in bed glaring at them. The boy's hair looked wild, and his eyes were much the same, his voice was rough and his stubble could use a good shave.
"Is there something you would like to contribute Potter?" Severus sneered.
"Not the Weasleys or Hermione" Potter stated firmly.
"Mr. Potter," Promfrey said, mistaking his behavior "I'm sure they wouldn't mind. I mean I know Molly would love to…"
Potter cut her off "I don't want the Weasleys or Hermione here, and I don't want them knowing about…him."
Severus felt his temper flare but Promfrey placed a hand on his arm to stop him from saying anything.
"Okay dear," Promfrey said "we'll think of someone else."
Potter continued to stare at them, his eyes hard but he finally gave a slight nod and lay back down.
"Come Severus," Promfrey said and he reluctantly followed her out of the room.
They discussed options for who they could bring in to stay with Potter, but came up with nothing."
"I could check in once or twice a day but I couldn't stay around the clock" Promfrey said when they had run out of options.
Severus sighed when he realized where the conversation was headed "I guess I could stay, just until we find someone trustworthy enough to hire."
"Brilliant Severus," Promfrey said "Don't worry, I'll go through my contact list and find someone suitable, as well as talk to some of my Healer friends and see if we can find a good match for Mr. Potter."
Severus nodded.
"I'll go through everything you'll need to know, and get you the supplies you will need" Promfrey began and Severus felt like rolling his eyes. What had ever possessed him to come here, the foreseeable future was going to be torture, having to stay and take care of the Potter brat. He was annoyed with himself for coming to Potter's rescue once again.
But then he thought of the small infant that was lying down the hall at the moment, he remembered the painful looking rash, and couldn't help but acknowledge that he had done the right thing.
…
A/N: So my friend's concept: she wanted to see a story where Harry suffered from Postpartum Depression. She's never seen it done before, and neither have I, though that' not to say that one doesn't exist. We just possibly haven't found one yet.