"What do you mean 'Harry's a baby now'?" cried Sirius. Sirius, Remus, Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, Hermione, Ron and Ginny had assembled in the kitchen to discuss the situation. At first, Sirius was convinced the twins were playing a prank on him - that is, until he saw the baby clutched in Mrs. Weasley's arms. They transfigured a bouncy chair for Harry and sat him atop the large, oak kitchen table, each of them staring at him with a mixture of disbelief and fear.
"How did this happen?" asked Remus wearily.
"It was an accident!" protested George desperately. Fred nodded vigorously.
"We were just mucking about with some potion ingredients in one of the spare bedrooms. Harry must have spilt some on himself when he came in to have a look."
"Clumsy beggar," mumbled George, shaking his head. Mrs. Weasley slapped both twins on the back of their heads and they winced.
"Oh no you don't!" she warned. "This is your fault! I told you to cease and desist your little experiments, but no – you thought you knew better than I did, daft old mum doesn't know what she's talking about, does she? There's no talking your way out of this mess, not this time. And you!"
She rounded on Sirius who sank lower into his seat as she loomed over him, "You knew what they were doing and you saw fit to go over my head and encourage their tomfoolery!"
"Molly—" he began, but Mrs. Weasley cut him off.
"Don't 'Molly' me, boy! You encouraged my sons to disobey me and look what's happened as a result! Well, I hope you're proud of yourself."
Sirius stared at his shoes and said nothing, his pale face flushed red with shame. Remus placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and asked, "The real question is, can we fix it?"
Fred and George glanced wearily at one another.
"We're not sure," said George.
The kitchen in Grimmauld Place erupted into chaos at this revelation.
"You mean he might be stuck like this?" cried Ron in horror.
"What happens if You-Know-Who finds out about this?" despaired Mrs. Weasley.
"Well to be fair, he hasn't fared well against infants in the past," mused Fred, a slight grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. Nobody laughed.
"This is no time to joke!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "This is serious! Merlin, what will Dumbledore say?"
"What about school?" asked Hermione shakily. "We're supposed to be starting back next week, and it's our O.W.L.S. year, Harry can't afford to miss out of any of his lessons."
"I think class attendance is the least of his worries, Hermione," scoffed Ron. "He's not even old enough to attend Hogwarts anymore. He hasn't even got teeth yet!"
Harry squealed and kicked out his tiny legs happily, oblivious to the seriousness of his situation.
"Has anyone contacted Dumbledore about this?" asked Remus. Sirius rose to his feet.
"I'll go write him a letter. Explain the situation as best as I can."
"You do that," sneered Mrs. Weasley. "Try not to do any more damage between here and your bedroom!"
Sirius paused as though he were going to retort to Mrs. Weasley's jibe, but thought better of it and hurried out of the kitchen.
They weren't waiting long before Professor Dumbledore arrived closely followed by Professor Snape. The Headmaster strode into the kitchen and paused abruptly when he saw Harry dozing in the bouncy chair.
"Oh my," he murmured. A fresh ripple of panic spread through the kitchen – if Dumbledore was taken aback by something that usually meant the prognosis was not good. Snape approached the baby cautiously and pulled out his wand. Sirius instinctively jumped to his feet and drew his own wand, pointing it at Snape.
"What do you think you're doing?" he snapped. Snape sneered at Sirius but proceeded no further.
"Sirius," warned Dumbledore, his voice low and dangerous. "Lower your wand. Severus means the boy no harm."
Sirius hesitated, only lowering his wand when Remus touched his hand but remained standing warily as Snape took another step towards the baby. Snape swished his wand, muttering under his breath as he performed numerous incantations. Dumbledore watched closely, his eyebrows knit into a deep frown of concern. Everyone else watched on anxiously and silently for the prognosis.
Eventually, Snape lowered his wand and glanced at Dumbledore, giving his head a slight shake. Dumbledore sighed and rubbed his tired eyes, "This complicates matters somewhat."
"Harry's going to be alright, isn't he?" asked Ginny uncertainly. Dumbledore gave her a reassuring smile.
"We will do everything in our power to restore Harry to his natural state."
"That's hardly a vote of confidence, Dumbledore," mused Sirius.
"I will not lie – this appears to be an extremely potent anti-aging potion at work," said Dumbledore carefully. "It seems that Harry's condition goes beyond a mere change in physical appearance – his cognitive development has also regressed to that of an infant; his perception, thought, language and physical coordination are that of a nine-month old baby."
"Not much change from his previous state then," muttered Snape.
"Shut your mouth, Snivellus!" shouted Sirius, his face contorted with fury. Sirius' angry outburst woke Harry with a start and he began to cry. Sirius' face fell and he rushed over to pick up Harry, trying to comfort him, "Shhh, I'm sorry I shouted. I wasn't angry at you, please don't cry…"
Harry clung desperately to Sirius' robes as tears streamed down his chubby cheeks. Sirius rocked Harry up and down, glaring at Snape. Remus frowned, "When you say his cognitive development has regressed – does that mean that he doesn't have any memory of who he is? Or of anything that has happened to him?"
"I believe that is the case, yes," sighed Dumbledore. Ron and Hermione looked horrified.
"So he doesn't remember us?" asked Ron.
"Not in his current condition, no," Dumbledore admitted. "And I cannot be certain that if and when we restore him to his original state that his memories will be intact."
"Shit," muttered George sinking into a chair at the kitchen table. Fred looked sickly pale, unable to speak.
"What are we going to do?" asked Mrs. Weasley desperately. "If word of this gets to You-Know-Who—"
"Word will not reach Voldemort if each person in this room swears not to mention it beyond these four walls," said Dumbledore sharply. "We will of course need to inform the other members of the Order of what has happened, Tonks and Kingsley should be summoned as soon as possible – they can keep us informed if word reaches the Ministry."
"So what are we going to say once the school year starts back up and Harry Potter of all people is not in attendance?" asked Snape.
"We say he's contracted spattergroit," suggested Mrs. Weasley. "It's highly infectious, the Ministry won't want to come anywhere near him."
Remus nodded, "Kingsley or Tonks can confirm they saw him and that'll be the end of it, hopefully."
"So where are we going to keep him?" asked Mrs. Weasley looking at Dumbledore. "Are you taking him back with you to Hogwarts?"
Sirius frowned, "He'll stay here of course."
Mrs. Weasley scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous, Sirius, this is no place for a baby!"
"Oh, and I suppose your suggestion is to take Harry home with you, is it?" he asked, holding Harry a little tighter.
"It would be a much safer environment for him than this place!" she cried. Sirius and Mrs. Weasley began arguing again, but both fell silent when Dumbledore raised his hand.
"Harry cannot stay with me at Hogwarts for obvious reasons," he began. "We cannot risk Harry being seen by other members of staff or students. The Burrow is a fine home, Molly, but it lacks the necessary security that is needed to protect him."
Sirius balked, "Surely you're not suggesting he stay at the Dursley's?"
"No, he has no need to return there until next summer," said Dumbledore, a calculating expression on his face. He stood silent for a few moments deep in thought before smiling serenely, "I believe the best place for Harry is in the care of his godfather."
Sirius grinned broadly and Remus patted him on the shoulder. Mrs. Weasley however did not look pleased.
"Surely you can't be serious," she argued, sounding exacerbated. "This house is in no fit state for anyone, let alone a baby!"
"This house is better than it was!" argued Ginny. "We've worked really hard all summer to make this place habitable again."
"I know that," said Mrs. Weasley shaking her head. "But it's so…gloomy. And dirty. Babies need fresh air and sunlight and—"
"We're supposed to be keeping him hidden Molly, we can't be taking him out on strolls in the park and maintain secrecy, can we?" spat Sirius.
"Grimmauld Place is the safest place for Harry. Its location is known only to those in the Order and it is under the protection of the Fidelius charm," explained Dumbledore. "And with Remus and Severus' help, he will be in safe hands until the issue is resolved."
Snape's head snapped towards the Headmaster, "What do you mean with my help?"
"You will need to check in on Harry at least once a day to assess his prognosis," he explained. "Sirius and Remus will need to take care of Harry's other needs and to inform you of any new symptoms that may arise."
"I am tasked with childcare on top of my other…duties….for the Order?" he asked frowning.
"Is hanging out with your old Death Eater buddies going to interfere with looking after a baby?" taunted Sirius.
"Childcare is all you are fit for, Black, since there is little else you can do," replied Snape silkily.
Sirius snarled but Remus interjected before another argument could erupt.
"There must be another more suitable alternative. What about Poppy?"
"She is not a member of the Order," argued Dumbledore. "And Severus is the most qualified person to cure Harry of his ailment."
"I'm more than happy to keep Harry here," said Sirius, glaring at Snape. "But I don't understand why he needs to be involved. It's clear he doesn't want to be and I don't want him to be either."
"Headmaster, it is not often that Black and I agree upon anything," said Snape carefully. "But I do not believe I am the best person to be tasked with the care of the child."
"First and last time we'll agree on anything, Snape," smirked Sirius.
Snape drew Sirius a withering look before continuing, "I have as much experience in caring for children as Lupin and Black do. There must be another way."
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at Snape, "You deny that you are the most qualified person to have a chance of curing Harry?"
Snape bristled, "I do not."
Dumbledore turned to Mrs. Weasley, "And are you happy to assist them with the task at hand, Molly?"
"Of course," she nodded curtly. "I've raised seven of my own, I can give them more than a few pointers."
"Then I am afraid there is no other alternative," he smiled. Everyone else shifted uncomfortably but said nothing. Nobody was brave enough to argue with the old wizard, but none of them seemed particularly confident in the plan either. Remus, Sirius and Snape solely charged with the care of an infantile Harry - what could possibly go wrong?