Sirius hadn't had much to be happy about in the last fourteen years of his life; falsely imprisoned for murder, on the run and now in hiding, he had little to cheer about. He knew he should have been more upset about what had happened to Harry – and part of him was, but only a small part in truth. If he were being perfectly honest with himself, having Harry at home with him and Remus, he was happier than he had been in a very long time.

Remus had admitted as much himself, believing that the universe had granted them both a 'second chance' of sorts. Sirius knew it wouldn't last of course; Snape would eventually figure out how to restore Harry to his proper age. But for now, Sirius was grabbing this second chance with both hands and clinging to it desperately for as long as he could.

That said, he never could have imagined how difficult it was to raise a child and had a newfound respect for Molly Weasley being able to raise seven of her own. Harry didn't make it easy for him, but he still relished the hours he got to spend with his godson; playing with him in both human and dog-form (Harry loved riding on his back through the house), reading him stories and teaching him to walk and talk. He even enjoyed watching him sleep; it gratified him to see Harry for once in his life sleep peacefully, lost in his own world of dreams without a care of worry in the world.

Of course, that didn't stop the rest of the world from turning. The dangers remained ever-present, and it loomed ever closer to them; only the week before, Arthur Weasley had been attacked by Voldemort's snake while on guard duty at the Ministry. If Tonks hadn't been there to fight if off, Arthur surely would have been killed. Both were still being treated at St. Mungo's and while they were both expected to make a full recovery, the attack had rattled every member of The Order. Snape in particular seemed shook by what had happened, he had even gone to hospital to check on their prognosis, not entirely trusting of the Healer's capabilities.

In light of what had happened, it became clear that Harry had to be cured as soon as possible. There was no way he could defend himself in his current state. As much as Sirius argued that Harry was well-deserving of a break from the chaos of the outside world, it had been four months since the accident and he knew that deep down his reasons for keeping Harry as a child was more for his own benefit than Harry's.

Today however, Sirius would gladly have Harry back as a stroppy teenager. Right now, Sirius was worried.

"Why won't you stop crying?" he despaired, cradling Harry up and down. He had tried everything – he'd tried feeding him but he wouldn't eat, tried to put him down for a nap but he wouldn't sleep, tried entertaining him, but couldn't keep his attention – nothing would settle the infant. He just kept crying, constantly rubbing his cheeks until they flushed an angry red. Sirius didn't know what to do; Remus was indisposed for the next two days because of the full moon, Molly was at the hospital with Arthur, and Tonks was still in her sickbed. He had no-one else to turn to except…

As if the universe were answering his plea, the front door of Grimmauld Place opened and slammed shut. Sirius rose to his feet as the heavy footsteps approached and Snape swept into the living room looking more tired and forlorn than usual.

"Severus," he croaked. "I need your help."

Snape cocked an eyebrow in surprise, "Dear me, you must be in dire straits if you're willing to ask for my help."

Sirius ignored the jibe and nodded to the baby in his arms, "Harry won't stop crying; I've tried everything but nothing's calming him down, and now he's got this rash on his face. Do you think I need to take him to St Mungo's?"

"I am not his wet nurse, Black. I have better things to be doing with my time that teaching you the basics of childcare," he jibed.

"Can you not be a dick for five seconds and just look at him for me?" snapped Sirius, struggling to hold the squirming infant. Harry gurned and whined, his face screwed up in pain. "Please Severus, I'm at my wits end here."

Snape looked at Sirius thoughtfully. Sirius had in his experience, been one of the most selfish, single-minded individuals he had ever met. Even years of imprisonment and being on the run had done little to temper his arrogance and self- assuredness. But now…Sirius' eyebrows were a close-knitted frown of concern, he looked uncertain and completely out of his depth. A twinge of satisfaction flared inside of him at the worried expression written all over Sirius' face, but he pushed that feeling aside and looked at Harry. The child was obviously distressed, and against his better judgement he felt an inkling of sympathy for him. He pushed that unexpected and foreign feeling aside quickly too. He sighed and held out his arms, "Very well. Give him here."

Sirius passed Harry into Snape's outstretched arms, "Just be careful with him, alright?"

"Do you trust me to check over him or not?" snapped Snape. Sirius glared at his childhood nemesis, but grudgingly relinquished his godson to the Potions Master. Snape drew his wand and performed a few silent incantations while Sirius stood waiting in awkward silence. Snape frowned and pocketed his wand, then slipped his index finger into Harry's mouth.

"Ouch!" he winced in pain and quickly withdrew his finger. "I believe I have discovered the source of your problem; he's teething."

Sirius' eyes widened, "Really? That's all it is?"

"I believe so, yes," Severus confirmed, attempting to pass the infant back to his godfather, but Harry clung tightly to his robes, refusing to let go. Snape snarled, "Your godson is like a human limpet."

"I don't get why he's taken such a shine to you," muttered Sirius freeing Snape from Harry's vicelike grip. "Not like you deserve it."

"Believe me, it is as much as mystery to you as it is to me," he huffed flattening his robes. "I shall make you a potion to alleviate his symptoms."

Snape busied himself making the potion in the kitchen while Sirius sat at the table with Harry bouncing on his knee. Snape drew Sirius a sly glance, "I take that Lupin isn't on the premises?"

"Not with Harry here, no," he replied stiffly. "He's perfectly safe if he's taken the Wolfsbane potion, but Remus doesn't want to risk it."

"Very wise of him," Snape agreed throwing ingredients into the small cauldron on the stove. Trying to sound casual he chanced, "I am curious about something Black, about your relationship with Lupin…"

Sirius grunted, "Your curiosity's gotten the better of you a few times, Snape. You'd think you'd learnt your lesson by now to keep your nose out of other people's business."

"Obviously I'm a slow learner," he quipped then continued. "You are a wanted man on both sides of this conflict; if the Ministry or the Dark Lord capture you, you will most likely be killed. The likelihood that you come out alive at the end of this war is slim to none."

"I'd say the chances of either of us coming out of this alive are about the same, Snape," he replied darkly.

"I am well aware that I will more than likely die in this fight," he acknowledged. "What I find curious is that you would take up a relationship with someone with that hanging over your head. How do you reconcile the fact that you might die tomorrow while at the same time act as though everything is perfectly fine?"

Sirius considered Snape for a few moments before answering, "Remus and I know that everything is about as far from fine as it could be, and we have no illusions about our chances in surviving this war – we went into this with our eyes wide open. The uncertainty of it all is what drew us back together, I suppose; not knowing from one day to the next whether you or your loved ones are going to be killed. I suppose some people will isolate themselves in an effort to lessen the blow – as if you've got less to lose if you love less. But I don't see it that way – love is a strength, not a weakness. It was my love for Harry that gave me the will to get out of Azkaban, to stay alive, to keep fighting. Maybe if you had someone in your life that you loved that much you'd understand."

"Perhaps," Snape replied quietly, his thoughts firmly of Tonks. The attack at the Ministry had hit him much harder than he expected it to; he had been paralysed with fear when Dumbledore had told him that Tonks had been injured. If only she had stayed with me that night instead of going out on that bloody mission, she would never have gotten hurt in the first place, he had thought helplessly. The same old fears had arisen in him that night, the same terror of losing the woman he loved to another war; it had been fourteen years since he had lost Lily and though his pain had tempered over time, it still felt too raw to acknowledge. Then Tonks had come into his life, and she had stirred feelings in him he had believed long-extinguished. But nearly losing her too...he didn't know if he could bare it twice in a lifetime. How could Remus and Sirius expose themselves to more pain and loss? It seemed inevitable that one or both of them should perish in this war. He would surely die, too. And Tonks...Snape shook his head clear. He wasn't sure he had the strength to love someone and live in fear of losing them.

It didn't take long for Snape to finish brewing the salve. When he had bottled and corked it he showed it to Sirius.

"Rub this paste on his gums twice a day – once in the morning and again before he goes to sleep – it will reduce the pain," Snape thrust the vial into Sirius' hand. He stared at the potion, his face a storm of emotions.

"Thank you," he muttered.

Snape smirked, "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

"I said piss off, git," snapped Sirius. Snape rolled his eyes.

"You're welcome."

Snape left without another word. It was probably the longest conversation they'd ever had without devolving into an argument. Sirius glanced looked down at Harry and sighed, "You better appreciate how much I love you, kid; I just accepted help from Snivellus and said thank you to the old bat. He'll never let me live that down."

Harry threw his tiny arms around Sirius' neck and hugged him tightly. Sirius chuckled and hugged him back, his heart swelling, "I love you too, kid."