Disclaimer - I do not own Harry Potter or any of that other stuff... just the slightly crazy, half-formed plot

A/N - Chapter three is now officially up! I'd go celebrate, but that would be counting the chickeds before they hatch becauseI haven't even finished the next chapter yet. This chapter was written at the same time as chapter one and two and I was sort of half asleep when I attempted to edit it, so if you want to point out any mistakes I've made, stupid or otherwise, feel free too. Otherwise you can just leave a small note to say if you liked the story or didn't like it. Constructive critism is also very welcome!

Chapter Three

Babysitting – Can't be that difficult…

Ron and Hermione, to the protests of the adults, were charged with the care of Harry.

"I feel that it would be better for Harry to remain with his best friends," said Dumbledore. "They will teach him how to get ready for when he finally turns back into his teenage self."

They also found out what Mrs Weasley had said yes to. The Weasleys, Sirius (as Padfoot) and Remus were all staying in the castle for the time being, though Mr Weasley went to work everyday. Remus helped Professor Gerone, their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, with her lessons and Mrs Weasley decided to go and help Madam Pomfrey.

Ron and Hermione had been given two days off classes to settle in and become comfortable with babysitting, as long as they caught up with the work. For this reason it had been debatable about whether Ron would get the small holiday, but this was settled when Hermione promised to make sure he caught up, with an ominous gleam in her eye.

Harry, it seemed, was not much of a worry either. He was shy, quiet, polite, and he never cried, even when he hurt himself. He also had no need of nappies, to Ron's indescribable relief.

Though these qualities were good, they were also slightly worrying. Harry, at the Terrible Twos, was supposed to laugh, he was supposed to cry for no reason at all, he was supposed to demand things, he was supposed to be loud, and maybe even somewhat obnoxious. It was all part of the stage that no carer of a toddler passed unscathed.

Hermione thought that perhaps Harry needed to get used to them. Sirius expressed the idea that Harry was taking qualities from when he was older. Remus thought that maybe he was naturally like this.

Ron, however, bluntly stated that after a year with the Dursleys Harry had probably already felt a lot of neglect to make him this way.

To say that Hermione was astounded that this shocking piece of logic came from Ron's mouth probably would have been an understatement.

However, it soon became apparent that either Harry had decided to dismiss the lingering effects of the Dursley or had gotten used to them and that he truly was the son of a marauder. This delighted Sirius.

"Harry?" Hermione said on the morning they were to return to classes. She approached the crib he slept in, which was situated in the boys' room.

Ron watched, bemused, as Hermione gently tried to shake Harry awake, but it soon turned to confusion when Harry didn't move an inch let alone wake.

"He isn't waking up," said Hermione, turning from Harry to look at Ron worriedly.

At this moment Ron glanced at Harry, who had happened to just at that moment open one of his brilliant green eyes to check on Hermione before quickly shutting it when he saw Ron was watching. Ron stifled a laugh.

"Maybe he's just really tired?" he asked, somehow, though he'll never know how, controlling the urge to laugh.

"Could be," said Hermione. "But classes start soon."

She went back to trying to wake Harry up, cooing to him and shaking him. Soon she began to get really alarmed.

"Ron!" she said. "We have to get someone!"

Harry chose that moment to quietly stand up and wait silently for Hermione to turn around and see him. Which she did a moment later. She yelled out, stepped back, and slipped, landing on the ground.

Harry and Ron collapsed into laughter as Hermione scowled and stood up. She didn't have the heart to tell off Harry, but she did tell off Ron.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked furiously, rounding on the redhead.

"I wanted to see what he would do," said Ron, undaunted and thoroughly amused.

Harry ended the argument by tugging on Hermione's shirt sleeve. He giggled when Ron winked at him, but prevented Hermione from whipping around again by dropping a toy on the floor.

Smart boy, Ron thought with a smirk.

"He used to do that all the time with Lily and James," said a quiet voice in his ear.

Ron swung around to see Lupin standing there, smiling.

"What do you mean?" asked Ron.

"When Lily or James were about to argue about something Harry would distract them until they forgot what they were arguing about. Hs favourite method was dropping toys out of the crib."

The bell rang and Hermione jumped as though she had just been issued an electric charge.

"We're going to be late for class!" she cried, picking up the pyjama-clad Harry and absent-mindedly snatching up his small uniform.

Harry helped, or hindered, Hermione dress him, and by the time that they were finished Lupin had left and Hermione was in a frenzy of panic. Harry just watched her, taking in her attempts to pick up everything at once, even accidentally taking one of Ron's books.

"Hermione, calm down!" said Ron. "You'll get there faster if you are calm."

"But we have Transfiguration now!" said Hermione.

"McGonagall knows that we have Harry to take care of and bring with us," said Ron firmly. "She won't mind overly much."

"Alright then," said Hermione, coming to a halt and trying to organise the books in her arms.

"I suppose I'll be taking Harry then," said Ron, amused.

"Yes, thank you," said Hermione with a relieved sigh.

Ron approached the toddler and looked down at him somewhat warily. The child sitting there, looking at him, was once his best friend. Still is, Ron thought. Just in baby form. But it was still quite strange to see him like this, and have to carry him around.

However, it seemed Harry didn't want to be carried.

"Walk?" Harry asked, looking up at him pleadingly.

"Yes," agreed Ron. "We're going for a short walk."

"No," said Harry, shaking his head. "Harry walk!"

Harry walk? Ron thought, frowning. Then it clicked. Oh! Harry wants to walk!

"Alright," agreed Ron, picking him up and setting him down on the floor. "Can you walk quickly?"

Harry nodded eagerly and grabbed hold of Ron's wrist with both of his small hands. He looked up, smiling.

"Let's go," said Hermione.

They must have made a strange appearance, Ron thought as they walked down the corridors. Hermione was walking quickly down the corridors and then coming back impatiently to walk with them. Ron was attempting to coax Harry into being picked up so they could move quicker. Harry was determinedly walking and trying not to drag too much on Ron's arm, moving slower then his friends.

In the end the journey from the common room to the transfiguration classroom was longer then normal.

"Okay Harry, next time you are being carried," Hermione said firmly, picking Harry up before they entered the room.

Professor McGonagall looked up sternly when they entered and the wand movements from the rest of the class stopped to watch.

"Where have the three of you been?" she asked.

"Walking with Harry," said Hermione promptly.

Out of the corner of his eye Ron saw Harry opened his mouth with a look of delight on his face. McGonagall's eyes widened, knowing what was coming.

"Silencio," Ron whispered, almost inaudibly, pointing his wand surreptitiously from behind his back at Harry.

Harry closed his mouth and gave Ron a child-like glare, most likely picked up from his mum as well. Ron smiled lightly at him, thinking that McGonagall would really not like being called 'Grandma' in the middle of class.

"Set him over there," said McGonagall, so relieved that she forgot to scold them, pointing at the playpen in the corner. "Then go sit down. We are transfiguring mushrooms into small statues."

Ron made a face that he was very glad no one saw and Hermione lowered Harry into the playpen, not noticing his unnatural silence. Ron, controlling the urge to laugh at the child's glares, quickly said the counter charm.

Harry gave him one last, heated glare, and sat down to play with the magical abacus.

McGonagall had sat down at her desk to grade essays and Ron and Hermione were concentrating on their mushrooms. So no one noticed that Harry had looked up from his game and was staring intently at the box of mushrooms until Lavender Brown shrieked.

They all looked up and gaped. The box of mushrooms was floating through the air and as they watched they dropped into Harry's lap, who laughed.

"He must be powerful," murmured Hermione, shocked.

"Must be," said Ron.

Harry picked up one mushroom and careful set aside the rest of them. Hermione gasped as he looked her way, but he wasn't frowning at her. He was staring at the perfect puppy figurine on her desk.

Slowly Harry's hands began to glow and the mushroom got bigger. Harry's frown deepened and Hermione started forwards, intent on telling him off. But then her jaw dropped again.

Along with everyone else's.

For in Harry's lap now was not a mushroom. It wasn't even a statue like Hermione's.

It was a little puppy with thick black hair, sound asleep.

There was a stunned silence, which seemed to have a knack of following Harry around lately. No one could quite believe what had just happened. It was…

"Impossible," breathed Hermione. "No one can do that!"

"A mushroom is a plant Miss Granger," said McGonagall. "It once had life in it. Only two other wizards in the world have ever done it, but we know that living things can be transfigured from other living things."

"But they only transfigured bugs and ants," Hermione said. "They couldn't get anything like this."

McGonagall nodded, watching in interest as the puppy opened its eyes and yawned widely, shaking it's fur and blinking.

"It's adorable!" whispered Parvati Patil.

"I don't understand though," said Hermione, turning to McGonagall. "Harry is only two and he has just achieved something Merlin himself couldn't… or wouldn't."

McGonagall had a strange look on her face. Hermione turned back to Harry, unaware that her teacher was caught in memory.

Flashback

"So, Minerva," said Lily as they sat at the small kitchen table. "How has the job at Hogwarts been going?"

"Very full on," sighed McGonagall. "I was woken at two o'clock in the morning on the day before holidays to deal with a pair of trouble makers!"

"Anything like the marauders?" asked Lily innocently.

"No, nothing like them thankfully," smiled McGonagall. "I am glad it is the holidays though. How has Harry been?"

"No different to how he was two days ago when you last stopped by," said Lily, very amused. "He really has stolen your heart, hasn't he 'mum'?"

"Me and everyone else that has met him," agreed McGonagall, sipping her tea. "I've yet to find one person that can resist his charm."

"I hope he won't be like his dad," sighed Lily.

"Why not?" asked McGonagall with a chuckle. "He'll have girls swarming over him!"

"Not that part," grinned Lily. "I'm just worried that he'll encourage it to the point that when he gets tired of them they won't leave him alone!"

"Where is James by the way?" asked McGonagall.

Lily opened her mouth to answer when a large boom rocked the house to its foundations.

"Home," sad Lily with a sigh, changing her answer. "He took Harry out…"

"Lily!" came a shout from the living room.

Lily and McGonagall were on their feet in an instant, wands drawn and running to the living room. But when they arrived they found only a stunned James, sitting on the floor, and a laughing Harry, sitting a few feet away.

"Honestly James," sighed Lily, moving forwards and picking up her baby. "I thought you weren't going to be back until later!"

"I wasn't!" said James, getting to his feet. "Harry's hands glowed and suddenly we appeared here amongst a lot of noise!"

Harry laughed harder at this announcement and held his hand out to James. James moved forward to take it, but before he could get to his son he started floating in the air. In wonder McGonagall saw that Harry's hand was glowing as he laughed at his father.

"Okay Harry, put daddy down now," coaxed Lily. "Daddy doesn't want to be up at the ceiling. Put daddy down Harry."

Harry's hand stopped glowing and James crashed to the floor, massaging his head.

"We've raised a menace!" he said in horror.

"No," said Lily resignedly. "We've raised another marauder."

End flashback

The bell rang and Hermione and Ron moved forwards, jerking McGonagall out of her memories. Hermione picked Harry up, but left the puppy behind.

"Puppy," said Harry, reaching down again.

"Here," said Ron, scooping up the black dog, quieting Harry, who smiled at him, earlier annoyance completely forgotten.

"Bye bye Grandma," Harry said as they were leaving, making the students around them break into whispers.

McGonagall, surprisingly enough, just chuckled.

A/N - Well,I hoped you all liked this chapter. I actually wrote this one over a few times, and I'm still not entirely sure about the end result. I just hope it isn't too bad. ButI suppose you have to make mistakes to go forward!

Also, I'd like to respond to the reviews that I got from the last two chapters, asI hadn't had much of a chance to do that as yet. Thank you to these people;

fudgebaby - To tell the truth, I can't wait to see either. What is going to happen is going to be as much a surprise to me as it will be to everyone else, which is strange, becauseI usually have these things so well thought out! Thanks for both your reviews!

athenakitty - Snape hasn't really been able to make his way much into the story yet, but he will sometime soon. The Dursleys? I don't want them to die exactly, but something will definitely happen to them for them (no clues!) Not saying anything about Harry's time either.As for an anitidote... see above, I'm as clueless as you right now. Also, thanks for pointing that out for me, I will eventually get around to taking care of it.

Anakah - Your question should have been answered in this chapter, and, personally, having her take care of Harry would actually defeat a bit of the purpose of the story. Harry's friends will give him a bit more freedom then Molly would. And I agree about the hair thing, it was my favouritepart to writein the story.