Remus Lupin was having one hell of headache. Harry had refused to stop crying the entire night after his first day in school, and he knew it was because of the surly and missing Potions Master. He stifled a curse and covered his ears as the child's wailing became even more irritating. Of course, he couldn't blame the boy. Severus Snape was the only father figure he had known in his life, and he missed the dour man terribly. It was almost strange to refer to Snape as a dad, but he knew the reasons for which the man took in Harry ran far deeper than his love for Lily. From what little he could make out of Spinner's End and the connection it had with its owner, he could only assume that Snape had his own problems and did not spend his childhood the way Sirius or Malfoy had. Perhaps those childhood regrets were what made him keep Harry. Even though he was James Potter's son – the very man whom he hated.
Shaking those thoughts out of his head, Remus stood up and sighed deeply, something which he hadn't done in a few weeks. His muscles creaking stubbornly from many hours of uselessness, and he went to the source of the crying, albeit unwillingly. The sight before him, though, clenched his heart, and he almost teared at the sight of the young boy huddled in the blankets. Summoning what little self-confidence he had left, he approached the bed and sat on it.
"Harry... Daddy will come back. You know he loves you, right? Just... just stop crying, please."
At the sound of his voice, Harry looked up from the pillow he was crying into and sniffled pitifully. His emerald eyes were red and tear-filled, but he swiped a hand over it and wiped away the tears.
"Uncle Remus, where's my daddy?" he asked with a hiccup, fresh tears ready to pour out of his wide eyes.
"He's working, Harry. For you. So he can buy you toys and clothes and food," the werewolf answered with a small smile, a frown line working its way into his forehead as he patted the boy's back comfortingly.
Remus tried his best not to give in to the temptation of dropping in at Hogwarts when Harry spoke next.
"But I don't want toys. I want my daddy with me."
xxx
It was several days toward the full moon when Severus Snape walked into his house again. As if on cue, Harry ran at full speed toward him, and with a spontaneity that wasn't associated with the Potions Master, he swung the boy up and tickled him mercilessly. From the doorway of the kitchen, Remus smiled lightly, a satisfied expression on his face. It was one thing to see Snape happy; it was another to see him happy with a child when he so openly expressed his disgust with children in general.
"Lupin," Snape greeted the other man with a nod, putting the boy down and allowing himself to be pulled to a 'world where cookies heat themselves and the milk is endless'. Apparently, they were learning about fairy tales in school and Harry was using his imagination at a full-scale pace.
He placed a vial on the table, shooting Remus a pointed look. Understanding dawning on the werewolf's face, he grasped the potion carefully and gave Severus a grateful smile. He almost forgot this part of their deal, but he wasn't complaining. Having Harry around and being a sane wolf during the full moon provided enough happiness to fill his heart.
As Harry chattered on and on to Snape, Remus sipped his tea, enjoying the bonding of father and child before him. The boy was no longer just James' son now. He was part of Severus too, the way both of them fit so perfectly together as if they were made for a paternal relationship.
Night came, and Severus surprised both boy and wolf as he stayed at Spinner's End instead of returning to Hogwarts. Neither of the two asked, somehow believing that if they questioned it, their magical bubble would pop and it would all turn out to be a dream.
On the night of the full moon, Remus locked himself in his bedroom waiting for the transformation. Below, he could hear Severus' footsteps as he paced across the library. Remus wondered what the problem was, but before he could brainstorm any further, the change came upon him. When he turned into a wolf, he could make out Harry's strained voice as the boy called out to the Potions Master. Severus himself sounded strained, as if he was carrying a heavy weight on his shoulders. Too exhausted to even scratch at the door, the wolf climbed on the bed and fell into a fitful sleep.
In Harry's room, things weren't going so well. The boy had developed a weird case of chicken pox, and had grown jobberknoll feathers in the past few hours. Severus had read every single book in his library that could have had a connection to Harry's condition, but to no avail. He couldn't even call Poppy for fear that the Headmaster would interrogate the matron. Strong-willed as she was, even her temperament couldn't match the wiles of the old codger.
Running out of options, Severus sat by the boy's bed, spooning soup into his son's waiting mouth. The feathers proved to be itchy, and he had to cast a spell so Harry wouldn't scratch at his arms and make blisters out of them.
"Daddy?" came the soft voice from beneath the blankets.
Severus made a noncommittal sound at the back of his throat and raised a brow in response.
"Please don't leave me."
A sad smile touched Snape's features for a moment before it gave way to pity and... was it love?
"Of course, son. Of course."
With a sigh of contentment, little Harry Potter curled up on his side, his small, clammy hand entwined in the Potions Master's strong one. The boy knew he was safe here, far away from the Dursleys where nobody would ever treat him like they did anymore.
xxx
Tap, tap, tap. Minerva grumbled in her sleep and turned her back against the window.
Tap, tap, tap. The noise went again. Disgruntled, the Head of Gryffindor swung her feet off the bed and opened the window. A black eagle-owl swooped inside her room and landed on top of her dresser imperiously; shaking the letter it was carrying impatiently. Recognizing the bird as Artemis, the Potions Master's owl, she shook her head and untied the parchment.
Minerva,
Please come to Spinner's End immediately. Do not notify Albus.
Severus
The note held no trace of malice, so Minerva changed into her robes and flooed to Spinner's End hurriedly. Since the fall of Voldemort and the death of Lily Evans, Severus Snape had seemed so distant and so off. She was afraid he might try to take his own life. The scene that greeted her held no consolation at all for what she feared.
Snape was in his house clothes, sitting worriedly on the couch, his long fingers steepled together at his nose. Her arrival surprised him, though, and he stood rigidly, his usually blank face holding an emotion she could not seem to place.
"Minerva, please. You have to help me."
Nodding only to indicate her willingness, Severus led her up the stairs and into Harry's room. She was surprised and a bit puzzled to find a young boy sleeping in the dour Potions Master's house that the first words that came out of her mouth took both of them quite by shock.
"Did you kidnap this boy, Severus?"
"N-no, of course not!" snapped the man in address a few moments after staring goggle-eyed at the Deputy Headmistress.
"Well, then I'm sorry for asking," the witch replied with a flush creeping up her cheeks. "What happened to him, though, may I ask?"
"He sprouted jobberknoll feathers three hours ago, and none of the books I consulted gave me the answer to his condition."
Humming lightly in assent, Minerva stepped closer to the boy and gasped in surprise.
"This is..." she clapped a hand over her mouth and looked at the man suspiciously. "Severus! Did you take Harry Potter away from the Dursleys without Dumbledore's knowledge?"
A slight jerk of the head was all she got from the bowing Potions Master, obviously ashamed at what he had done.
"He was beaten there, Minerva! Just like how my father treated me when I was young," he answered defensively, as if the witch would take the boy from him.
Instead of what he expected, though, Minerva walked toward him and squeezed his arm comfortingly. "There, there. I'll help you, Severus, and I assure you Albus won't know anything about this."
Obsidian orbs stared into her brown ones as Severus tried to place her words. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, the Potions Master did the one thing Minerva wasn't expecting.
He hugged her.
xxx
a/n: Aaaaahhh! Forgive me for updating so late. I've been busy with school for the past few months, but now that it's summer vacation, I'll find the time to update more often.
Keep the reviews and the love coming in, you guys! 3 Also, suggestions are SO welcome. I'm still looking for a way to keep the spark in this one alive.
Thanks for sticking with me