After several days living in a blissful family Harry had discovered a few problems with being so small, he enjoying being picked up and carried and cuddled but he had discovered that it was very easy for him to get forgotten in this large family. Cassie or Mummy as he now thought of her was busy with the house and taking care of everyone, Toby was a first year student in Slytherin who sometimes came home and sometime slept in the dorms, Lily was seven and went to school from eight thirty until three thirty. Charlie was used to being the youngest and at three and three quarter years old was almost ready to start primary school but at the moment he spent all day at home with him and Mummy, stealing of his toys, pushing him over, hitting him and making him cry all when Mummy wasn't looking. Mummy was annoyed at him for crying and taking up her time when she was busy and had shouted at him earlier for 'attention seeking.' Daddy would take his side if he were here but he worked from eight am until four pm and then sometimes after dinner he would leave again, occasionally he would come back in time to read Harry a bedtime story but mostly he did not. Some nights he wasn't read a bedtime story by anyone but simply put in his cot, given a short kiss on the head and told to 'go to sleep.'
This morning had been the worst morning in history first off all Harry had woken up with a messy nappy and his gums felt like they were on fire. He screamed in pain and torment until Severus staggered through his door bleary eyed and picked him up, changing his nappy. He still had sore gums though and continued to cry until Severus took him back to the master bedroom. After an hour of being rocked, rejecting bottles, having his temperature checked and having various toys shoved in his face that they discovered his aching gums and Cassie applied some numbing gel onto his gums that he calmed down and his parents could start getting ready for their days and waking the rest of the family up. As he was sat in his high chair Charlie pinched him making him cry and making Severus sigh heavily before picking him up and continuing to get ready and giving Harry a cooled teething ring to chew on. Charlie was happily humming stood next to his mother when they arrived back as Mummy gave Charlie one of Harry's coloured stars to play with. He reached out and moaned at Charlie being given one of his toys when he wasn't allowed to play with anything that belonged to Charlie. Mummy just put a bottle in front of him and sat down looking tired. The rest of the family arrived tiredly all giving him evil looks, Harry felt bad in his tummy for waking them all up but really he couldn't help it he was in a lot of pain.
After breakfast Severus left for work after dropping Lily off at school, Toby left for school telling Cassie how he wouldn't be staying over anytime soon and Charlie was sent upstairs to brush his teeth and get ready to go out . Harry was confused they never went out unless it was to pick Lily up from school. He was taken upstairs where he was changed and dressed warmly then sat on the bed with an animal which he was sure was a magical one because he didn't recognise it. When tickled the animal would change colour and entertained him whilst Mummy got ready to go out.
Once the three were ready Harry was buckled into his pushchair which he didn't mind anymore and they set off. As they walked through Hogwarts' corridors Harry became a little nervous, he knew where these corridors lead and it was to the hospital wing. As Charlie was ahead of them he knocked on the door and Poppy Pomfrey opened them for the family. 'Hello,' she greeted as she ushered them in 'so the day is upon us is it?' she asked Mummy. Harry was curious what day? What was going on? Mummy undid his straps and lifted him onto her lap as she sat at a table facing Madam Pomfrey. Charlie had scampered off into the corner to play with the toys somewhere he desperately wanted to be right now even if Charlie was there. 'First a check-up' Madam Pomfrey requested. Harry was stripped to his nappy as Pomfrey waved a wand around him and fund the results appearing on parchment in front of her, 'still small for his age, 10 month olds months old, he should weigh a little more but he is quite active' she murmured 'seems to be doing well though. You may redress him now Mrs Snape.' Harry sighed in relief he was ok, as soon as he was redressed though Madam Pomfrey said the sentence which made him shake in fear, 'It's just two shots today and two in six months' time.' Harry looked at his Mummy worried. Madam Pomfrey easily wrestled his arm away from him and after sterilising his arm with a swab in went the first needle and the pain. Harry cried harder than he ever had done before, this really hurt and as he was crying the next shot went it his thigh, this was really too much now his arm and his leg hurt him and Mummy let it happen.
As the sobbing toddler was given his teething ring he threw it in anger, he wanted all the pain to stop not just the ones in his mouth. Mummy held him as she talked to Madam Pomfrey some more but really didn't know what they were talking about Harry only cared about all his owies. As Harry started calming down Cassie shrunk the pushchair placing it in her pocket and carried Harry back to their rooms whilst Charlie held her hand and chatted about how brave he was and what a baby Harry was.
All day Harry was in a funk and everything hurt, he took a nap in his cot and woke up hurting everywhere and discovering that everyone was back as it was Friday and apparently on Fridays Severus always finished early. Severus picked him up from his nap and changed his nappy but also dressed him in robes and dress shoes. He was carried downstairs where he was given to Mummy to carry and Charlie was picked up by Daddy and the Snape's walked towards the great hall. Harry bounced up and down in Cassie's arms in excitement and then the doors opened and in they walked, most of the children were already in the hall and were staring at him. At first he didn't notice he was too busy gawping at the ceiling pointing things out to Mummy which he was sure she wouldn't have noticed. As he was strapped into his high chair though he did notice the staring and he really didn't like it. Just as he was about to tear up he was distracted by the arrival of his food, it was treacle tart, one of his favourites. He was getting treacle tart for dinner, he beamed at his Mummy who gave him his spoon and let him dig in, this was amazing, until he took a bite, it tasted funny and he tried to spit it out but found that Mummy was holding his chin telling him to swallow, this was a dirty trick but as he swallow Mummy took the nasty treacle tart away and placed a new one in its place. He took a tentative bite and found this one to be good so continued with vigour.
'Was that the last of the teething potion?' Snape asked Cassandra, 'Yes' she replied 'I thought I would let him eat what he liked tonight after the rough day he's had and knowing how much he hates all the attention in this hall.' Cassie smiled softly watching Harry eating with his fingers and getting tart all over his face, she studied the hall and saw Toby trying to ignore the rest of his family as he sat at the Slytherin table whilst his friends elbowed him and laughed and pointed at Harry.
At the end of the dinner Harry was full and content, snoozing in his high chair through headmistress McGonnagalls speech and through his mother cleaning all the mess from his face and hands, Cassie picked him up and Snape unshrunk his pushchair and once strapped in they pushed him back through the now empty hall back to their rooms.
Once the family got back to their rooms everyone was changed into their pyjamas and Harry was put to bed whilst the rest of the family stayed awake a little longer to enjoy a family game of snap. It was just as the family were finishing that an anguished cry rang through their quarters, Snape rushed off to Harrys room to discover Harry sat up in his cot with vomit on his blankets, face hands and all over his stuffed crocodile. Harry was distraught and Snape sighed sadly before banishing the mess and carrying Harry through to the kitchen and filling a bottle with milk and stomach soother. Harry was then carried back through to the living room and fed the bottle until he fell asleep with a very worried Daddy.
Lying awake that night Cassie and Severus were worried about their youngest 'He's been unwell a lot lately, there was the week last week when he had that terrible flu, then he had that headache, now he's teething and he's been sick, do you think we should have him checked out?' Severus asked Cassie. 'No' Cassie replied 'todays just been stressful for him, teething, shots and the great hall wasn't the best idea after how little sleep he's been getting. He needs longer naps.' Severus sat quietly in thought before asking Cassie 'why is he waking up from his naps though?' Cassie let out a tired laugh, 'because I put Harry and Charlie on the couch to nap together and Charlies growing out of his naps just as Harry needs his the most….Do you think it would work if I let Harry nap and then once he wakes up have Harry take a nap, then Harry and Charlie could also get a little one on one time with me as well, Charlie's started getting jealous of Harry and Harry seems to be feeling a bit of separation anxiety and wants to be picked up a lot more than he did even last week, he seems to have changed a lot over the week, he seems more alert and understands more.' Snape thought, 'try that next week then and see how it goes Charlie will start school after summer anyway so Harry will be able to have that special time then that Charlie had, we just haven't got any experience at having two of them at home at once we always only had one at home and the rest at school until Harry came along.' Snape then hit the light off 'let's worry more tomorrow I'm tired.' Cassie leaned over to give him a kiss before whispering a quiet goodnight before closing her eyes for the night also.