The Lupin Childe

Cheers for my wonderful Beta: butterfly83

Chapter 4

Harry woke up with a whimper and tears flowing freely down his face. He hated having nightmares, he absolutely loathed them. It took him several moments to gather up the energy to look around and felt a moment of panic when he didn't recognize where he was. This was not his room nor Remus' or Madam Poppy's! Green eyes took in the bedroom wildly before they settled on the dresser covered in potion vials and the book shelf that held both his books from home and some of his toys.

He remembered now.

He was still at Hogwarts but staying with that new man, Mr. Snape. Harry sniffed and rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hand. The man did not like him much but that was okay. He was not terribly mean or anything like uncle Vernon had been.

Harry shook his head. He did not want to think about the man who had been the star player in his nightmare.

Gathering his teddy bear, Maurice, to his chest, Harry scooted towards the end of the bed. He always had a hard time falling back to sleep after a nightmare though Maurice did help some now. He loved the little bear mostly because his grayish brown fur and glassy amber eyes reminded him of Remus. The man had become his everything and these nights away from him were always the hardest and most nightmare filled. Not that he would ever tell Remus that; he didn't want the man to worry, they were just dreams after all. Nothing there could hurt him once he woke up.

The drop from the bed to the floor wasn't very big but was still more then Harry was used to, he had even had trouble scrambling onto it when he was trying to get to bed earlier. Maybe it was an adult thing, large beds. Even Remus had one, which struck Harry as ridiculous. What in the world did they need all that space for?

With a hint of a sigh the three-year-old looked around tiredly before deciding to 'read' one of his books to help him fall back to sleep, mirroring what Remus always did for him. He was not a very good reader yet, no matter how well Remus said he was doing, but that hardly mattered. He had memorized most of his stories long ago. Going over to the shelf he had placed his things on in an attempt to make the room look homier, he grabbed a random book and sat heavily on the floor. His legs ached more than they normally did after waking up but he supposed that was because he wasn't very thorough when putting the pain-relief salve on his legs. He'd had not wanted to ask Mr. Snape to help him, as he figured it would have only irritated the man, but he just couldn't do a good enough job on his own. He would have to ask in the morning when the man woke up. Relieving the pain was very much worth the sneer he was sure to receive.

He opened his book on the first page and absently realized it was the story of Fox and the Hound. He liked this one, it was about friends, something he dearly lacked. He let his eyes scan over the black printed words and the story itself come to the forefront of his mind. Remus' voice resounded in his head as he imagined the man reading to him and tried to match the words on the page to those in his memory.

-x-

Severus sat in his armchair silently watching the fire flicker in its keep. He had been up for several hours having never really gone to sleep. He supposed it was silly, staying up like he had to await the little heathen that had invaded his rooms to leave the one assigned to him and start snooping around, but that's what he did. And the brat had not left the room all night nor uttered a loud enough sound to bring Severus' attention to the thick door at all. How frustrating, knowing that his lack of sleep had been for naught. How inconsiderate of the brat to not break the rules…

Severus shook his head. That was the tiredness talking. He glanced at the old grandfather clock that sat in the corner of the sitting room and was only mildly surprised to see that it read 8:33. Was it truly morning? Well, the bags that were surely under his eyes sort of confirmed that. He'd told the boy last night that breakfast would be at 8 but it had not occurred to him until now that the brat might be incapable of telling time. It would figure.

With a groan and several bones popping in his back for having sat in an upright position all night (for absolutely nothing!) he went to go wake the lazy creature that a lesser person would have called a child. He approached the door and opened it only a crack, for some reason feeling reluctant to actually frighten the boy should he already be awake, and was startled by what he saw.

"…-day the great Yertle, that Marvelous he, Is King of the Mud. That is all he can see."

Sitting on the floor underneath the bookshelf was the Potter child himself with a large book resting in his lap as he bent his head over it and read the words.

"And the turtles, of course . . . All the turtles are free As turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be."

The boy had several books, all much smaller, spread out around him on the floor telling Severus that he had been at this for a while. He turned the page twice before clearing his throat.

" 'Happy Birthday to You. I wish we could do what they do in Katroo. They sure know how to say 'Happy Birthday to You!' In Katroo, every year,…"

Severus cleared his throat causing the small boy to jump and look around at him. He stared for only a moment before a small smile flitted across his face. "Good morning, Mr. Snape," he said brightly.

"You can read?" Severus asked bluntly.

The little one started and blinked owlishly and then looked down at his book and back up at Severus. "No," he said a bit sadly. "But I'm learning. I just 'member the stories and then try to match the words up with what I think they are on the page."

Severus blinked. That was very… smart. Not that he would ever say that. Or that he thought the child was smart. He was three for Merlin's sake and the spawn of James Potter. He was probably one of the least intelligent children out there if his genes had anything to say about it, the sad little thing.

"Do you want to see my book?" the boy asked excitedly. "It's called 'Your Favorite Seuss'! It has thirteen stories by Dr. Seuss and they all rhyme! There all sorts of stories like 'The Cat in the Hat' and 'Green Eggs and Ham' and 'If I Ran the Zoo'! "

Severus grimaced. He had not wanted to give the child the impression he was the least bit interested though this Doctor person did seem oddly fascinating.

"And-!"

"It's time for breakfast." Severus cut him off and felt a hint of guilt when the boy's face fell. "It's pass 8:30 and I believe I told you to be out there at 8 o'clock. Can you not tell time?"

The boy was frowning now looking terribly put out. "I can tell time," he defended softly. "It's just that-" here the boy's thumb crept into his mouth. "I wasth twying to weed and ders no cwock in here and you told- you told me not to weave until it wasth time for bweakfast b-but I didn't know when dat was." He sniffled a bit and Severus felt dread. He didn't know what he would do if the boy started crying.

"Well, it doesn't matter now," he brushed of quickly hoping that would hold off the water works he could just make out brimming in those green eyes. "Come on, let's eat now. Grab your nutrient potion and come to the kitchen." He left quickly and missed the hesitant smile that crossed Harry's face.

-x-

Harry followed Mr. Snape out of the room with a small limp that the man didn't notice. He would have to ask about the salve after breakfast then… He was glad the man seemed to have forgiven him for the trouble he caused. Maybe it was because he was actually worried about his health? Moony sometimes got upset when he was late to meals because he said Harry was too small and skinny and needed to eat more. He hadn't said it much lately but Harry knew he was a bit disappointed whenever he was unable to clear his plate though it was never a lot. Harry wanted to be better, if only to make Remus happy but it was so hard to eat all that food when he was so used to going without. "…ning to me?"

Harry's head snapped up and his face heated when he noticed Mr. Snape had been talking to him and he hadn't heard a word. "Sowwy," he mutter quietly around his thumb and lowered his eyes to the floor. He heard Mr. Snape let out a heavy sigh but the man didn't reprimand him, just repeated his question.

"I asked you what you would like for breakfast," he deadpanned. Harry blinked u at him through his lashes.

"I can choose?"

The man stared down at him, eyes narrowed for a moment . "Does Lupin not let you select your own food?"

Harry's face furrowed in thought before he nodded a bit. "He doths, but-"

Harry started for a moment as his thumb was removed from his mouth. "Start over, look me in the face and speak clearly." Mr. Snape said curtly.

Harry paused a bit openmouthed before licking his lips, raising his eyes and trying to answer the question again. "He- he does but he says I can't haves a bunch of sugar and I haves to eat at least one full piece of fruit." Harry frowned. "I think Madam Poppy told him that."

"Yes, I don't doubt that she did." Mr. Snape frowned up his face in a look of distaste but other than that said nothing more as he gestured for Harry to sit at the table.

Severus watched as the boy spared a glance at his 'booster seat' from the day before, before turning slightly pleading eyes back to him. It only took him a moment to remember that the boy could not actual reach the seat and so, with a heavy heart at the thought of having to do this repeatedly throughout the day, Severus lifted him up and placed him, far more gently then he originally intended, on the seat. He wondered vaguely if it would be less painful to simply let the brat eat on the ground.

'No Severus,' he reprimanded himself just as quickly. 'That would be- for the most part- unjustly unkind.' The boy was not a dog. No matter how big of a mutt his guardian may be. And the irony would be lost on the child who surely did not know of Lupin's 'furry problem'. No, best save that joke for when the boy was old enough to take offense to it.

"What kind of fruit and breakfast would you like?" he asked uncaringly.

The boy thought for only a moment before exclaiming brightly, "An orange please! And could I have pancakes? Chocolate chip ones? And Moony says I should drink milk, too."

Severus raised an eyebrow at the child's sudden exuberance. "I believe that chocolate chip pancakes would count as an overload of sugar. Surely Lupin doesn't give you that to start off the day."

"But he does!" Harry protested. "Not all the time but I've had them. He uses the chocolate that Gran sends us every two weeks."

" 'Gran'?"

The boy abruptly bit his lip shyly. "Yes sir, Gran. She's Remus' mummy and I've never met her but Remus says I will soon enough. She sends us- umm- care packages? Yeah, and they always have chocolate. Remus said that I could call her Gran. He helps me to write her thank you letters and she's really really nice."

Severus sniffed. He'd been under the impression for several years that Lupin had no family but apparently he was wrong if an older women claiming the young boy in front of him as her grandson was any indication. "Well we don't have your… Gran's chocolate here but I assume the house-elves will suffice for now, correct?"

The boy nodded slowly, plainly indicating he had little clue as to what Severus was talking about but he pushed that aside and snapped his fingers bringing forth the same house elf as the day before, Tipper. He took amusement in the fact that the boy jumped again and eyed the creature wearily. "Tipper, bring us breakfast. I will have whatever they are serving in the Great Hall but my guest would like… Chocolate-chip pancakes," Severus sneered slightly. "Milk and an orange."

"Yes Master Snape!" Tipper agreed bouncing on the spot and before disappearing on the spot. The boy only relaxed slightly.

"Mis'sur Snape?" he question timidly. "W-what is that?"

"That, boy, is a house elf." Severus answered. It was a valid question after all. He was a bit knocked for six that the boy hadn't asked before now.

"But what is it?" Severus resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"It's a magical creature. Surely you've heard of elves, they are mentioned frequently in muggle fiction." The boy nodded. "Well house elves are the same genetically, with their own branch of magic, but still very different. A house elf's duty is to be bound to a family or in this case, the school, and serve it's members indefinitely." Harry opened his mouth. "It means forever." The boy closed his jaws and sat quietly for an instant.

"So they're… helpful magic creatures? Not scary ones like giants and stuff?"

"Yes, that's right," Severus nodded not sure why he was putting up with all the inquiry. Maybe it was because the boy, it seemed, wasn't completely dense. Still not the brightest but smart enough to grasp the concept no matter how small a grasp it was.

The boy nodded to himself in a decisive way and didn't jump when Tipper popped back in with their food, instead, he did something much more interesting. "Hi, I'm Harry. I'm three." he smiled at the creature, who looked back startled. Severus had to stop himself from gaping. What was with this brat? One minute he was practically cowering from the thing and now he was making friends with it. Tipper sent him a hesitant glance then smiled indulgently at the boy.

"I'm Tipper young Master Harry."

"What do you do here?" Harry asked curiously. "Do you just bring food? Do you do other stuff? Mis'sur Snape says you have to work here, do you like working here? I bet there's lots a people to feed in this castle. Do you feed everyone by yourself? What-"

"Mister Potter," Severus drawled tensely over the boy's chatter. Honestly! Who knew the boy could talk that much? He'd been fairly quiet up until now and Severus was sorely starting to miss the peace. "I do believe that Tipper needs to get back to work. He can indulge your frivolous ranting at another time if it is that important to you. Preferably during a time when Lupin is here and you are well out of my vicinity."

There was a short awkward pause in which both the boy and elf stared at him before Tipper shook his head, bowed marginally and 'popped' away. The boy looked at the spot before turning his intense emerald gaze back to Severus. It was unnerving to have the boy look at him in such a way so Severus finally snapped "What?" The small head tilted a bit to the left, eyes wide.

"Sorry Mis'sur Snape. I just… well, don't know what you just said."

-x-

Severus used all his will power to collapse as gracefully as he could onto his chair. After the initial fiasco at breakfast the boy had settled down into his usual, much easier to handle, quiet self, for which Severus was grateful. He had sent the boy to fetch his muscle relaxer/ pain reliever for his legs as the boy had quite unsurely asked him to put it on. He had agreed for as much as he disliked the brat he did not want him to be in physical pain, and judging by the pale face and limp that showed every time the boy took a step, that was just what he was in.

The sound of something dragging across his carpeted floor drew his attention and he saw the boy making his way toward him with a jar clasped tightly in one hand and dragging his big book of 'Seuss' behind him. He ignored the book for the time being- surely the boy wasn't under the impression that he was going to do something as mundane as read to him- and concentrated on getting the boy situated on the couch. Still in his pajamas, Severus easily rolled up the child's pants legs and what he saw… concerned him.

The legs looked pale and stick thin like they belonged to a sickly person. Despite the paleness they were red and inflamed looking swollen and almost raw. Severus glanced up at the boy who paid him no mind as he looked at his legs disinterestedly. This was normal then. He would definitely be asking Lupin about this later…

With a steady hand he spread the mixture in the jar evenly over the ailing legs and noticed the color slowly coming back to the boys face as it relaxed in relief. "Do you have something to occupy yourself with?" he asked and sighed when the boy looked at him curiously. He would never be adept at talking to three-year-olds. "Do you have something to do?"

The boy grinned thinly. "I'm gonna try to read again!" he told Severus with a small glimmer in his eyes. "Do you want to hear a story?" he asked seeming doubtful but Severus surprised both the boy and himself when he gave the impression of a shrug and settle back in the chair to listen to the boy.

"Go on," he said when the child continued to watch him in shock of his unexpected move. "Read. Enlighten me on your… Talents."

This prompted the boy into action as he gave Severus a bewildered smile and opened his book on his lap. "I'm not very good but I know them all by heart. I think you'd like… 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas!' It's kinda sad at the start but it has a happy ending."

Severus listened patiently as the boy 'read' his way through the story and though the rhyming he could have done without, it was rather amusing.

Not that he would ever say that aloud of course.