Chapter 5

"Oh it's so nice to see them two finally getting along?" Severus heard a cooing Minerva. What on Earth is she on about?

"They look so peaceful." A happy Poppy said. Severus can hear the smile in her voice.

Severus, eyes closed, begun to reflect what they could possibly be talking about. He felt warmth. Not from a blanket or charm either. He moved his fingers slightly and felt that one hand was in soft foreign hair while the other was on what appeared to be a spine under smooth and warm skin.

It all suddenly came back to him like remembering drunk events from a previous night. Oh god this was Harry Potter in his arms!

Harry Potter, the son of Lily Evans, in his arms and in his bed. And now there's an audience of cooing and maternal woman.

The son of Lily Evans…Snape has never once thought of the boy like that. He has always been James' boy. Ever since he found out the boy was meant for slaughtering from the former headmaster, he just couldn't look at him the same. How could those beautiful eyes of Lily Evans be facing death by the same man once more? And on top of this, the boy was alive! And was in his arms while he slept. Wasn't he meant to be dead?

That's right, it's all coming back. He invited the boy to rest with him. That experimental potion of his…

He had noticed a much softer side of himself while under the influence. He was expecting the potion to be leaving his system any day now and it appears that by the feel of unsteadiness from being touched, he has finally metabolised the wretched lifesaving potion out of his body.

And now he has a boy in his arms. One that he is still trying to hate. How odd to return and not see a glistening platinum statue of Harry Potter at the entrance or the boy wearing is Merlin medals, prancing around.

Right, this was Lily's boy, not James'. Lily would never do that. She was modest, kind, shy and precious. And that's what he currently holds in his arms. Sure the boy is the spitting image of the once living bastard James Potter but those eyes of his truly reflect his soul. That is the boy, isn't it? He could ask for a throne and a crown and all the woman in the world but here he is, broken, scared, shy. The boy who lived is no brave man, he was just a man with a job he never wanted to do.

"Oh they look so precious together don't they-"
"Shh, Poppy…Let's leave them to rest."

Severus just wanted to throw a curse or two at those women right now but alas, he would have to wake the boy in the process, and he wasn't ready to face him.

He heard the footsteps of the woman shuffle their way out of the room and the door gently closing. After a moment, he opened his eyes to get a better look at the situation he was in.

Harry bloody Potter did look precious and he wants to slit his throat for admitting that. His hair, wild as always, his cheeks, pink. His eyes closed softly and his lips slightly apart. His breathing quiet and deep. He was resting peacefully. With not much else to do, Severus continued to look at the boy.

His eye lashes were longer than most boys he remembers but very similar to his late friend. In fact, those slightly pink cheeks of his were very similar to Lily too. That forehead, ignoring the scar was soft and smooth. Remembering James' appearance, he had a sharp, bold, all manly look to him. At this age, James could've easily passed as a man in his twenties while Lily always had a baby face.

If Harry were born a girl…

The only thing this boy had in common regarding physical appearance with that man was the hair colour and gender. Those toned legs was a common look all quidditch players had.

Snape had never been this close in a quiet presence with the boy and a revelation was made. The boy had a very feminine appearance. Even his facial hair was soft and easily undetectable once shaven.

Soft was the overall word for Harry Potter. He was soft. He was this soft boy who just wants to be held and guided. He didn't want the spotlight, he just wanted to live peacefully. He is very much like his mother.

Without thinking twice, Severus found himself leaving another soft peck on that scarred forehead. What was he doing? Perhaps the potion is still in his system? He felt his hands moving on their own accord. Brushing the boy's hair in gentle combing pats. Is this that paternal instinct of his? Is it normal to just want to keep looking at the boy's face and keep him close? Lost in thought and gazing at the small boy, he hardly noticed the flutter of eyelashes as his green eyes opened.

"Sir?"

His eyes were open now. Such precious emeralds, looking at him, asking him something and feeling at peace. Snape had made this happen. He calmed those fear filled eyes into what was now in his arms. Yes, this is what Lily would have done. She would have held her boy until all was better. She would have brushed his hair, left love filled kisses on her boy. She would have soothed him. But would she have had these butterflies in her stomach? Would she have felt this heat in her belly?

"Hello Professor." A quiet voice spoke and woke him up from this confusing spell he was under.

"Good evening to you too mister Potter." He said as normal as he could remember.

Harry looked at him a little disappointed by that remark. He supposed he was expecting something less formal on account they were snuggled up on a small single sized hospital bed.

"Sir, I really liked it when you called me Harry, can you please call me Harry again?"

What should he do? If he starts calling him Harry sure the boy will be happier but then everyone will start thinking he's grown soft and won't respect him anymore. They will all want the same treatment. If he calls him Potter, it wouldn't feel right calling that beautiful face Potter when he was clearly more Evans than he realised but things will go back to normal. Except, things aren't normal, are they? 'Normal' is this boy's death sentence and everyone living in fear. Well, the storm is over now, and all is calm as it should have been.

"Harry…"

The boy smiled. Those pink lips smiled for him. He's going to get a lot of strange looks but then again, the Slytherins in general are going to get a lot of strange looks when the school year returns.

The boy appeared to have begun nuzzling into him. He felt his nose on his neck and his chin on his collar bone.

They were closer than ever.

Snape felt his breaths become irregular. No idea what to do next.

"I guess this is the new normal." He thought to himself. He accepted the boys embrace and lay there letting the boy get his fill of warmth and comfort from this very unlikely source.

Severus suspected that tonight, he won't be sleeping alone.

**My first Authors note**

Hello everyone, I hope this story has been interesting to read so far. In the next 2 chapters, you will learn Harry's secret. Sorry for the slow start but yeah. I hope you are ready to learn what can ruin Harry's life.