Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.
Thanks for your reviews! Hope you enjoy this chapter!
"Severus, I know you are strict and your detentions are known to be something to avoid but turning them into toddlers is a bit much," Poppy said dryly as she eyed the two little boys.
Snape glared at her. "Funny. Actually, they took to throwing random ingredient's into each other's cauldrons and caused an explosion, resulting in this." He gestured to the tiny tots.
Poppy began running diagnostics on both boys. Harry was sitting quietly while Ron was trying to slide off the cot. "Now, now. I need you to sit still," Poppy said gently as she plopped him back on the cot. She sighed as Ron scrambled to the edge of the cot.
"Down!" Ron whined.
"Weasley, sit still!" Snape snapped. He caught sight of Hermione glaring at him. "Something to say, Miss Granger?" He asked dangerously as he sent a Patronus to Dumbledore to let him know what had happened.
Hermione pursed her lips but didn't say anything.
Poppy finally added a sticking charm to make sure Ron couldn't move and try to get down. "You need to stay where you are, dear. I don't want you falling." She said sweetly.
"Ron want down!" Ron cried as Dumbledore entered the room. His eyes widened as he took in the older wizard in colorful robes.
"What a shock, he's a bratty baby," Draco smirked.
Ron gasped and he gave his best toddler glare to the blonde. "I'm a big boy!" He insisted.
"Of course you are," Poppy said as she continued her check-up.
"Are they all right?" Dumbledore asked, smiling down at the young boys.
"Besides being about three years old? Yes, they are fine," Poppy said. She frowned. "Well, except for Mr. Potter. He is quite underweight for a three-year-old." She pulled aside the shirt hanging off of Harry and everyone could clearly see how skinny he was.
Hermione gasped while Dumbledore just looked sad. Snape looked shocked at seeing the ribs of the child and Draco looked confused.
"Why does he look starved?" Draco asked, troubled at seeing that on a child. Even if the child was Potter.
"Because he was starved," Poppy said grimly.
"Oh Harry," Hermione whispered, looking like she might cry.
"Albus?" Snape asked in a tense voice.
Dumbledore didn't respond, just continued to look sadly at Harry.
"Severus, is there a way to undo this?" Poppy asked after a moment.
Snape ran his hand over his face. "I do not know. I do not understand how this was done, therefore I am unsure of how to go about undoing it." He glared at Draco and Hermione. "You two will come with me to the classroom and tell me exactly what ingredients were used. I will also collect a sample of the potion, there should be some still on the floor."
"Yes sir," Draco and Hermione both said.
"Albus, I will speak to you later?" Snape raised an eyebrow. He wanted answers on Potter and why the boy was so skinny. He would have assumed it was a side effect of the potion but Weasley looked normal and the look on Albus's face implied...not anything good.
After they left, Poppy transfigured empty vials into toys for the toddlers. "If they can't be set to rights soon, what will we do with them?" She asked the Headmaster.
"Well," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "Ron can go to his parents until a reversal is figured out. Molly has been spending a lot of time at Grimmauld Place cleaning and keeping an eye on Sirius. He could help take care of him."
"He would love to take care of Harry," Poppy pointed out. "He is the boy's godfather, after all."
"Yes, I know," Dumbledore said slowly. "However, the safest place for Harry is here at the castle or at his relative's house."
"Albus Dumbledore, if you send this poor child back to those despicable -" Poppy began angrily.
"Of course, I won't," Dumbledore said hastily. "Harry will stay here, with a new temporary guardian."
Poppy visibly relaxed. "Very good. I'm sure Minerva would be happy to watch him. Perhaps a schedule can be figured out so that Harry is watched while she is teaching."
"It would not be very feasible for her to do that with her deputy headmistress duties," Dumbledore said. "She is nearly as busy as I am."
"Oh, well then," Poppy frowned. "I could take him, but I spend most of my time here and it might be hard to keep a proper eye on him as I tend to sick or hurt students."
"It also wouldn't work as I am hoping to keep Harry's condition a secret," Dumbledore said. "It wouldn't be wise to let students see a little toddler with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead."
Poppy crossed her arms. "Well, I certainly hope you are not going to ask Mr. Filch to take care of him," She said sarcastically.
Dumbledore chuckled. "No, of course not. I thought Severus would be best."
Poppy blinked. "You can't be serious." She said flatly.
"It makes sense Poppy," Dumbledore said easily. "No one would ever think to look for Harry, at any age, in Severus's quarters. He can also observe Harry as he tries to figure out how to reverse the effects of the potion mishap. Plus, I trust Severus to protect the boy no matter what."
"Severus will be too busy to watch him," Poppy protested.
"He will have help," Dumbledore assured her.
"He doesn't like the boy," Poppy sighed.
"He doesn't really know him," Dumbledore said simply. "Maybe this will help with that."
"Will he agree?"
"Eventually."
The door opened and Professor McGonagall walked in. "Three of my lions are missing and their friends are worried," She announced. "They apparently had detention with Severus but when I went by his classroom the door was warded shut." She stared at the two little boys, who had fallen asleep on the cots, in confusion. "Headmaster?"
"There has been a situation, Minerva," Dumbledore began.
HP
Snape scowled as he began the task of trying to figure out what had happened to cause Weasley and Potter to de-age. He had yelled plenty at Granger and Malfoy which had made him feel a bit better but he still was the one who needed to figure this out. He had also forbidden them from saying anything to their peers. He trusted that the know-it-all would obey, she wouldn't risk putting either of her friends in danger. Malfoy he had threatened to suspend from Quidditch for the rest of his Hogwarts days if he so much as breathed a word about what had happened. The only bright side was that he wouldn't have to put up with Potter in potions class for a while. He could hear his floo flare to life and with an impatient sigh, warded his private lab and went out to see the Headmaster, who was the only one who could floo into his quarters uninvited.
"Any luck yet?" Dumbledore asked brightly.
Snape stared at him. "In the hour since the incident occurred? No, I haven't made any progress yet," Snape said caustically.
"I was just asking," Dumbledore said mildly. "I'm sure you will figure it out. Now, I do have something to discuss with you."
"Yes?"
"We need to keep the news of what has happened quiet," Dumbledore began. "Having Harry this vulnerable, well, we wouldn't want the news to reach Voldemort."
Snape winced slightly at hearing the dark lord's name but nodded. "I agree. The children of death eaters would likely be asked to kidnap him."
"So he needs to be somewhere safe with someone who will protect him with their life," Dumbledore continued.
"I take it you don't mean his relatives?" Snape asked coolly.
"No," Dumbledore said quietly.
Snape took a deep breath. "His relatives...I had assumed he was being spoiled by them. Apparently, I was wrong. So how far did their neglect go?"
"I'm not sure," Dumbledore admitted. "I knew he was unhappy there, and he was always so thin at the start of each year. For the mistreatment to start that early...well, it doesn't bode well."
Snape was silent. He couldn't believe the little hero had been mistreated, even the muggles would have known about his fame. Surely Lily's sister would have welcomed the boy for that reason alone? Lily... His heart clenched at the thought of her.
"Ron will go to his parents, even Sirius can help watch him while Molly visits Grimmauld Place. It will give him something to do," Dumbledore said. "But Harry needs to stay at the castle for his safety."
"Black will likely kick up a fuss," Snape smirked.
"When he hears about it, yes," Dumbledore agreed. "However, he will have to accept that it is what is best for Harry. You will be able to protect him the best and -"
"Excuse me?" Snape stiffened.
"I want you to be Harry's temporary guardian," Dumbledore explained.
Snape began laughing.
Dumbledore waited patiently, simply watching him.
Snape's laughter faded and he looked at the Headmaster in horror. "You must be out of your mind! What am I saying, of course, you are out of your mind!" He roared.
"Now Severus -"
"No Headmaster," Snape gritted his teeth. "I will do what I can to reverse what the explosion did but that is it. I will not be a guardian to a three-year-old Potter menace."
"It is unlikely that anyone will ever think to look for him here," Dumbledore pointed out. "Also you can observe him day to day, which may help you as you work to reverse the de-aging."
"I teach, I am Head of House and I will be busy in my lab," Snape protested.
Dumbledore waved his hand dismissively. "One of the other professors can help babysit or perhaps Molly will drop by for part of the day to watch him. And wards and charms will enable you to work in your lab while being aware that Harry is safely in his room."
"His room?" Snape blinked.
"Yes, you have that guest room which will make a fine nursery," Dumbledore beamed.
"I know nothing about taking care of a toddler!" Snape snapped. "I refuse Headmaster. I do not want that horrible brat here."
"Horrible brat?" Dumbledore asked with sadness in his eyes. "Ah Severus, you have never taken a real look at Harry. You were determined from the start to see only a James replica and you won't accept anything else. Harry is a good kid who has been through far too much. He is not spoiled, nor arrogant, nor insufferable as you like to say."
"I do not care -"
"He is not James," Dumbledore said firmly. "He is like him in some ways of course. His Quidditch skills, and his loyalty to his friends. His ability to find mischief, although James always went looking for it," He chuckled softly. "He is like his mother too."
Snape turned away. He didn't want to hear this. Thinking about Lily, it hurt too much.
"He is kind and compassionate like she was," Dumbledore went on. "He has a lot of love and forgiveness in him like she did."
"She didn't forgive me," Snape said bitterly. Not that I deserved it, he amended in his head.
"I believe you are wrong about that Severus," Dumbledore said quietly. "When she and James joined the Order, she took me aside one day and asked if you were still a death eater."
Snape froze.
"I told her to my knowledge you were," Dumbledore said. "She looked quite despondent at that. I don't think she would have even bothered asking if she hadn't forgiven you if she didn't still care about you. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to tell her that you had changed sides when you gave me the prophecy. It wouldn't have been safe to."
Snape turned away, trying desperately to Occlude. The thought that Lily had still cared...that she may have still thought of him as a friend...He shut his eyes, trying to get his emotions under control.
"Severus?"
"I'll do it," Snape said, not looking at the Headmaster. "Make the arrangements. I would like to be alone for a while, however."
"Of course, my boy," Dumbledore said softly. "Of course."
TBC:
