I am so sorry for the years long break. I couldn't figure out where to go, I wrote myself into a corner. The story now has a time jump to the summer before 5th Year. There will be flashbacks of things that happened before. Hope you enjoy.
"I love you so much," he told the baby boy he held in his arms. It felt like his world was ending. When he decided to be stupid for one night, it ended like this.
Most of Year 4 he had hidden his pregnancy. Every charm, enchantment, and spell he found to use to make sure no one found out about the baby. Thankfully, he had been home for three days when he went into labour.
The only two people that knew about the baby were Petunia and Rin, well and Moxy. That was why he asked his grandparents to let Petunia and Rin to stay with him for a week. He knew the baby would be coming soon and got lucky that it happened before they had to go home. They had help from Moxy, she got them everything they needed and put a charm on the room so no one could hear them. The potion his mother had forced him to drink that made him be able to carry the baby also made it, so his body changed letting him birth the baby. He would like to just not think about it and hope that soon his body was back to normal.
After everything that happened in Year 2, he knew someone was after him. He didn't know why but he suspected it was something to do with what his mother did to him. Not only that, but he could also tell his grandparents were worried every time he walked out of the house. It would kill him if something happened to his baby because he just wanted to keep him. Petunia had been telling him he could keep the baby, but he knew he couldn't. He loved him so much but couldn't raise him.
"Your grandparents could raise him," Petunia said, tears spilling out of her eyes.
"You heard them; Grandfather isn't well. I can't ask it of them."
"But once you do this you can't take it back," Rin told him.
"I'm fifteen years old, I can't keep a baby."
"What about the other father?" Petunia asked hesitantly.
That was another thing, he hadn't told anyone who the other father was. It hurt too much. Being used and thrown away like he was last year.
"It's not an option. This is for the best."
"Are you sure we should leave him here?" Rin asked.
It had taken them most of the day to get where they were going. They had told his grandmother that they were going into Muggle London. They boarded the train to Devon with the baby. They got some looks and sneers, but they didn't pay that much attention.
Four hours later they were staring in the distance of a small house. They could tell there were some charms to make it a bit larger. It had taken a while to decide on Molly and Arthur Weasley. There were several reasons why he chose them. They were good people and would treat the baby well. The Weasleys were as far from dark wizards as one could get, the baby would be safe from Voldemort. There were more and more disappearances of muggles and wizards that were standing up to him every day. The Weasleys had two young sons so they wouldn't be involving themselves in any impending war. The baby would be in his world, he would hear how he was even though he couldn't see him or hold him.
"We don't know if they'll keep him. What if they call the Ministry?" Rin asked.
"I just have to take that risk. This is the only way he'll have a normal life. Being raised as an abomination, I can't do that to him. If people knew I gave birth to him not a woman, he'll be ostracized. This is the only way he can have a good life."
"They don't have much money," Petunia said.
"They're just starting out with two small children. Soon Arthur will move up in the Ministry and have enough to support them. Gideon goes on and on about how good a mother his sister is. If he can't be with me, I want this for him."
"I still don't understand why he can't be with you?" Petunia asked. "We'll just tell everyone he's my baby too, then no one will know who gave birth to him."
"It doesn't work like that. A foundling is one thing, if we show up with a baby and say it's ours, they will do tests to prove it. The secret won't last."
"Is Gideon the father?" Rin asked. "The baby does have a little bit of a red tint to his hair."
"No, it's not Gideon." He wished it was because then he might have stood a chance to keep his baby. There was one more reason he was doing it this way, but he could never tell anyone, not even his best friends. "Alright, let's wrap him up, there's a chill in the air today."
"I love you so much," he told the babe as he put it in the basket they brought. He placed the letter beside him, and they ran off, waiting in the distance hidden from sight, for the door to open. "I just want him happy."
These children were about to drive her batty. "Billy give Charlie back his toy. Charlie your dragon is fine, he didn't hurt him." Charlie adored his stuffed dragon that her brother Fabian got him last year for Christmas.
Having a four-year-old and a two-year-old was going to make her old before her time.
"Mummy?" Billy asked.
"Yes, luv?"
"What's that noise?"
She was about to tell him there wasn't a noise but then she heard it too. It was the crying of a baby. She looked at her two, they were both fine. There were no houses close enough to hear a baby cry. That and there were no neighbours with a baby. She followed the sound and it led her to her front door. Opening it she was greeted with the sight of a crying baby in a basket.
"What in the world?" she asked, picking up the baby and looking around for where it came from.
"What is it, Mummy?"
"It's a baby, luv," she told Billy.
"We have another baby?" he asked happily.
Something fell as she rocked the baby in her arms. Billy reached down and grabbed the letter. He handed the letter to her. "Let's go in," she said looking around one last time but seeing no one.
She summoned the cot that was still in the boys' room even though Charlie had outgrown it. Once the baby was calmed, she read the letter.
Dear Mr. & Mrs. Weasley,
I am unable to care for my baby. I'm young and cannot care for him. As I've heard you are caring and loving parents, I was hoping you would take him as your own. I didn't name him, not because I don't love him, but I know after now he'll never be mine again. Please love him and keep him safe. One day I hope he'll be a great wizard but what I want most for him is to be happy and healthy.
A Loving Parent
It took the best the part of a week to get everything settled with Matthew's adoption. Wizarding Law is different from what they say about the muggle laws. There was no way to find out who the baby's birthparents were unless they had someone to test. But now Matthew was theirs and they would treat him like it. Both boys already loved their baby brother. She found out when she took him to St. Mungo's to get checked out, he was only a day old. She didn't know why his mother left him on her front door, but she wouldn't let her regret it.
Severus wanted to be alone on the Hogwarts Express, but his friends refused to let him be. He was glad that it was just Rin and Petunia. James was now dating Lily, so the Marauders or whatever they call themselves were in a different compartment. It was what he wanted; he couldn't imagine having to have dull conversations about how wonderful everyone's summer was after he had to give up the only thing that mattered to him.
All summer his grandparents tried to get him to come out of his depression. He had made Moxy swear not to tell them why he was sad, he just hoped the house elf could keep it quiet. She was technically his grandparents' house elf but unless they ask her in a certain way, she'll keep it secret.
On his fourth week home Gideon owled him that he had a new nephew. Matthew. His son's name is Matthew. It's not a wizarding name but Weasley's always did things a little different. He sighed in relief that they kept him. Maybe he would take Gideon up on visiting him over the holidays when it came up. Gideon would have to visit his sister and her new baby.
The sorting happened and there were smiles all around. They got a shy, blond boy named Lockhart. He didn't really pay attention to the sorting, the only reason he knew Lockhart's name was because he tripped on his way to the Ravenclaw table. This was Rin's last year; he could see the older boy was already getting sad about leaving. Rin and Petunia had been together since he and Petunia were in Year 3. It sometimes was a bit annoying being around the couple. They had broken up a couple times, but it never lasted more than a day.
Everyone was surprised he wasn't Prefect but not him, he hadn't been the best student last year. It was hard to be the best student he could when he was either sick, hormonal or paranoid. He was lucky he passed all his classes.
"Why have you been avoiding us?" Remus asked, putting his books on the table in the library where Severus was sitting.
"I have no idea what you are talking about." The sentence he was reading seemed to blur a little. Maybe he had been here too long.
"Are you crying?" Sirius asked, sitting next to Remus.
With shame he realized he was crying so after wiping his eyes, he glared at the two boys.
"I don't remember inviting you two to sit down. I told you last year I wouldn't be helping you anymore. If you can't learn on your own than it's not my job to get you through school." He slammed his book shut, earning a hiss from the librarian but he didn't care. Just as he left the library he ran into Lily and James who were giggling together and holding hands. Not wanting to hear from them either, he raced past them.
Memories of last year assaulted him. Hiding his pregnancy was hard but the worst was stopping his friendships that had taken years to gain. Waiting to shower when no one was in there so they wouldn't see him when he didn't have his enchanted cloak hiding him.
As he hurried to the Room of Requirement, he made sure not to make eye contact with anyone. Pandora stopped coming there last year. She had joined a few clubs and her classes were taking much of her time. It was clear to him that he had pushed them all away last year. Rin and Petunia didn't let him do it, that's why they knew as much as they did. He yelled and called Petunia the most awful things, she looked him up and down then asked if he was done. He saw Lily breakdown in tears when a Slytherin called her a Mudblood. Petunia didn't flinch and when he apologized, she shrugged the word off. She said a word would never break her. The rest of the week was a blur to him.
"Mr. Snape, please see me after class," Professor McGonagall said.
He realized he hadn't been paying attention in class. "Yes, Professor."
Once class was over, she came to stand in front of him while he put away his parchment and quill.
"Your mind hasn't been on your work. This isn't something new either. Last year you barely made it out of this fog you've been in. Are you ill? Do I need to speak with Professor Flitwick?"
He shook his head. "No, I'm fine Professor."
"I can't let this continue. Last year I gave you a pass, but something is wrong. I want you to visit with Madam Pomfrey."
Last year he avoided her like the plague so she wouldn't find out he was pregnant. There was no reason to hide from her now. Maybe she would let him take a nap, he was feeling very drained today. He laughed to himself. "I'm alright. I just need to work somethings out myself. Thank you, Professor." He left before she could stop him.
There was no way he could keep on living this way. He wanted to see the baby again. He knew he wasn't his baby anymore; he was Matthew Weasley but seeing him again could fix a part of him.
First, he found Gideon who was working on Ancient Runes in the library. The redhead was banging his head on his open book.
"That's an interesting way to learn."
"Why did I take this class?"
"You're a glutton for punishment?"
"I must be. All I want to be is a Auror. Do I really need Ancient Runes?"
"I guess, I don't know much about what you would need to be an Auror."
"Yes, you want to be a potions master, lofty goals."
"Not really sure what I want anymore. I was wondering if I could visit you this Christmas."
"Yeah? Wow, of course. I've told my parents all about you even told my sister. We are visiting my sister for a few days, but you'll probably be with your grandparents by then."
"Actually, I was hoping I could meet your sister."
"Really? Why?"
"Just how well you talk about her and her husband. Also, I grew up in a muggle household, I thought maybe your brother-in-law would like to find out about some of the thing's muggles use. You said he has a passion for muggle inventions."
"He does, he's a bit mad if you ask me but Molly loves him."
"I would like to meet him, both of them."
"Alright, I'll ask my parents. Are you sure your grandparents are alright with this?"
"As long as I spend Christmas Day with them it should be fine. I'll owl them when you tell me if your parents are good with it."
For the first time in months, he felt more like himself, and he had a little hope. Would it be strange if he asked a complete stranger to hold their baby? Probably but he was still going to do it. He wondered how much the baby had changed in the months since he was born.
"Arthur, Matt isn't feeling well, I think he's running a fever," Molly Weasley said worriedly. This wasn't her first baby and not the first baby with a fever, but she worried more about him. Arthur joked with her that she was going to treat him like a prince and their other children like paupers.
Arthur picked him up from her arms and kissed his forehead. "He feels fine. Have you checked it?"
"Earlier but it was normal then, I think he's gotten warmer."
"Of course, he's warmer, you have him in a thick jumper. It's too warm in here for that." She knew he was right, but Matt was so small. Billy and Charlie were such robust babies when they were born, they were still on the bigger side, though Billy was growing taller, and Charlie was growing wider.
An owl chose that moment to fly in and dropped a letter on their table. She gave it a treat and it was off again. She recognized the owl from being one that her brother Gideon likes to use at school.
"It's from Gideon," she told her husband as he rocked Matt in his arms. There were many things in her life that she thought she didn't do right but picking Arthur Weasley to be the father of her children was the best decision she ever made. He was born to be a dad.
"Ah, what's he up to?"
She listened for Billy and Charlie; they were playing in the other room. There was a fall followed by a cry, then a laugh, then they were running again. Weasleys were a rough and tough family, mixing her Prewitt genes, of course they would be tough.
She read over the letter and smiled. "Oh, he wants to bring his friend over on holiday. Severus Snape."
"Really? We finally get to meet the boy. Gideon is besotted with him."
"I think he's grown out of that. Over the summer he could only talk about a boy name Sturgis Podmore. But it'll be nice to meet one of his mates. You know how much trouble he had being sorted into Ravenclaw."
The baby started to cry. "You know what, I think you're right. I think he's poorly. We'll have to keep an eye on him."
