The rest of the day, to Severus's immense surprise and relief, went fairly smoothly, even by his standards. He finished giving the boy a tour of his house with a visit to his potions laboratory. Ordinarily, at this time of day, he would have been immersed in brewing, perhaps having finished up something that Madam Pomfrey would anticipate needing for the following year. He'd resigned himself to having no time for brewing today, and suspected that his new responsibilities of a temporary guardian would severely limit his brewing time, and stores available for the matron. But if the matron was upset, she could take her complaints to the headmaster. Severus had not volunteered to babysit the Potter child.
He could manage these alterations to his schedule not because he particularly cared for the Potter child, but because-at least so far-the child was not nearly as insufferable as he would have anticipated. Certainly, it was only the first day, and he certainly didn't want to make the arrangement permanent, but the boy was polite and inquisitive. These were qualities he greatly valued, and wished to encourage. While the child might be a bit more prone to tears than Severus would have liked, but he was only seven years of age-and clearly neglected by his aunt and uncle, besides. In such circumstances, Severus believed, a modicum of occasional tears could be excused, even expected.
They ate dinner early, with Severus heating up soup from the Dursleys' supply. Not as tasty as what the house elves prepared, certainly, but hardly indigestible. They ate in silence. Harry focused his attention on his chicken noodle soup, finished his bowl quickly, and when asked if he wanted more, he nodded. Severus was glad. Underfed though the boy might have been, Severus planned to make strides toward rectifying this within their time together. Harry wishing for seconds at meals would go a long way towards correcting his undernourished frame.
After the plates were cleared, Severus approached the cartons of ice cream that he had placed a permanent Cooling Charm upon to prevent melting. There was quite a lot of it-the Dursleys certainly enjoyed the treat. One carton contained the traditional Neapolitan mix, another chocolate with chocolate chips (this felt rather superfluous to Severus), a third something called "rocky road," and a fourth of more of the Neapolitan mixture. He opened the containers to gauge how much remained, and determined that each was at least half full, except for the second one of Neapolitan, which was full.
"Which do you prefer?" he asked Harry.
Harry shrugged, but his eyes were fixed on the containers. "I only had ice cream once, sir. Vanilla, when it was Dudley's fifth birthday. I don't know what the other flavors taste like."
Severus nodded, the news not a surprise, but still drawing a pang of anger and sadness within him. Poverty existed, and many children throughout the world went without food, much less treats. But judging from the size of Harry's former home and the size of Petunia's husband, this had hardly been the case. Based on the child's prior treatment with his relatives, Severus rather suspected that Harry's first and only encounter with ice cream was not due to anything except keeping up appearances on their son's birthday. Better to seem caring in front of the neighbors than risk them asking questions by their withholding a small amount of ice cream from Harry.
"Judging by the quantities that remain, it would appear that your relatives enjoyed the vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry mixture the most," Severus reasoned. "I suggest we follow their example, at least in this circumstance. If you prefer one flavor over another, you can have more of that in the future, as we will surely be eating this dessert again. Are you agreeable to this?"
"Yes, sir!" Harry answered, grinning.
Severus scooped out a generous portion for Harry and about half the amount for himself.
"Eat slowly, Harry," he cautioned. "Have you ever heard of brain freeze?" When the boy shook his head, Severus continued. "It's a dreadful headache that occurs when you eat something cold too quickly. Such as ice cream." At the boy's scared expression at he glanced at the bowl of ice cream, Severus added, "Don't be overly alarmed. Simply take small bites, wait a few seconds after you swallow each spoonful, and you'll be fine."
The child took Severus's instructions to heart. Taking slow bites, and pausing between them, the bowl was half melted before long. Not that the child seemed to mind. He finished the treat, then gave a contented sigh.
"Thank you, sir. That was really, really good!"
Severus smiled. "You're welcome. No headache, I trust?"
"No, what you said worked." Harry grinned. "Thank you. It would be awful to have a headache after something so yummy!"
"I agree, which is why I warned you." Severus raised his wand, and the bowls cleaned themselves, then flew back to the cupboard. Harry stared in fascination. "In a few years, you'll be able to do some of that. Now, are you ready for a bath?"
Harry's face darkened. "Please don't make me," he whispered. "Please, sir."
Severus tried not to hesitate. While the boy had no distinct odor, it had been a hot day, and they had been outside for long enough for the boy to sweat. Moreover, the closet had to have been dusty, all the more reason to require a bath.
Besides, if he allowed the child to put off bathing for one day, he would no doubt expect it again the following day.
Did children generally dislike baths? Severus thought this only applied to cats. But, no, based on Harry's visceral reaction from Severus questioning him earlier about whether his aunt still assisted him, there must be something that went beyond a dislike of baths.
"Harry, you must." He spoke firmly, but gently. "It's been a hot day, for one thing, and you've been locked in a dirty closet for...well, I don't know how long," Severus finished.
"Cupboard," he whispered.
"Pardon?"
"It was a cupboard, sir, not a closet. That's what my aunt and uncle called it, anyway," Harry added.
With great effort, Severus refrained from rolling his eyes. "Cupboard, then. The fact remains, you need a bath." At the ensuing silence that followed, and the fact that Harry stubbornly avoided his gaze, he asked, taking great pains to be gentle, "Why don't you want a bath?"
Harry looked up. "I c-can't wash my hair on my own, and Aunt Petunia always hurt me."
"How did she hurt you?" Severus asked, using an abnormally large amount of self control to keep calm.
"Pulled my hair. Scrubbed too hard. Got soap in my eyes," Harry explained, wincing at the memory. "I'd rather stay dirty, sir."
Severus nearly flinched at the mental picture the child had described. More things to hex that dreadful woman for-had she been alive. More the luck for her, and misfortune for him.
"Staying dirty is not an option, but I will be as gentle as possible," Severus promised, still keeping his tone gentle, "and you can put a wash cloth over your eyes to keep the soap out. I know that can be quite painful."
Harry sighed, but clearly saw this as a losing battle. He trudged, rather than walked, behind Severus as they made their way to his new room, then the bathroom.
Severus filled the tub, checking the water temperature, then having Harry check it halfway through. He added a bubble mixture, something he'd found with the house, and never had occasion to use. Until now. Severus turned around while Harry changed, and when he turned back to the tub, the boy was submerged to his shoulders.
"Warm enough? Would you like me to make it hotter?" Severus asked.
"No, sir, this is perfect," he answered.
"Very well. Put your head in the water, or the back of it, and I'll help with your hair," Severus instructed.
"Yes, sir."
Severus had no experience with bathing anyone except himself. Did children require special shampoo? His own mother had only been able to afford soap on her hair and his, and while it got the job done, his hair had been dull long before puberty made it perpetually lank. His mother had kept it back, in a bun, for similar reasons. A pity, too, because she might have been pretty under better circumstances...Severus's thoughts turned back to the present. Surely, a day of using adult shampoo wouldn't matter, and he could inspect the shelves when they went grocery shopping the following day for muggle shampoo that was child friendly. In the meantime, Severus would simply only avoid doing what Harry loathed, what any child would loathe. He handed a face cloth to the boy, who put it against his face, nearly plastering it there. Then, Severus applied a small amount of shampoo to his head, and began to work it into his scalp. A small sigh suggested that Harry enjoyed it, but Severus did not linger over working it through his hair. Best to get the child clean and out of the tub as soon as possible, for both their sakes.
Even with the face cloth protecting his eyes, Severus applied the adjustable spray as far away from his face as possible. Once he was certain the suds were gone, he tapped Harry on the shoulder.
"Your hair is clean. Can you manage rinsing off your body on your own?" Severus asked.
If he had to assist, he would, but Harry was hardly a toddler, and he was not his guardian. Shampooing his hair was one thing, and besides, currently the rest of his body was hidden by the soapy water.
Harry first lowered the cloth, then handed it over to Severus. He nodded. "Yes, sir."
"I'll leave, then, while you finish. You can handle brushing your teeth and putting on your night clothes-your pajamas?" he asked. Another nod, and he rose, grateful. "Very good. I will be waiting in your room until you're ready to go to bed, and we can say goodnight then."
"Yes, sir."
Severus turned, then heard the removal of the plug and the sound of the shower spray running. A few minutes later, the sound of the sink ran for a few minutes. When Harry came into his room several minutes afterwards, he was wearing a pair of pajamas that nearly swam around him, but his hair was combed. Severus was struck again by how very young he looked.
"Shall I tuck you in?" he asked, softly.
"Tuck me in?" Harry repeated, bewildered.
"That's typically what happens before a child goes to bed, Harry."
He shrugged. "My aunt and uncle never did."
Another pang. "Well, as I am responsible for you, for now, I will. If you would like me to, of course," Severus added, quickly.
"O-okay. Yes, sir, I'd like you to tuck me in," Harry whispered.
Severus removed the covers, and Harry crawled inside. He placed the blankets over him, then tucked a stray hair behind his head.
"I know that many children like bedtime stories, but at the moment, I have none. There is a collection of fairy tales that wizarding children grow up with, and I shall inquire of Madam Pince to send over a copy. Then, we can begin reading it. Would you like that?" Severus finished his explanation.
Harry nodded. "I don't mind that there aren't any now. I-" He yawned. "I like being tucked in."
"Are you warm enough?"
Another nod. "Yes, sir."
"Very well." Severus carefully ran a hand over Harry's still damp hair. "I shall see you in the morning. Good night, Harry."
The child yawned, nestling against the covers. "Good night, sir."
Severus left the room, gently closing the door behind him.
Author's note:
Is an almost eight year old still in need of help in the bath? I suppose it depends on the kid. I know my mom helped me and my sister with rinsing out our hair at that age, and while that's hardly representative of every child in the world, we weren't behind on life skills or anything. So, I figure that IF eight/nearly eight is too old to need help, we can chalk it up to Aunt Petunia's dreadful care of him.
As I work on later chapters, I realize that I am going to focus on Harry's trauma. Not to the extent that it will be the entire fic, but definitely more than in canon. I'm no psychologist or psychiatrist, but I don't believe a child can go unloved by ANYONE from ages 1 to nearly 8 without there being long-term damage to their psyche. Severus will help Harry through it, but it's still a part of his history.
A guest reviewer asked if they were curious about Dudley. I would assume so, but Harry was their main priority. As far as Dudley's whereabouts during the death of his parents, this will be revealed in full shortly.
Next up: Severus realizes that he needs more fresh food-specifically eggs-and they take a side trip to a muggle bookstore. Because even though Severus is NOT looking to be the guardian of the Potter child, it would hardly befit the boy to go several days without age appropriate books to read.